Headhunters?

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longlakeboy

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Anyone have any experience with medical headhunters for pathology? Do they work? If so, any that you can recommend?

I spoke to one that required a fee up front and then a very sizable one after placement, which they said may or may not be covered by the employer (they claimed 9 out of 10 do, but it was a vague promise, and one that that didn't pass the sniff test for me). The whole thing seemed a little sketchy. But I also have no idea how headhunters work in the medical field - my understanding in the corporate world was that the employer always paid.
 
If a headhunter has to be paid by an employer in order to hire you, then you are at a significant disadvantage in the hiring process, which is already extremely competitive. Don't be the person that it costs $$$ to hire. Headhunters are a raw deal. In fact, once you sign with one, even if you find a job without their help they have been known to call your new employer and demand payment from them - because it is really hard to prove that the headhunter didn't suggest the job to you or somehow link you to it. I have known people to get almost to the signed contract phase of the hiring process only to have it fall apart when a headhunter calls the president of the group and demands $$ for them to hire you. The group will just drop you altogether rather than fight the headhunter.

This is a raw deal.

Oh, and you have to pay them before they find you a job? Man, please.
 
First, don't give a head hunter any up-front cash. That's insane. Would you pay a real estate agent money up front to find you the house of your dreams that may not exist?

Second, head hunters should be compensated by your future employer. It's typically a % of your agreed-upon salary/pay. Nothing comes out of your pocket at that point in time, but you can be sure that your employer is paying you that much less to at least break-even on the deal. Cash should never flow from you to the headhunter, but you will pay in the form of lower earnings.

Third, I'm not so sure that a headhunter is worth it in pathology unless you are absolutely certain they have great connections in an area in which you have none. Otherwise, you are far better served reaching out to anyone you know to look for potential opportunities. Remember, a lot of these opportunities are "word of mouth" and the mouths are typically between respected colleagues, not from employer to recruiter.

Finally, if you do use a recruiter, don't sign anything. Remember, you are the asset the recruiter is selling. If they can find you an opportunity that you otherwise wouldn't have discovered on your own, great - that's the purpose of a recruiter. However, don't sign over your right to find employment with your own time and resources. If you are pushed into that, walk away.
 
A recruiter asking for a fee upfront is scam.

Headhunters do NOT work for pathology IMO. Lots of reasons, but the simple fact is the positions that end up resorting to headhunters are so abysmal you would never want to go there to begin with.

Stay away, you have been warned.
 
Thanks for the feedback, all. I didn't figure it was worth it, especially with money up front. Thanks for the confirmation.
 
I had one call me randomly in fellowship, he couldn't stop screaming. He wasn't upset, he just had a really loud voice and was apparently excited about everything. I couldn't get off the phone fast enough. It was like, "HEY I'M WORKING WITH A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A PATHOLOGIST!!! CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF WORKING ONE MILE FROM THE BEACH AND GETTING 18 WEEKS OF VACATION A YEAR??!?!? WOW YOU'RE A GREAT CANDIDATE!!"
 
lipomas said:
"HEY I'M WORKING WITH A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A PATHOLOGIST!!! CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF WORKING ONE MILE FROM THE BEACH AND GETTING 18 WEEKS OF VACATION A YEAR??!?!? WOW YOU'RE A GREAT CANDIDATE!!"
Click to expand...

She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't lie, cocaine.
 
lipomas said:
I had one call me randomly in fellowship, he couldn't stop screaming. He wasn't upset, he just had a really loud voice and was apparently excited about everything. I couldn't get off the phone fast enough. It was like, "HEY I'M WORKING WITH A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR A PATHOLOGIST!!! CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF WORKING ONE MILE FROM THE BEACH AND GETTING 18 WEEKS OF VACATION A YEAR??!?!? WOW YOU'RE A GREAT CANDIDATE!!"
Click to expand...

You must have been called by the exact same headhunter as I was, and who pitched that same line to me about working a mile from the beach and generous vacation time. He was not lying, he just neglected to initially tell you upfront that he was recruiting for academic faculty at an offshore medical school.
 
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