Friday, September 09, 2005
the one with a certain headhunter
headhunter:(n) a recruiter of personnel (especially for corporations)
or
a savage who cuts off and preserves the heads of enemies as trophies.
anyhow, this is a trivial post about her experience with a certain headhunter somewhere in the central part of singapore near city hall.
most unfortunately,she read this article on headhunters a wee bit late:
A quick word on headhunters: some are very effective, but be careful. By definition, headhunters are more concerned with making money from placing you than they are worried about your long-term career goals. Proceed with caution. Never give a headhunter your resume without finding out exactly how it is to be used. Also, make sure that the headhunter understands your goals and needs, and only calls you when they have a position that might be a good fit (taken from www.jobcircle.com)
how apt.
she was too trusting and assumed what was good for her colleague should be good for her too. and so she sent her cv to this particular lady X without checking on her background, an action which she immediately regretted after getting off the phone with her. not only did lady X not reply her emails but she could definitely do with some brushing up of PR skills over the phone. she's never in her life come across a headhunter who told her to "chill" (in her words "i just got back to the office, give me some time no?) after she enquired if lady X received her resume which was sent out 4 days ago. hmm, so you must be VERY busy canvassing and representing your current candidates no? lady x then "advised" her to seek her own contacts should she want to consider moving over to the client's side. finding this particular headhunting firm thoroughly disappointing despite its second chance, she found herself bitching about this to a good friend who later divulged about lady X's not- too- good reputation in the industry. once again, she's a wee bit late.
ah well, lesson learnt.
good headhunters are rare as a gem. she's seen these gems at work, they are sincere, hardworking and enthusiastic in helping you find the perfect fit. and honestly we jobseekers would appreciate knowing you've tried your best even if nothing successful turns out. we're in a high turnover industry, we know what its like where CEOs and GADs change their minds about hiring and firing but please do understand we also know where we stand. imagine the wedding mafia scenario (taken from ivan misner's sales and marketing):
a florist, a photographer, a travel agent and a jeweler. they may not be in the same industries but a referral for one of them becomes a referral for all.
sad thing is, people never really do remember your achievements, it's human nature to remember bad publicity and with this tight knit industry where we need you as much as you need us, you should never ever underestimate the power of negative word-of-mouth.
so if you need a gem, try the one at capital square instead.
bee wrote this at 1:52 PM
