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also gives you an opportunity to look up the recruiter’s firm to make sure the call is legit. Take a minute to first read the firm’s web site to see if they normally recruit people like you. Can’t find their site? That’s an early warning sign. Check if they are using a Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, or other generic account. Yes? Be careful. It may be a ruse from your employer trying to cull the ranks for deserters ahead of an upcoming layoff. If they send an unsolicited e-mail to your work address, respond that you’re not interested because employers can legally monitor your e-mail. Then send a follow-up e-mail from your hotmail account.

Ask the recruiter the following 4 questions. Do not deviate from this exact sequence:

1. Are you on retainer or contingency?

• What you should understand: You want to know how the recruiter is being compensated—retainer or contingency. Learning this can tell you if the project is real or if he’s fishing. It may also tell you how quickly you have to decide whether you are interested in being considered. If the recruiter is on retainer, the project is real. Go forward. You have time to consider your options.

If the firm is on contingency, the recruiter is likely under the gun to close the project before another firm does. Time is of the essence. You must move quickly if you are interested.

2. Do you have an exclusive?

• What you should understand: If they have an exclusive, it means that they are the only firm working on the assignment. Listen to the recruiter describe the opportunity and decide if you want to go forward. If they don’t have an exclusive, they are competing with other firms and possibly even the employer’s own internal human resource people.

3. Have you successfully placed people with this hiring manager before?

• What you should understand: It pays to be cautious. You need to decide if the recruiter has the capacity to represent you and get you an interview. From the moment they forward your resume to the employer, the recruiter is entitled to be paid his full fee (for a period as long as a year or more) should that employer hire you, regardless. Understand, even if you were to land an interview on your own during that period, the employer would need to pay the recruiter’s fee, even if the interview was for a different job in a different department or division. “Hold on,” you say, “I don’t even know who the employer is!” Too bad. That’s the Catch-22. It’s your responsibility to get as much information as you can and make an informed decision to forward your resume to the recruiter.

4. Have you vetted the job description with the client, and may I have a copy?

• What you should understand: If they haven’t met with the client or vetted the job description with the client, it’s not ideal for you, but it’s not necessarily the end either. Ask for a written copy of the job description. Read it carefully and ask the recruiter as many questions as he’ll allow. And make an informed decision to proceed. Should the recruiter refuse (rare), I advise my closest friends to terminate the call. The recruiter is just looking to fill his database of candidates. He may be performing business development and wants some new resumes to introduce himself to prospective companies.

➤ Frequently Asked Questions (and Their Answers)

Q: The recruiter only had a limited job description. What should I do?

A: A lot of research. Quickly. Employers expect you to be well prepared to discuss their needs versus your fit, whether or not the recruiter has prepared you. So you must do it yourself. Focus on what their 5 top competitors are doing that keeps the employer up at night. Start by reviewing their competitors’ latest products or service offerings, then reach out to your network. Consider using LinkedIn’s “Ask a Question” feature to gather covert intelligence. It’s a fast free way to poll 29 million people.

Q: I did the interview and the recruiter hasn’t called me.

A: First off, you should have agreed ahead of time with the recruiter to call them back right