Going through a headhunter

Does going through a headhunter impact the amount of compensation that you get ? I realize that the headhunter will try to negotiate the highest possible compensation for you as he/she is paid a % of your first year comp. ( i hear about 33%) . Now does that usually include base or base + bonus? I just fear that if its base+bonus, that my bonus will turn out to be crap at the end of the year. I am currently going thru an agency that claims they specialize in a particular niche and charge a bit more than the street. They say that my compensation will not be affected cuz the recruiting fee comes from another budget. Ay thoughts?

Headhunting is based more on turnover than on margins, so although most headhunters would prefer to get you a higher comp than a lower one, the main strategy is to close the deal as quickly and agreeably as possible (to the company) and move on to the next. Real estate agents work this way too. On any particular deal, the recruiter has a small incentive to keep your comp down a bit if they think it will speed up the close. Long term, the goal is to recruit for mor and more senior positions and increase the average take that way.

YoMama14 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Does going through a headhunter impact the amount > of compensation that you get ? > I realize that the headhunter will try to > negotiate the highest possible compensation for > you as he/she is paid a % of your first year comp. > ( i hear about 33%) . Now does that usually > include base or base + bonus? It can be as a % of base or total comp. It depends. They want to try to get you the highest salary possible, but how much they can negotiate on your behalf will depend on what you’re currently making. They have to be within a realm of reason of that and won’t negotiate for anything outlandish; after all, their client is the employer, not you. Like bchadwick said, they also want to seal the deal as quickly as possible so they can collect their comp. You know, they’renot so different from real estate agents in that way. > I just fear that if > its base+bonus, that my bonus will turn out to be > crap at the end of the year. That won’t be the case. Assuming you work at any of the big banks, bonuses will be determined internally. It won’t matter how you ended up getting brought into the firm. Besides, why does this really matter? Would you rather be unemployed instead of going through a headhunter? What are your options? I am currently going > thru an agency that claims they specialize in a > particular niche and charge a bit more than the > street. They say that my compensation will not be > affected cuz the recruiting fee comes from another > budget. Ay thoughts? They’re probably right.