A CALL from a headhunter can seem like a gift from heaven when it comes to opening up job opportunities. And the marketplace is full of headhunters, recruitment consultants, executive search firms, agencies and other advisers who claim they can help.

But this is also a pretty much unregulated industry and, in the absence of regulation, there are as many shoddy and disreputable practitioners as there are trustworthy ones.

One executive who recently accepted a leading role at one of Britain’s largest media groups said: “Take a headhunter’s advice with a pinch of salt. You can feel these people are desperate to place you, and that the employer really wants you, but bear in mind that (the headhunters) are on commission and trade off making money against maintaining important clients. This can colour the extent to which they point out the positives over the negatives of any job you may be offered.”

Relying solely on headhunters and agencies can limit you. These firms are looking to place people with their particular clients. It takes a brave headhunter to say you would be better off applying to a company his firm does not represent. So make sure you use headhunters only as part of a broader and more active search for the right job.

Even top headhunters are often willing to consider CVs sent to them speculatively. “The most important thing is to let us know that you exist,” said Ashley Summerfield at Egon Zehnder. “You should find a firm that you trust and register with it.”

Do your homework. There may be certain big firms that you have heard of, but are they right for your sector, level, role and background? If, for example, you have plenty of experience in big companies that are household names, then the top echelon of search firms might be interested in you. If you have a highly technical background, there are certain firms that will welcome people like you. If you have an MBA but less than five years’ experience, then a niche firm that focuses on junior management might be better.

Wherever there is money to be made, there will be shady operators. Like sharks excited by the blood of wounded prey, there are many dubious players, ready to pounce on unsuspecting job hunters. There are plenty of career coaches and consultants who claim to be able to take over on your behalf and open up whole worlds of job opportunities. And all you need to do is entrust them with a big fat fee.

As a whole, they are even more questionable than the most unscrupulous headhunters. They may organise seminars or other events and invite speakers from the big names in executive search or in industry. But it doesn’t mean those speakers or those organisations endorse the matchmakers.

They say they will write your CV. But why should you pay someone else to write your CV when you are the only person who really knows your most relevant strengths and the weaknesses that you need to be careful about? They maintain they will put your CV in front of hundreds of top recruiters. They claim that their sophisticated computer systems will identify dozens of perfect opportunities.

They may claim they will facilitate meetings with senior managers desperate to meet job hunters like you. But if they were really so good at what they claim to be able to do, then wouldn’t you know someone who had used the services of such a firm? Job hunting can be depressing, so these firms’ claims of being able to do all the legwork for you are naturally very alluring. But don’t let them take advantage of you in your darker moments.

• The Rules of Job Hunting, by Rob Yeung, is published by Cyan Books. Copies can be ordered from The Sunday Times BooksFirst on 0870 165 8585

  Three steps to keep your spirits up

  JOB HUNTING can be discouraging if not downright depressing, and negative emotions can strip you of your ability to get on with the task. Despondency can rob you of your energy and willingness to tackle new opportuni- ties; bitterness can leak into your dealings with contacts.

  There is a way of dealing with such emotions — you can Ace them, an acronym for accept, capture and express. o Accept your emotions — don’t pretend you are okay. Don’t pretend that you don’t have bad days. And don’t beat yourself up about the fact that you may be feeling angry or unhappy. o Capture your emotions — try to understand what you are feeling. A quick trick for dealing with an undesirable emotional state is to write it down. That’s why so many people keep diaries — capturing and writing down their feelings helps them to come to terms with them. o Express your emotions — try to talk about your feelings with somebody. You don’t need to talk to a counsellor, a therapist or a psychoanalyst. A growing body of research shows that talking over your emotions with a close friend can be just as beneficial as paying a professional to listen to you.

  Don’t think of “Ace-ing” your emotions as an optional extra; it is a vital part of managing your feelings while you network so that you can remain effective in your efforts to find a new job.

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