Ad Age Posts a List of Recruiters

Ad Age just announced that they published a list of recruiters in the advertising industry on their Talentworks Website.  It’s not the most comprehensive list I’ve ever seen, as I can think of a few that they missed, but that’s OK.  It’s a strong start and the editors promise to update it often.  Many of you have asked me for recruiter references.  Bookmark this page, send your resumes in, follow-up with calls, and then select a few that you’d like to work with.

Why do I say “select a few?”  Not all of these recruiters are going to have jobs that are right for you and you’re not going to want to keep up with 50 recruiters.  It’s just too much work.  Plus, if many of the firms are working on contingency, it’s quite possible that some of them will be pushing the same jobs as the others.  It’s never fun to have competing recruiters fighting to get you into the same company.

In selecting recruiters, go with your gut.  If you speak with one who rubs you the wrong way right off the bat, I would say your instincts are probably right on.  There are a TON of bad recruiters out there, but there are certainly good ones as well.  The bad ones want to push you into jobs so they can make commissions.  Don’t get me wrong, all recruiters want to make money, but some are more “human” with their approach. Good recruiters really focus on finding the right fit, vs. making the placement.  Try to find the recruiters who respect who you are, understand what you want to do next, and won’t try to strong-arm you into going after jobs that you are not interested in.  Find a select few who will partner with you in your job search, not try to bully you…

Carpe diem…