[McG]

a couple of things. i have been hired through headhunters twice. the first time, i went to them to see what was happening with their client base...they found a role that fit. my most recent position...the headhunter came to me and "headhunted" me in the traditional sense.

in my roles, i have used headhunters/recruitment agencies extensively for hiring people.

i have my trusted recruiters that i use wherever I go, and whatever firm they work for.

a good headhunter knows what you want, and can help place that person. i use them to find people that have skills, at the right price point. i have had one that was horrendously wrong because the candidate lied through their teeth and i found out, which was bad for everyone. and i have had 25% where the people found were absolutely outstanding. the balance? ok to good.

for me, the headhunter screens the bad resumes and people that misspell on their resumes so that i don't have to. they check references, and on some occasions help with negotiations. I have also partnered with headhunter firms on deals where we needed a certain number of skills and i don't have them.

the best advice that i can give you is to find a headhunter that you trust. most commission based people will try to make a sale...but the good ones know that a bad sale contaminates everyone. that's not good. if you get a company that trusts a headhunter, and the person looking for work trusts the headhunter, you usually get a good match for both people.

the goal is to get the person in the right job at the right time at the right price for everyone. not always easy, especially some hard to find skills.

most firms are outsourcing recruiting because this element of HR is a cost centre, and can be done cheaper by an outside agency.