Considering calling a recruiter to assist in your executive job search?
If you haven’t worked with recruiters in the past, you might be confused about what to expect.
It’s worth your time to get familiar with recruiting practices for C-level, EVP, VP, and other leadership positions – and to avoid pervasive misconceptions.
Here are 5 common myths about working with executive recruiters, along with best practices and realistic expectations:
1 – You can just call an executive recruiter to find a new job.
Recruiters don’t find jobs for people; they find people for jobs. (This depends upon the type of recruiter you are contacting; see point #3).
Paid by client companies, recruiters themselves don’t dictate requirements.
Instead, employers pay recruiters to find best-fit leadership candidates, often with a strong progression inside an industry or function, such as a CIO who has moved up from a VP of IT.
If you’re an entrepreneurial leader, executive consultant, or career changer, a recruiter may believe you’re a great candidate, but they can still face an uphill battle convincing clients to interview you.
Just like any job search tactic, a call to executive recruiters should be only ONE part of your strategy. Social media and in-person networking, a solid list and pitch to target employers, and conversations with key connections to earn coveted referrals should be high on your list.
2 – The recruiter wants to hear why you hate your job.
It’s a recruiter’s mission to find the best-qualified executive candidate, not to counsel you through a litany of problems from your last job.
Keep in mind – the recruiter is acting on behalf of the employer, NOT you.
This means they’ll relay information about you to hiring authorities at client companies, including details you consider confidential or that fail to present you in the best light.
Savvy executive recruiters will carefully profile you as a candidate in order to source the right leader at the right company, so you’ll need to converse with them the same way you’d conduct an executive interview.
3 – All the top executive jobs are filled by recruiters.
Many jobs are handled by recruiters, but not all. It’s a good idea to be aware of which type of recruiter you are approaching and understand their role in the process:
- Contingency recruiters are usually third parties who find candidates for specific jobs (and they compete with other contingency recruiters).
- Retained recruiters have an exclusive agreement to find the right candidate for clearly defined specifications.
- Staffing firms / employment agencies work first with candidates to find potential jobs that fit their skills.
- Corporate or internal recruiters represent a single employer and fill positions for only that company.
- Talent acquisition leaders are focused on attracting and monitoring on-boarding candidates, and often act as a subset of HR.
Like any job search strategy, contacting a recruiter should be only ONE of your tactics. Consider these other job-hunting ideas as well:
- Build a “bucket list” of ideal employers based on size, industry, location, and other factors matching your strengths. Research these companies thoroughly before any outreach.
- Find connections in these companies and follow them on LinkedIn to get news announcements, such as plans for a new subsidiary or line of business.
- Get your LinkedIn Profile in top shape (see 7 Must-Know LinkedIn Tips for Executives) BEFORE you start to engage these companies.
- Craft a set of reasons these target employers would benefit from your expertise, and approach their top leaders or owners to share your thoughts and introduce your qualifications (with a freshly updated executive resume that hits the mark).
- Reply to job postings – but try to stay on top of new entries, as this will increase your odds of landing an interview.
These efforts can yield MUCH stronger results than limiting your activity to recruiter conversations.
4 – A local recruiter is the best option for your executive job search.
Not only do executive recruiters source candidates worldwide, but many of them work within an industry specialty.
This means the manufacturing COO job you are pursuing might be filled by a recruiter across the US – or across the globe – not by a recruiting firm in your city.
You’ll benefit from looking closely at the niche industries and talents sought by specific recruiters (and employers), no matter their location or yours – and carefully selecting several resources to contact as part of your strategy.
5 – Recruiters will call you regularly with status updates.
While it can be frustrating to experience radio silence during your executive search, consider what goes on in the recruiter’s office.
Just like you, they’re working with (and waiting on) client company hiring decisions for the best-fit executives – and those company requirements can sometimes change significantly throughout the hiring process.
In addition, executive recruiters may be competing with others in their field. Just because they’ve presented you doesn’t mean the employer will make you an offer.
Successful recruiters are also juggling MANY job requirements, making candidate matches, or profiling additional leadership candidates.
If all seems quiet during your discussions with a recruiter, they may not have status updates to provide, or the client company may have changed course – and you should therefore continue other job-hunting activities. Don’t call every day and don’t reach out to check in more than once or twice.
In summary, recruiters work to meet the requirements of companies in need of strong executive talent.
While you may be a great fit for these opportunities, there are others to be found through your own efforts!
Don’t rely on a recruiter to produce the ideal job; instead, identify potential opportunities where you can add value as a leader and be prepared to convey this message to a variety of audiences.
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