St. Louis Business Journal
The differences between
career services and how to
make use of them

By Anna Navarro

June 2002 - There are many different kinds of career services — executive search, retained search, contingent search, career consulting, employment agencies, outplacement companies, to name a few. Figuring out which ones can be helpful to YOU if you are contemplating a job change can be confusing unless you know some of the differences between them.

Let's start with a few basic distinctions.

If you know what kind of a position you want, have a good track record and lots of past experience in the field, then search firms (also known as headhunters or executive recruiters) could be very helpful to you.

If, on the other hand, you are thinking about changing careers or don't know what kind of work you want to do, you are probably wasting time and energy with search firms. You are likely to be better off with a career strategist, at least initially.

Retained search firms are hired by employers to screen people OUT. They work with employers to define the profile of the ideal candidate and then scan databases and their contact networks to find individuals who precisely fit. Often they approach people with great reputations who aren't even looking to leave their present positions.

If you are a job seeker who doesn't fit their profile, they probably won't have much time for you. But if they select you as one of the candidates they present to the employer, they will groom you by improving your resume and helping you prepare for the interview. They get paid whether or not they fill the position, but they are unlikely to get re-hired unless they come up with great candidates.

Contingent search firms, on the other hand, get paid only if they fill openings. If they find a really good candidate who interviews well, has a great track record and is in a field where demand is high, they will help that person refine their presentation to employers and send them on as many interviews as possible to maximize the chance of getting a fee.

Employment agencies operate like contingent search firms, but they tend to work with individuals in lower level jobs (often clerical), while contingent search firms will work with higher level occupations. Above salaries of $150,000 a year, searches tend to go to retained search firms.

The best way for you, as a candidate, to work with search firms and employment agencies is to get your information into their databases. You can dispense with cover letters, phone calls and attempts to network with search consultants. All they want to know is the facts about what you did and when so they can decide if you might fit one of their searches.

There are several search firms - like Korn Ferry and Monster - who cover a number of fields. But most search firms specialize by industry or function. You can find listings in the Yellow Pages. Then call and ask about the fields in which they work and how to register on their databases. Since search firms represent and are paid by employers, you should NEVER pay to register in a database!

Career services like the one I provide specialize in working with individuals who want to change careers or aren't happy with what they are doing and aren't sure what they want to do next.

We help people figure out what characteristics they want in a job, help them translate that into a specific career goal and help them turn that goal into reality. Besides helping people job hunt, we also help people start or buy businesses, obtain more education or help them reshape their existing jobs for greater satisfaction.

Sometimes, after we help clients define their goals, we urge them to register with search firms if we feel they can make a strong case for their credentials in a particular field. We are paid entirely by individuals seeking to improve their work situation because our mission is to help job seekers rather than employers.

Outplacement companies are a totally different breed. They are paid by employers who have laid off or fired workers to help these individuals find new jobs. They generally offer classes on resume writing, interviewing and related issues. In some cases they provide one-to-one consultation and office space to laid off workers.

Much more could be written about the variety of career services that exist. Hopefully this brief column will provide at least a basic primer of those that could be helpful to you.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that trains independent career strategists and consults with individual clients.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.