Hi all,Could anybody give me some advice about dealing with headhunters. (1) The headhunter is pressing you to take interviews and make decisions asap. How to handle that?(2) The headhunter keeps asking where me are getting offers from other places, and I gave him details. Will he get that information and try to "front run" on me? Please give me some advice: are there professional, polite and friendly way of dealing with headhunters? And what are the do's and don'ts working with the headhunters? I feel some of them are really very aggressive.

1) Taking interviews is good and you would get some experience. But if it is not the kind of job you want don't take the offer. Before going to the interview, say well it does not hurt to talk or meet. 2) Not necessarily but possible. Most HHs are aggressive unless they have been in the HR of some firm in the past. Even then they would be aggressive although more professional. Some HHs could be very very pushy. You need to be careful with what you tell them. Chat with them as if you are their best friend, that is if they are interested in you but be FIRM.

Yes, being firm is the answer, it makes the aggressive melt in your palm! I actually like the aggressive headhunters, they are the ones who can create better opportunities for me. But I only have to be able to manage them and take advantage of their aggressive attitude for my own benefit. I think you should make it clear to your HH what you are looking for. I have made it clear that I'd prefer to flip burgers in McDonald's than to take just any well-paid job which does not interest me. That's why most of them don't call me any more (unless they really have an opportunity which suits me!)But what I don't understand is the childish behavior of some HHs at Selby Jennings. Every week I get 2-3 phone calls from them asking whether I want to apply for some specific job. In response I often ask to first see the job specification, though I also sound quite positive. Then they say they will email it to me in a few minutes. Then the next day they call back to confirm my email address, then I never hear from them or see their email! And the whole conversation every week sums up to only 2-3 minutes. I still don't have a single personal HH in that agency though I have been phoned by them more that any other recruitment agent. I don't really understand what they gain by phoning so much without doing nothing; though, it might be that they're just trying to gather information about the firms I have applied for. But it leaves this impression that they are a bunch of infamously dishonest people who are notorious for being inept in covering up their dishonesty! The chances are that they are sending my CV to all these firms (and perhaps many more) without getting my full consent and they phone me only to keep me aware of their crime! This doesn't seem to me like a very manly behavior. I think I'd even prefer much more to deal with efficient crooks who either don't give a clue about their dishonesty or admit it fully with pride. If one day I become a crook, I will try to be a proud one!

I am agree with the previous answers. The job market is very tight, they are more HHs than jobs, last month for exactly the same position, I had 10 HHs who called me.I feel that some headhunters, bombed the CV without consent and just give you a call when they have a chance. I remembered that bad HH calling me 3 times with hiding numbers as I did not want to deal with him, I should have asked the company if they receive my CV without my consent just to screw him. Always write in the email that you not allowed them to send you resume without your consent.Or I remembered that HH asking me where I was interviewing and I saw him posting the same position the day after on internet!

Are there some headhunters that you have had good experiences with, particularly for London but also NY? I'm looking.

I have had good experiences with some of the headhunters. Most of them are very polite and helpful; some have given me very good advice; some HHs have spent nearly an hour talking to me trying to discover my true skills (or perhaps trying to convince me to choose them as my main headhunter). Of course, most of them are also artful and manipulative, but that's due to the nature of their job and limited number of opportunities. But, despite all this, in my idea a good headhunter is really the one who lands you the right job. (It doesn't matter whether a HH is polite if he doesn't have good contacts and opportunities. I'd even prefer to deal with rude headhunters than with the inefficient ones.) To see if a headhunter is good look at their profile on linkedin. See what hiring manager has recommended them, and whether the employee of that firm are generally happy. If the manager is happy and successful, the chances are that the employee of that firm who were placed by the HH are also happy with their job.

QuoteOriginally posted by: losemindHi all,Could anybody give me some advice about dealing with headhunters. (1) The headhunter is pressing you to take interviews and make decisions asap. How to handle that?(2) The headhunter keeps asking where me are getting offers from other places, and I gave him details. Will he get that information and try to "front run" on me? Please give me some advice: are there professional, polite and friendly way of dealing with headhunters? And what are the do's and don'ts working with the headhunters? I feel some of them are really very aggressive.Why bother with being polite and friendly? If the HHs are aggressive and pushy, the chances are they are probably thick skinned and can take rejections.And they are your best friends again when the next job comes around...(1) The headhunter is pressing you to take interviews and make decisions asap. How to handle that?Best not to talk to them until you are clear on what you want to do. Don't let them talk you into a decision mid way through a conversation. Let the calls go to voicemail. Think through carefully about what you are prepared to accept and stick to your guns. If you are hitting the interview stage, they need you more than you need them...