Customer Reviews

Start Your Own Executive Recruiting Business

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a Certified Personnel Consultant with 20 years as an executive recruiter, and the owner of a recruiting firm for 8 years, take my word for it, don't waste your money on this book. I bought it because I thought I might get some useful tips on certain aspects of the business I may have overlooked. Immediately, after reading the first few pages, I knew this person was not an executive recruiter, nor had she ever owned a recruiting business! Anyone who thinks they can just open up a recruiting business without a minimum of five years in the executive recruiting business (and not all of it on the Internet) is mistaken. I take that back. They can certainly start a recruiting business! However, I doubt those having less than five years of being successful as an executive recruiter, would make it past a few months, a year at the most. (That is, unless they hired seasoned executive recruiters to work for them. )

It's a tough business. Most people think you just talk on the phone (or surf the net for jobs and candidates) and rake in the money!

*Read articles on the Web linked to The Fordyce Letter, publishers of a newsletter to the executive recruiting industry, the "bible" of executive recruiting. Then go to sites of leaders in the field, mentioned there. People like Bill Radin, William Finlay, Don Ramer, etc. I'm sure there is an FAQ somewhere on one of these sites that will give you the best information on opening up a recruiting firm! (If not, after reading some of their articles, you will realize there's more to it than you thought!)

I'm writing this to get the word out that (a) this book is completely useless, and (b) no book on opening up an executive recruiting firm will help you if you don't have a few years as a sucessful, repeat successful - meaning you've made in excess of at least 25 placements as both the originator of the search assignment and the candidate - executive recruiter.

This is the first time I've ever written a review, but I felt compelled to say this, and to particularly warn unsuspecting people not to even think about opening an executive recruiting business without doing lots of legitimate research on the subject! (Which you won't get from this book.)

Looking to make a career change, I picked up this book at a local book store (Sorry, Amazon!) and I'm glad I did. This is not strictly a "how to" book. There is a fair amount of discussion - most from actual recruiters - on what it's like to be in this business. This is a good book for someone who hasn't quite made up their mind to start a recruiting business. There's enough detail to begin the process of creating a business plan but you will likely need to look elsewhere for specifics on recruiting technology, sales techniques, etc.

For the price, it's quite a deal!

Excellent start-up guide. In just over 100 pages, the author gives real-life details about the costs and benefits of starting your recruiting firm. Touches on home-based office versus renting professional space, has lists of approximate start-up costs, and a realistic view of some pitfalls to avoid. As a recruiter who's been in the business, she was dead-on about what it takes to make it in the field without being too sunny or too bitter.

Once again, if you do not have at least 5 years experience as an executive recruiter do not even think about it. If you are totally new to the industry I suggest going with a franchise.
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Searchpath
FPC

I found this book to be exactly what I was looking for, for an initial read on the business of executive recruiting. It is not intended for experienced recruiters, but I have an M.A. in personnel and several years in HR and career transition coaching and still found it to be a good overview of the E. R. profession. I have a couple of dozen other books on E. R., but this one delivers on its main purpose very well. Helps in seeing the forest for the trees. An excellent first read!

Start Your Own Executive Recruiting Service provides anyone interested in starting a search firm with a good overview of the industry's basics. This book provides practical information and realistically sets expectations. It's not a complete "how-to", there are gaps that will be filled with experience and from other sources but it's a good part of the research and due diligence that must be done before starting your own company - whether you're an experienced recruiter or looking for a career changed. (I have over 15 years in the recruiting industry - the last 7 as the owner of a mid-sized IT staffing firm with a national client-base providing both staff augmentation and permanent placement.)

As a relatively new recruiter (roughly 8 years in the business), I found this book to be great. I have to say that after being in the business and making a significant number of placements in those years - I was in tune already with much of what the book brought to the table, but that said, I consider most of the information to be SPOT ON and it would have gotten me up to speed more quickly as well - particularly the part about how tough the business can be!

I think this book does a good job of showing both the Pro's and Con's of the business and it really helps you to evaluate yourself and hopefully determine how well this type of business might suit you.

Keep in mind that this is not an all inclusive book on recruiting, but it is the best one I have seen for someone to use in evaluating how viable they might be for a recruiting job. I plan to have future potential recruiters looking to work for me - read this book first (particularly if they have not recruited before).