Are you exploiting workers?

Q: You advise people to do extensive research and preparation before picking a company to apply to. Then you tell them to prepare a "business plan" about how they'd do the job and to "do the job in the interview" -- without getting paid. All this does is encourage employers to take advantage of people. It seems to me that your advice is intended for the exploitation of the less mentally adept.

NICK'S REPLY: My advice has been used successfully by job hunters in positions ranging from secretaries to CEOs, at salary ranges from $15,000 to $1 million-plus. I figure if it works for them, they're not less mentally adept.

I'm not sure what you mean about exploiting people. If you think I'm saying that demonstrating your ability to deliver profitable work makes you a victim of exploitation, then everyone from Michael Jordan to Bill Gates is exploited. They succeeded by showing what they could do.

In fact, if that's what you mean, I'll agree with you. In Webster's Third New International Dictionary, the first accepted definition of exploit is: "(1)to turn (a natural resource) to economic account: WORK, CULTIVATE <~ a mine>. (2) to take advantage of: UTILIZE <~ed his distinctive talent for book illustration -- Herbert Reed> <~ing the materials ... and the techniques of our time -- N.Y. Times>."

The most mentally adept are those who exploit their own capabilities and resources to enrich themselves by enriching others. That's one of the major tenets of capitalism: applying effort to produce profit. But the job hunter has to make that investment. Employers won't do it for you.

Of course, doing due diligence is important when pursuing any job. I repeatedly advise my readers to use good judgment and to get compensated fairly. Giving a demonstration of one's abilities in order to win a job offer is a smart tactic for any job hunter. It doesn't mean working for free, nor does it mean being exploited to your disadvantage. Giving an employer reasons to want you gives you an advantage.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP:

Headhunters find people, not jobs.

Do you feel misused by headhunters? You send them your resume, but they don't call you. A headhunter recruits you for one job but doesn't recommend you for others.

He gets you an interview but doesn't get you hired.

It might seem rude. But headhunters aren't in business to find you a job.

Headhunters are paid by companies to track down and recruit the best person to fill a particular position. If they find you, they'll work with you. But a headhunter does not rely on any one candidate to complete an assignment. Likewise, you should not rely on a headhunter to find you a job. The headhunter does not need you once he has filled the position. So don't depend on him after his search is done.

Headhunters find people, not jobs. Remember that, and you'll benefit from working with a headhunter without feeling misused.

Copyright 2008. 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.