I'm not sure what an Exec Recruiter even brings to the table for the candidate. I see a lot of advantages for the company, but I see little for the candidate. My admittedly limited experience has been that the recruiter has been helpful in telling me some of the quirks of the company (e.g., how to best dress for the interview) but as soon as the interview was over, I've been told they were required to bow out and that I was on my own to deal with the company for the rest of the process.

Most of the time the exec recruiters have just been an additional screening step that has to be negotiated. A relative few give some feedback which I greatly appreciate. For me negative feedback has been extremely helpful as it tells me that I am reading the job postings wrong or have expressed myself in the wrong way. Most, though, say nothing.

My dilemma becomes one of determining if the recruiting company was actually contracted by the represented company or if they were just fishing for resumes in the hopes of getting an unsolicited commission. As a candidate reading a posting, I can't necessarily tell the difference. Twice I have submitted to an ad, heard absolutely nothing from the head hunter, made the assumption that the headhunter did not actually hold a contract, then went looking for the job by other means. It is not always easy, but I did find the jobs on the corporate web sites. I applied directly and was immediately put on the express interview list. That tells me that I was immanently qualified and that the head hunter was either getting in the way or was just fishing for resumes to present "for a fee".

Sure, if all head hunters operated like the few high quality ones that are out there, then there may be an reason to think that they are helpful. The bad ones make the whole job hunting experience that much harder.

Meridith,

Good questions!!

* Are you comfortable sending your resume to a company through an online portal?
==> I try to avoid sending my resume through general career portals, primarily because its difficult to customize each resume for each application through these sites. Further, many times the company and/or contact person is anonymous, further compounding the issues with industry/company research in order to customize the resume, blocking follow through, etc.

If the application goes through a hiring firm's career portal, I am more comfortable applying electronically. Now that my resume is in their resume database, the upside is that most firms scan that database frequently for potential candidates for new positions. However, there are risks in this direct submission method, as well. First, the resume I submitted is highly customized for a specific opportunity, which means future scans of this same resume will not know of my additional fabulous skills and experiences that make me an ideal candidate for them! Second, my resume still might not get to the initial position's hiring manager for any number of electronic and/or process related reasons. With no feedback for the vast majority of applicants in these electronic processes, we do know of and therefore have no ability to overcome these issues. Third, most recruiters will not consider me for opportunities with that firm for up to 12 months, since most hiring firms will not pay recruiting fees for candidates who are already in their database.

* What if you never heard back from the company? You're an IT executive, do you think you deserve to get some feedback on your application?
==> From my own experience and that of my networking contacts, too often we receive nothing back at all from companies we apply to. This creates a negative impression of these firms by applicants ... individuals who are not only consumers but, when hired again, they will also influence their new employers' purchasing, vendor and partnership decisions.

While I understand the desire or even need for some firms to maintain confidentiality when they need to replace someone, unfortunately the frequent result is that these anonymous ads also eliminate the pressure for HR or hiring managers to provide any kind of response, feedback or status to applicants.

As a recent example, I applied to an anonymous startup firm using their requested method (LinkedIn). Because of my strong interest in this specific opportunity, I went further, spending several days of digging to get past the anonymity. Next, using LinkedIn's electronic referral processes, I initiated two seperate and unique job inquiries through my contacts that appeared to ultimately link directly with the hiring manager, providing both with an introductory letter. At least two of my referrals even sent follow up emails to the hiring manager to make sure he/she had received their info and offering to answer any questions they may have. Finally, I followed up with the anonymous firm and hiring manager by re-applying to the same position two weeks later, with a note that my references should have contacted them on my behalf, and a request for a phone or email response. After an additional 3+ weeks, I still have not heard from this firm or manager.

As an executive, while I expect other executives to treat me with the same level of respect that I offer them, most electronic job portals have earned the "blackhole" stereotype for a reason.

Note to hiring firms - You can gain a clear market advantage by dramatically improving the feedback opportunities throughout your job application processes.

* Would you rather apply for a job directly or work through a recruiter?Which option do you think increases your chances of getting a job?
==> Understandably, in today's economy, many firms would prefer not to pay recruiting fees. Other firms prefer to work through recruiters to gain their expertise, industry contacts, confidentiality, and cost-effective screening processes. Since each firm's preference is unique, personally, I pursue multiple simultaneous channels for leads. Once a lead is identified, I consider all the application options to give me the best possible chance of landing that job, including lead source, firm preference, my skills match, networking opportuntities, recruiter relationships, etc.

If a lead comes from an executive recruiter, then I owe them the respect to work directly through them if I am interested in the position. If I find the lead myself, I have several trusted executive recruiting friends and contacts that I can ping for their opinions, input, ideas, and even internal contacts.

Sometimes the situation warrants requesting a recruiter's assistance to gain the first interview - for example, if they have an exclusive with the firm or have a very strong inside friendship with a key decision maker. Other times these recruiters have advised me to apply directly, again, based on their knowledge of the inside situation of that firm.

Fortunately, I know a number of fantastic executive recruiters who are willing to offset short term gains for long-term strategic benefits. These few have at times used their inside relationships to introduce me directly to hiring managers, not as "the recruiter" but as a networking referral. This is a win-win-win for all concerned, since the firm gains access to a great pre-qualified candidate without a recruiting fee, I gain direct access to a key decision maker along with a knowledgeable referral, and the recruiter gains a stronger relationship with both parties.

Mark Cummuta