My advice is contrary to what most people here are saying: avoid both the headhunter firm, and companies that utilize headhunter firms. To begin, there's a _r

My advice is contrary to what most people here are saying: avoid both the headhunter firm, and companies that utilize headhunter firms. To begin, there's a _reason_ they're "all over you." I know and have been there, too, sometimes getting several calls in one day from various agencies. Any phone call that begins with "I'm so and so with such and such IT staffing. I have a client that. . ." is a no-no in my book. Headhunters don't care how much money you make, only how much you can make them. They tend to like to leech the maximum amounts possible both from you and from the company you are sent to work for "for them." The really pathetic thing is most headhunters/recruiters don't even know what they're talking about tech-wise. Sure, they may have some smooth telephone skills, but that's about it. The most laughable one called me up to ask if I knew what RHEL stood for. The constant barrage of calls and such from them should tell you: (a) that there are more leeches like them than there are people like you and (b) that your time and talent are potentially valuable to somebody somewhere, but that various obstacles exist in your line of communication. Maybe I'm just a stickler for efficiencies, but seriously. Putting yourself behind a "brick wall" (IT staffing/headhunter) even if the company you want to work for is indeed on the other side of that brick wall can be really frustrating. It's especially frustrating when you have to re-arrange that brick wall every time, just to get anything done. One more thing to note: The fact that this "startup" is already utilizing a headhunter firm would worry me if I were you. Usually companies don't tend to need to pawn off hiring duties until they're unable to handle hiring on their own: this can be an early warning sign. I don't know if I can speak for the group, but I think most of us here on HN value our independence and as someone earlier mentioned "being stuck" anywhere just doesn't factor into the equation. P.S. I'm sorry, but it's not a "valuable service" when it's something that anybody can easily do on their own. MBA Rule #1: managers should not ask others to do something they can do themselves; this includes searching for, seeking out and talking to potential employees _directly_.