Should You Use a Headhunter or a Career Coach?

What exactly is a headhunter?  A headhunter either works for the company (usually called a recruiter) or a headhunter works for themselves on a commission basis recruiting specifically requested types of employees for a company.  Some facts about headhunters:

• They probably don’t understand what you do for a living or what is involved in the job they are recruiting for.
• They scan the first page of your resume - that’s why using those key words involved in your industry is important and why you don’t need to write down every little thing you’ve ever done.
• They won’t tell you why you were rejected, and they won’t present you to prospective employers more than twice.
• They won’t tell you if you don’t make a good presentation.
• An experienced headhunter can search more efficiently for jobs than you can. Their goal is to match you with a job.
• Headhunters charge the employer - not you - so they are not invested in your job search at all.  Although this is mostly true, there are headhunters who do charge the job seeker - be careful.

Beware of a job that sounds too good to be true - it probably is.  Due diligence is your responsibility.

UniversalClass.com’s definition of a career coach is “a person who is committed to helping clients find their own success.”  A career coach is much like a traditional coach: someone who takes the time to give the client the tools needed to succeed, but then stands on the sidelines to watch how the person uses those tools and cheer them on.

A career coach will help you with the basics such as resumes and cover letters, but they go deeper with you. They’ll ask you why you want to change jobs, what work you are looking for, what you want to achieve in your work life, and what you’ve done so far in your job search.  As your coach, they will talk to you about the things you can do to be successful in your job search, and they will tell you what you need to stop or avoid doing as well.  Good coaches are honest and direct.  If, in their opinion, you are not qualified for a position you want to apply for, they’ll tell you, tell you why, and work with you to determine the qualifications you need. 

A coach will help you practice interviews, help you write and critique your “elevator speech,” and coach you through your first efforts at networking.  A career coach will teach you how, not do it for you.

When should you think about hiring a career coach? 

• When you have been looking for a while - sending out 1 zillion resumes and not getting any interviews
• When you wish you had a different job, but don’t know anything about how to go about getting one
• When the idea of networking scares you to death
• When you haven’t been to a job interview in 10 years

​The big difference between a career coach and a headhunter is that a headhunter will just find you a job, and a career coach will help you decide what kind of work you really want and then work with you until you find it. It takes time to find the right job.  It takes patience as well as work on your part. Making an informed choice on who to ask for help is an important step in the right direction.