What is your experience with executive recruiters? Do they care about you or not?

Wednesday 01st July, 04:00 AM JST

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Beelzebub at 08:41 AM JST - 1st July

They like to throw curve balls and changeups. Once I was asked, "How do you think your long residence in Japan has affected you psychologically?" I've worked in both Japanese and the Japan branches of foreign-owned companies and the former left me with a far better impression than the latter.
nisegaijin at 09:27 AM JST - 1st July

I owe them my life. They are doing for their own profit though, but it works out. Tough time for them these days...
neverknow2 at 09:37 AM JST - 1st July

NO
Altria at 09:42 AM JST - 1st July

I heard ex-English teachers can make up to 20 MILLION YENZ a month as executive recruiters.
MichaelJP at 10:09 AM JST - 1st July

I have found a couple of smaller ones that are extremely good. The guys really do make a strong effort on your behalf, especially to get you a good salary and a good job match, which is also good business for them too because I guess their sign-on commission is a percentage of your salary.
EUgirl at 11:31 AM JST - 1st July

MichaelJP: You wouldn't care to hint which recruiters those are?
yokomoc at 03:32 PM JST - 1st July

I've only had experience with the one recruiter who I found my current job through, and they were excellent. The agent I dealt with is an ex-industry pro so he knew his stuff, gave good interview advice, arranged a decent salary...

I can imagine some of the guys working for the bigger companies might not be so useful - I know a couple of them and they had no experience at all in the area they were recruiting
pawatan at 12:43 AM JST - 2nd July

Poor experience, but its been a few years. My industry is a bit specialized, and they kept calling me with offers that were very clearly not in my area of specialty, and none at all in what I actually do.

They were obviously just out for their commission without any concern for whether or not it was a job I wanted or could do. One recruiter tried to get me to jump industries completely, got me a bit intrigued, and then never followed up.

So no, I don't have a good impression at all. I'd rather network on my own.
mrsynik at 10:12 AM JST - 2nd July

tetsukon, Couldn't have put it any more succinctly if I tried. All they care about is getting their commission, not whether the consultant is happy or has any opportunity for career progression, no matter what spin they put on it. When I first started working in IT 11 years ago, a colleague described them as the pimps of the game - also an apt description.
griff at 10:25 AM JST - 2nd July

can anyone say anything to allay my fears that they are just yet another of life's middlemen? that employers don't do their own hiring these days is a sad indictment, in my experience.
DJJapan at 12:00 PM JST - 2nd July

I'm in a similar situation to pawatan and wouldn't mind switching industries but need something that would still recognize my current capabilities in my job and to be able to bring something to them rather than being offered something that is below what I do now. It can feel a little depressing that you can't get what you want and feel that they do mislead you for something just so they can get commission but they have to deal with numbers just like the rest of us. For the most part though when it comes to foreign companies they are looking for Japanese staff with English ability who know the Japanese market. I've never been in or probably never will be in a position where I have been employed in Japan and the person competing for that same position was Japanese. (Nissei is considered the same level as me) There are some companies that really do their research and know what they do and do it well and then you have the ones who couldn't get anything else here other than being an English teacher or are absolutely impossible to work with so the only thing they could do apart from opening an Eikawa was to open a recruiting company.
GW at 12:15 PM JST - 2nd July

only use recruiters as a last resource or hear them out when yr not interested in changing jobs just on the off chance they really know of a REAL & USEFUL oppportunity.

For the most part recruiters lie to both applicants & companies looking for staff, the recruiter makes the companies look MUCH better than they really are & then turn around & do the same with the job applicants, the goal is to place people, that is 90% of their goal, the last 10% is about their relationships with applicants & client companies

Thats just the way it is
RandomTask at 03:39 PM JST - 2nd July

They work on commission, and it's often down to the individual you are working with. A person who has done the job a long time may be far better at maintaining a good relationship with companies, whereas a new staff member is just looking for his first big payout.
Freddy5 at 09:37 AM JST - 3rd July

Oh my God! They're going to work every day and trying to make money? The shock! Myself, I'm only working for the good of mankind and the betterment of my fellow man (and woman). And the social insurance coverage, of course.
ultradodgy at 11:21 AM JST - 7th July

They are pimps.