Dialing for dollars? Do your due diligence on headhunters who contact you by phone

Q: Headhunters sometimes call and claim they have a job that's just right for you. You have no idea whether they are for real or whether they will waste your time. Dealing with headhunters seems to be a mystery that few people have mastered. How can you qualify a headhunter quickly on the phone?

Nick's reply: The problem is not how to deal with headhunters, but how to deal with people pretending to be headhunters and how to work with real headhunters. (There's so much to say about this topic that I wrote a book about it, titled "How to Work With Headhunters." It's available only online. But let's get to your question. How can you qualify a recruiter in the first five minutes of the conversation?

First, ask for basic information: the recruiter's full name, the firm he works for, a full address, his phone number, e-mail address, Web site and the name of the owner of the firm. You should be cautious but also respectful, because if it turns out you've got a real headhunter on the line, your behavior will determine whether the headhunter will want to continue the conversation, too.

A good headhunter will show respect for your safety and will gladly provide verification of his identity. If the headhunter withholds any of this information, end the call. You're not talking to a headhunter. You're talking to a dunce who is simply collecting resumes. If he answers your questions, politely explain that you'll call back shortly. Then Google the firm, the owner and the headhunter. Check their Web site and confirm what you were told. Call the phone number and verify that it connects you to the business you expect. If the outcome of your investigation is questionable, forget it. If the information checks out, call back. It's probably worth talking for more than five minutes.

Second, ask for references including these two important ones:

1. What companies does the firm recruit for? Get the names of managers.

2. Who has the firm placed? Get the names of candidates.

Few people would think to ask a headhunter these questions, so the headhunter may be startled. Your response should be calm and firm, and your tone should be friendly and respectful: "If we work together, you will check my references and learn a lot about me so you can judge me, and I'm glad to have you do that. But likewise, I need to know about you, too. I'd be putting my career in your hands. Would you please share a few references?"

A legit headhunter who is truly interested in you will open up and share enough information to make you comfortable and to encourage you to talk further. But since the headhunter isn't going to complete the search assignment in the next 10 minutes (believe me, there's no rush), you should pause the discussion, check the references and then call back. The headhunter may even be impressed with your diligence.

If the headhunter won't take time to discuss his references, end the call. Most "headhunters" who call you don't want you to know where they work or how they operate. They are dialing for dollars, calling names from a purchased list, trying to make a fast placement and a fast buck. That means they're probably wasting your time and, if you go along, you'll probably wind up frustrated by their lack of expertise. If this sounds farfetched, consider that only about 3 percent of jobs are filled by headhunters. The odds that a good headhunter is going to call you are pretty slim.

But if you are satisfied that you're dealing with a headhunter who might actually help your career, working together could pay off handsomely.

Copyright 2009. Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate

Nick Corcodilos is author of "Ask The Headhunter: Reinventing the Interview to Win the Job" and the host of www.asktheheadhunter.com. He can be reached by e-mail at seattle@asktheheadhunter.com or at North Bridge Group, P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833. Sorry, no personal replies.