I'm seeking a headhunter to assist in a job search.  Gotta be someone 
with contacts for marketing/communications/editorial in 
transit/transportation, entertainment and/or law.  Am currently 
working as manager, marketing & communications for a non-profit, but
interested in for-profit also.

Hello Duncan_Idaho-ga,

If you’ve explored the Web or browsed your local bookstore’s shelves,
you know that there are hundreds of books and Web sites on job search
and working with recruiters and headhunters. Job seekers flock to them
because they promise to make the job search easy. Some tempt you with
the promise of doing it for you. Whether you post your resume with a
job board or sign up with a recruiter, you’re following the dream of
the passive search. You hope that someone else can do it for you. This
may be true if your skillset is in high demand and you’re a superstar
that’s known in your industry. It’s much less likely when you’re
trying to change fields, as you are from non-profit to an entirely new
field.

To help you navigate through the sea of available information, I’ve
divided my answer into several sections.

WORKING WITH HEADHUNTERS AND RECRUITERS – GENERAL INFORMATION

It is important to understand how the recruitment industry works.
Headhunters can be classified into two general categories. 1) Retained
search firms are hired by a company for a set fee to find someone to
fill an open position. The headhunter gets paid a set amount. 2)
Contingency search firms are hired by a company to fill a specific job
and the headhunter’s fee is based on a percentage of the salary paid
for the job that is filled. In either case, the headhunter is hired by
the company so the only candidates they’ll be interested in are ones
that might fit any of the searches they’re pursuing. Headhunters and
recruiters will rarely bother with candidates approaching them. They
want to locate candidates that are not in the open market or those who
have outstanding credentials that have been brought to their attention
as fitting a current open search.

As a candidate, you have to find ways to appear desirable to the
headhunter. You can do this by being visible in your industry. They
will notice you from your publications, your participation in industry
and trade groups, from serving on committees, and from being held in
high esteem by other high caliber players in your field.

You should also take into account the status of the labor market in
your target fields. There is a glut of talent on the market in many
industries so it’s difficult for you to stand out as having
exceptional qualifications. Employers can afford to be very choosy and
headhunters and recruiters are scrambling to get assignments for the
limited number of openings. Companies are also taking their time about
filling their vacancies.

http://www.businessweek.com/careers/content/jun2001/ca20010625_845.htm
JUNE 25, 2001
Finding a Headhunter Who Fits
Before you start sending off your resume to any who call, consider
these tips from some pros on picking the right recruiter
This is a good summary of how to find a headhunter.

http://www.lsj.com/news/business/021111_glickman_extra_p10.html
Published 11/9/2002
Job seeker should offer incentive to recruiter
This article explains how you can make yourself more attractive to a
recruiter or headhunter.

http://www.quintcareers.com/headhunter_strategies.html
The Care and Feeding of Headhunters and Recruiters
Seven basic rules for working with headhunters.

http://www.wetfeet.com/employer/articles/article.asp?aid=386
Choosing the Right Headhunter
This article advises employers on how to choose a headhunter and will
be useful to job seekers in helping them understand the employer’s
perspective. This Web site gives lots of additional resources for
recruiters.

http://www.grove-group.com/individual/archive/headhunter.html
How can you judge a headhunter?
This article gives you specific criteria and helpful questions to use
for evaluating headhunters.

DIRECTORIES OF HEADHUNTERS

http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Employment/Executive_Search/
Google Web Directory -- Business > Employment > Executive Search
Browse categories and listings to familiarize yourself with breadth of
available resources.

http://www.vault.com/surveys/execsearch/executive.jsp
Top Twenty Executive Search Firms
Provides links to each of the firms as well as helpful articles for
working with search firms.

http://www.top10links.com/cat.php/Business%3ACareers%3AExecutive+Search+Firms/ttl_rank/DESC/0/1/2/2/3/Business/Business/Business
Top10 site lets visitors vote on the firms listed and sorts them
according to various criteria. It includes links to each.

http://www.hunt-scanlon.com/shop/
Executive Recruiters of North America (Retained Firms Edition)
1,850 pages, $235 (includes shipping and handling)
Executive Recruiters of North America (Contingency Firms Edition)
1,410 pages, $235 (includes shipping and handling)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/ref=s_sf_b_as/103-6586241-8342211
You can buy a new or used copy of prior years for about $25

http://www.kennedyinfo.com/
Kennedy Information Inc.
This company offers a directory of executive recruiters for under $50
and many other resources as well.

http://www.aesc.org/
Association of Executive Search Consultants
This organization serves the executive search industry.

EXECUTIVE SEARCH – MARKETING

http://www.roundtable.org/
This is an association of more than 20 public relations, marketing,
graphics, advertising, training, and other communications
organizations with more than 12,000 professional members.
http://www.roundtable.org/orderform.html
The EXECUTIVE RECRUITERS INDEX - 2002 Edition
This is directory lists 380+ executive recruiters for the Public
Relations, Communications, Marketing, Advertising, and Information
Communications fields. It includes names, titles, agencies, addresses,
phone and fax numbers, and Email and Web site addresses.

http://www.business.com/directory/advertising_and_marketing/employment/recruiting_services/
Directory of Marketing Recruiters

http://www.heymanassociates.com/
Heyman Associates, Inc. – Executive Search in PR and Communications
11 Penn Plaza, Suite 1105, New York, NY 10001
tel: (212) 784-2717  fax: (212) 244-9648
http://www.heymanassociates.com/press.htm
Browse the press releases on recent placements. Each one names the
companies and the headhunter who worked on the search. You could use
these names in your networking to find personal connections.

http://www.marketproinc.com/contact.html
This company specializes in marketing recruitment and staffing
MarketPro Inc, 235 Peachtree Street, NE, Suite 1750, Atlanta, GA
30303, 404.222.9992

http://www.marketingpower.com/
American Marketing Association
Go to the Site Map page for an overview of the wide variety of
resources they offer.

EXECUTIVE SEARCH – ENTERTAINMENT
http://www.judywald.com/connect.html
Judy Wald Partners, 47 East 44th Street, New York, NY 10017, Phone:
212-557-3660
Worldwide searches for advertising communications marketing. See West
Coast office listings for entertainment positions.

http://www.tvstaff.com/
Filcro Media offers specialized recruitment services within the
broadcasting and media industries. Filcro Media Staffing, 342 Madison
Avenue , New York, NY  10017, Phone: 212-599-0909

EXECUTIVE SEARCH -- TRANSPORTATION

http://www.i-recruit.com/drecruiters_type_transportation.htm
Oya’s Directory of Recruiters
Recruiters By Specialty: Transportation

http://www.zeal.com/category/preview.jhtml?cid=73693
Directory listing of recruiters specializing in transportation

http://www.apta.com/sites/business/human.htm
American Public Transportation Association
Human Resources and Training 
List of service providers, including recruiters, for the
transportation industry.

http://www.gilberttweed.com/consult.html
Stephanie Pinson, Director of GTA's Public Transit and Transportation
practice.

EXECUTIVE SEARCH -- LAW/LEGAL
http://www.altmanweil.com/contact.cfm
Altman Weil provides management consulting services exclusively to
legal organizations. Their clients include law firms, law departments,
governmental legal organizations and legal vendors of all sizes and
types.

http://www.tmpsearch.com/
TMP Worldwide Executive Search
http://www.tmpsearch.com/global_sectors_practices.asp?industryid=9
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2002/5/prweb39181.php
TMP WORLDWIDE EXECUTIVE SEARCH APPOINTS CO-LEADERS OF LEGAL PRACTICE
May 24, 2002 Article provides possible contact names

http://www.lawjobs.com/re_Directory.asp
Legal Recruiter Directory
See links to search firms' profiles which include links to all
positions currently being announced by that firm.

I’ve given you a lot to process. Let me know if you need clarification
on any of it.

Good luck with your search.
czh

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Request for Answer Clarification by duncan_idaho-ga on 11 Nov 2002 15:06 PST

This is a great overview,and I think you've earned your tariff. 
Anything more specific to So. California would be appreciated.

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Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 11 Nov 2002 17:27 PST

Hello again,

http://www.socaltech.com/services/Recruiters/
socal TECH.com
This is a list of Southern California recruiters and headhunters.

Being local to an area is frequently not important when finding a
headhunter. Many executive researchers conduct nationwide and even
worldwide searches. What’s more important is their familiarity with
your target companies and industries. One way that you might be able
find a headhunter to work with is to do some research on your target
companies and find out which executive search firms and recruiters
they prefer to use. The HR departments will sometimes tell you. If
that doesn’t work, ask your friends and contacts in the field who are
the most respected recruiters they know.

Good luck.
czh

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Clarification of Answer by czh-ga on 15 Nov 2002 13:00 PST

I'm glad you found the information helpful and thank you very much for
the tip. I love doing job and career related research. Thank you for
using Google Answers.

Very complete in content, more than I expected or asked for.

Hi Duncan,

In most cases headhunters do not look for jobs for people, but look
for people who can fit into existing jobs. They might sometimes list
people on their request for upcoming searches, but that is more
politeness. They tend to help companies who look for people.

Regards,

Fons

At the risk of repeating what was said --  You are confused as to the
role of headhunters. Be careful, this makes you a prime candidate for
getting scammed.

http://asktheheadhunter.com/faqheadhunter1.htm
Headhunters: Q  "Finding the right one"

http://asktheheadhunter.com/gv010822.htm
The "Executive Marketing" Racket: How I dropped ten grand down a hole
By Mr. CFO

http://asktheheadhunterhacounselors.htm
Career Counselors Are Not Headhunters By Nick Corcodilos