Darrell Gurney has written a terrific EveryPerson's What's-Happening-Now guide to fast-forwarding your career through the use of professional third-party recruiters, more cozily called "headhunters." Gurney takes you inside the corridors of power in the recruiting industry, illuminating a world made murky by misunderstandings of the true nature of these career makers and breakers.
If ever there was a time in American history to grab onto professionals who can help you move up not one step at a time, but a flight of steps at a single bound, it's right now in this heady, dizzying seller's job market.
The headhunters described in this work fall into the category called contingency — or pay-for-performance professionals. This means that unlike retained headhunters who are paid whether they deliver results or not, contingency hunters don't get paid until you get hired. That incentive's a comforting thought, especially when you're on the early-to-middle upside of your career, struggling to rise to your personal zenith. You want somebody out there hustling hard in business moves that benefit you. A contingency headhunter can be that somebody.
The Century of OpportunityAssuredly, the United States economy will cool at some unforeseeable point and jobs won't be as plentiful as they are today. And certainly, a number of jobs will migrate overseas in a relentless global march. But the smiley face for today's job seekers is found in definitive demographics: the first wave of the baby boomer generation will soon enter retirement years and the following generation X is pint-sized compared to its predecessor. This translates to an availability of more boss jobs with fewer competitors than we've seen in recent years, even when a thinning of management ranks is taken into account.
By reading this book, you confirm that you want your share of rewards in what futurists describe as the Century of Opportunity, business mavens characterize as the New Economy, and the recruitment industry sees as the Wild New Workforce compelling companies to go to extraordinary lengths to find the best employees. A headhunter can be your shepherd/near-agent/bodyguard and all-around career booster.
Your New Best FriendsNever forget that a recruiter is always — repeat, always — the client's person, first and foremost. After all, the client pays the bills.
But in a tight labor market, which is likely to be the case throughout this decade, the law of supply and demand takes over and the value of topflighter candidates rises sky high. While only a few years ago headhunters sometimes viewed even talented job seekers as coals in New Castle, today they're gold bars in Ft. Knox.
So the trick is to attract the right headhunters' attention and strategically position yourself in those recruiters' databases. Yes, databases — not filing cabinets. Although "paper" still works, especially at the most senior management levels, clearly, as a magazine cover proclaimed, The Internet Won. E-life is changing all of us.
As you enter Third Millennium job search, you'll need to expand your communications technology prowess, as well as update your understanding of recruiter-client-candidate relationships. And you'll need to know lots of nitty-gritty techniques and technology conventions that are evolving as I set down these words. Darrell Gurney — who clearly practices Third Millennium headhunting — does a very good job of showing you how to avoid the disappointment of being a Gutenberg candidate in a digital world. I think you'll find this book to be extremely valuable. I did.
— Joyce Lain Kennedy
San Diego, California
