Drawbacks of using a Headhunter in your Job Search
Using an aggressive employment agency to find you a job may have some advantages, and many job seekers have used them with successful results. However, too often the nickname of headhunter becomes all too real and can actually be harmful to your job search. Some negative examples of using a headhunter include:1. One important purpose most people go to a headhunter to leap from one job to a better one is to make sure the search will be kept strictly confidential. However, once you list with an agency, you have no control of the security of your personal information, and the information can get back to your current employer and others you do not want to know about your efforts.Although the headhunter may promise you total secrecy, you can’t be certain that an associate at the employment agency won’t unintentionally or otherwise leak the information to your current employer.3. Except when hired and paid by employers, headhunter almost always requires an up-front token payment for the service. Along with it, the client must sign a contract of exclusivity. This means that even if the client finds a job on his/her own, the full fee must be paid to the headhunter. Depending on the importance and position of the new job, the fee can range upward from one full month’s salary.4. Headhunters have earned their reputation as hard-nosed bargainers because they can be very successful in using all their connections and influences to find the most favorable job for their clients. However, in some situations their aggressive efforts can actually cause resentment among potential employers and harm the client’s chances of getting the job.5. Headhunters are in it for themselves. There’s nothing basically illegal nor unethical about that attitude. However, the higher salary they can negotiate, the higher their commission will be, and their intensity can be annoying to potential employers. That could be another reason for your potential employer’s resentment becuase you’re using the headhunter service. If you’re hired, the methods used may not get you off on the best footing in your new job.Using a headhunter to find you that new career opportunity may result in success. However, the drawbacks often can make your search more difficult, or in a worst scenario, possibly cause you to miss out on getting that job.
