Recruitment Firms.......worth your time ?

teksource1984

Forum Members,

What do you guys think about recruiters ? one just called me a few minutes ago after looking at my new cert.

Should I attend the meeting ? what would you guys do ? and what do you think of recruiters/headhunters who want to meet and introduce you to new gigs...........

blargoe

Hi,

Just know up front they are trying to make a commission from the company that hired them. Nothing wrong with that per se, but a lot of times they're not looking for your best interest. Keep that in mind. If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. That said, if you're looking to improve your situation don't rule out talking with one. I got my current gig through a headhunter.

Also, please don't take this the wrong way... this exact question has been asked at least twice in the past couple weeks or so in this exact forum. Hell it's probably still floating on the front page.

jeanathan

I never had to attend meetings. I have had at least 1 interview with a major government contractor via a technical recruiter calling me.

I have interviewed on the phone with a few others. Mostly if you do not have to go in person to interview with the recruiter then it is a win win situation for you and the recruiter. If you have to meet the recruiter then I am not sure it is worth the expenditure of funds to have the opportunity to be considered along with many others for a job. Which is the same situation as when you apply directly for a position.

dice.com is not a bad place to place your resume; it is how I was contacted.

xenodamus

I'm meeting with one this afternoon actually. Whether or not I get considered for the job their trying to fill today, I figure it's a good way to find future opportunities. I'm not really going out of my way to meet with them, though. I'm taking half the day off to get a contact lense exam not far from their office, so it's not much of an inconvenience.

fly351

I still talk to one recruiter even though I am not looking for a job. It's good to keep your options open, you never know!

But yah the others pretty much nailed it.

BradleyHU

man, i have a strong disdain for recruiters. nothing good has ever come out of them for me. most of the recruiters that contact me, are talkin about short term positions. i mean, i'm not a contract person anyways, BUT if one came along that i couldnt pass up, i'd go for it, but that would be rare...IMO. and i know this has been said b4 in a few threads, but when i get calls from recruiters and they have the super thick indian accent that i cant understand them, i dont even bother. 2 weeks ago, about a week after i started my new job, i got a message on my vmail from some recruiter, his accent was so heavy, i couldnt understand the name of the company or phone # he said. i'm sure he wasnt calling from the states, even tho the area code he gave me was a states area code, but i'm sure it is call forwarded.

Turgon

teksource1984 wrote: »

Forum Members,

What do you guys think about recruiters ? one just called me a few minutes ago after looking at my new cert.

Should I attend the meeting ? what would you guys do ? and what do you think of recruiters/headhunters who want to meet and introduce you to new gigs...........

Attend. Unless your personal network of contacts is providing you with enough opportunities you need to engage with these people. Many companies large and small use recruitment agencies exclusively and sometimes restricted to just a few agencies. They give a big contract to an agency to provide 100's of people. In return the agency bills less and pays the contractors less. But it's a win for the agency as 100's of people working through them is a big chunk of change each week.

Sign of the times. Some agents suck but the agency business can also offer you decent opportunities you wouldn't normally hear about by cold calling. My present contracting gig is through an agency. A small one.

laidbackfreak

I got my first ever gig in IT way back through a friend, since then all of them have come via agencies. Over the years I've only ever met with a few of them as long as it's not putting me out I dont mind so much.
Here in the UK most of them are pretty much happy with a phone call to talk through what your doing and what your looking for. Occasionally some of the do pre-screening interviews for firms but mostly there leeches that can't be avoided lol

subl1m1nal

I have to agree. There have been a few forum postings in regards to this.

Personally, I've never had to deal with a head hunter. My job oppotunities have always come from past instructors or IT friends. Never doubt the power of social networking.

Odd though. I had one add me as a friend on linkedin. No job offers. He just added me. Might turn into an opportunity or it might not. Don't care either way. Just keeping my options open.

1MeanAdmin

My full-time jobs (and they were not posted anywhere) I got via recruiters or employers that contacted me. Applying for posted positions never worked for me.