Hello, Any recommendations for head hunter firms? I am an equity analyst at a small L/S hedge fund and I love my job, but I am considering relocating back to the East Coast in the long run. Also, any thoughts on head hunters? I imagine they are so swamped w/ resumes right now that service quality has declined. Thanks in advance.
Two questions: where are you now geographically, and where on the east coast do you want to go? If you are seeking a front office buy-side role in NY I would recommend Glo-Cap. Be forewarned- they definitely have attitude and aren’t very helpful for career switchers, but they definitely have a nice gateway into good roles. However, I have no idea as to how innundated they are with resumes right now.
Forgive me for being super paranoid about inadvertently revealing where I work… but I work in Texas now and if (not even sure I want to leave my current job, but just wondering what is out there) I relocated back East, I would like to be on the I-95 corridor between Boston and DC, preferably DC or NY. Thank you for the Glo-Cap recommendation.
Glo-cap isn’t very helpful, imo. You have to fit perfectly with the job requirements to get considered. If you work in the industry it’s better than if you have less work experience that matches their postings. Unfortunately, I really don’t know of many other recruiters.
Its difficult to find high quality headhunters in the NYC area. I have dealt with Glo-cap, Michael Page, and a handful of other firms whose names elude me at the moment. I didn’t have an overwhelmingly positive experience with any of them.
demmel, I’m DC-based and I’ve been consistently monitoring the job market for almost 3 years now. DC area unemployment is actually declining, but it’s mostly gov’t jobs that are cropping up. There are definitely some finance/real estate jobs in the area, but they are VERY hard to find right now–and I’ve been looking for about a year hard core (I’ve got a good job, but I’m looking for new opportunities). Not sure you’re going to find a lot of non-gov’t financial jobs around here.
I’m amazed, it only took all of one post for some doofus to recommend glocap this time. It’s like someone asking what’s a good bank to work for a year ago and having someone recommend Lehman Brothers.
Demmel, So you want to the BEST headhunter out here; Someone who wants You to succeed, someone who wants YOU to make a lot of money, someone who has YOUR interests in mind. Look in the mirror my friend. Only YOU can make it happen. Headhunters are a joke. Many (All of the ones I have spoken too) do not have direct experience and have short-term memory, so they will forget your name 15 minutes after they speak with you. And ALL of them will pin your application against many other candidates they are trying to place–Yes, in a way they are actually hurting your chances being placed for a job. So let’s say they place you—their fee is 20-30% of your salary. Even the best fund managers are not crazy enough to charge that type of fee!
Demmel, So you want to the BEST headhunter out here; Someone who wants You to succeed, someone who wants YOU to make a lot of money, someone who has YOUR interests in mind. Look in the mirror my friend. Only YOU can make it happen. Headhunters are a joke. Many (All of the ones I have spoken too) do not have direct experience and have short-term memory, so they will forget your name 15 minutes after they speak with you. And ALL of them will pin your application against many other candidates they are trying to place–Yes, in a way they are actually hurting your chances being placed for a job. So let’s say they place you—their fee is 20-30% of your salary. Even the best fund managers are not crazy enough to charge that type of fee!
kkent - Thank you for the input, very interesting. What are your thoughts on the financial job market in Baltimore? I am trying not to reveal my identity on this msg board, so I want to be careful what I say…but I grew up in Baltimore, so when I say “East Coast”, I would really prefer Baltimore/DC. Mason88 - Great points, thank you.