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From: jin@hropus.UUCP (Jerry Natowitz)
Newsgroups: net.jobs.d,net.misc
Subject: Re: headhunter etiquette
Message-ID: <518@hropus.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Jun-86 16:23:25 EDT
Article-I.D.: hropus.518
Posted: Sat Jun 21 16:23:25 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 23-Jun-86 00:45:51 EDT
References: <419@opus.nbires.UUCP> <736@aum.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
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Xref: watmath net.jobs.d:37 net.misc:9835

> I know that this may seem the wrong newsgroup to post something like this to,
> but this is something that happened to me recently and I would like to warn
> the rest of the net. Out of the blue a headhunter called recently and she 
> asked me if I would like some job somewhere. I would have said just no and 
> goodbye, but it was a bad day and I said that I would only be interested if 
> it was in the North Bay. (San Francisco area) To this she said that she
> did not cover the North Bay and that was that. The next thing I know the
> CEO of my company was being told about me as a potential engineer
> for him to hire!!! Luckily I managed to explain the reality to a trusting 
> manager.
> 
> 	Moral of this story is that do not, I repeat, do not ever indicate
> even idle interest in their services unless the above situation amuses you
> and seems like a good way to impress your `higher-ups'...
> 
>     "Headhunters are scum and should be avoided like the plague!"
> -- 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                            Erik James Freed
> 			   Aurora Systems
> 			   San Francisco, CA
> 			   ptsfa!aum!freed

At several companies I worked for it was rumored that management used
fake head-hunters to test the loyalty of employees.  I don't think that
occured at your job because the effect would be a lot more dramatic.

Polite head-hunters tell you of the job and then ask you if you know
of someone who might be interested.  Of course it is you that they are
targeting but they don't come off so predatory that way.  Despite one
bad placement I found head-hunters useful in avoiding the grunt-work
of job seeking and providing an entre' to companies that will only hire
pre-screened applicants.
-- 
OS-11 Bear
ihnp4!houxm!hropus!jin

"The truth knocks on the door and you say,
'Go away, I'm looking for the truth,'
 and so it goes away."

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig