Best of the ISP-Lists

The Headhunter's Silence

Members of the ISP-Jobs list discuss their frustrations with headhunters. Some in the profession give pointers to jobseekers on how to distinguish between legitimate job ads and those that are merely traps.

[April 10, 2001]

On the ISP-Jobs list in March, WG complained of a frustrating job search experience:

"When I respond to help wanted ads, I keep getting canned replies saying that the job has been filled and suggesting I sign up (for a fee) on their resume database. I don't know if the jobs they tout were ever in existence, but this just seems like a pathetic attempt to fill their database."

MR agreed that it's difficult to find a legitimate employment ad:

"I believe most jobs that you find on job boards are recruiter-generated to do just as you said: fill up their database. HotJobs.com does allow you to select 'employers only,' which makes it less of a waste of time. The others must just be doing lousy financially to stoop to these levels, sacrificing their credibility to keep a sinking ship afloat."

A number of respondents took these concerns a step further:

[AV warned]"Sometimes agencies post open job descriptions to get contacts in certain companies, like using the project list on a freelancer's resume to add those companies to their potential customer list. If an agency asks you for references with contact info, they may be doing this just to get a contact in an interesting company so they can promote their own previously-contracted freelancers instead of you!"

[CR worried]"Are there headhunters that are selling my and others' resumes to prospective employers? I mean, these cover letters we all send out must be going somewhere, even though no one responds to them. Or am I just paranoid?"

DS brought a calmer perspective to the conversation:

"Actually, CR, it's free for headhunters to receive the resumes. If you're not getting a response, you've either targeted the wrong groups, or haven't made your case early on enough. Headhunters have a notoriously short attention span!

I'd recommend two things. First, put something at the top of the resume that tells concisely what area your experience is in, and what you want to do. Second, as sad as it sounds, put a 'Keywords' section at the end of your resume that describes the skills you have. Many recruiters just search for keywords, because they've got no clue what the words themselves mean."

[PK added]"You know, the headhunting industry has taken shots for lots of years because of the actions of a few corrupt individuals. Agents like the ones you have described are in this for some quick cash, and then they vanish.

Some of us, though, are in this business for the long term and play by the rules, assuming that fair and honest treatment will pay off in long-term business relationships. With that in mind, I would say the best agents to deal with are the ones with three or more years in the business. They are playing for the long term business and won't be doing any of the games that could ruin their name in this relatively small IT world."

— End