It’s not rare for a time to come where professionals depend on headhunters for the next career option. So, if your next career position is in the hands of a search firm, what do you do to catch their attention?
Be Known for Your Success
Search firms are likely to approach you depending on your level of your success. Those who stand out in a good way are easier to find. However, deeming yourself successful is not enough to get the attention needed. Other people need to see you as successful for this strategy to work, from your colleagues, friends and even your competitors. You need to have enough individuals out there who would suggest your name and recommend your expertise if asked for their opinion.
Boost your Visibility
Actively participating in your field or niche is another excellent way of gaining recognition and being identified as talented. Speaking at industry conferences and events, publishing articles or having your name quoted in relevant articles are all excellent ways of boosting your visibility.
Be acknowledged as an Expert
Even though the cultural fit between you and the potential employer is a vital factor in the recruitment decision, most recruiters look for people with particular skills and experience. If you are known as a specialist or expert, you have better chances of being recognized.
Social Networking
The advent and advancement of social media platforms and search engines have revolutionized various elements of the job search and recruitment process. Of course, the traditional methods remain valid, but most recruiters will utilize an array of online tools for the searching and recruitment process. As such, it is essential to have your portfolio available in the form of a profile in the relevant social networking sites like LinkedIn.
It’s also important to publish your articles online. Do not over-expose yourself, but ensure you have a visible online presence to increase the chances of executive specialists finding you more often.
Network on a Constant Basis
Most people talk about networking, but very few actually employ it. Efficiently networking across your industry is an excellent way of increasing the odds if being noticed by executive search specialists. So, make an effort of staying in touch with well-connected and talented individuals and reach out to those who are known to be figureheads in your field.
Also, successful networkers tend to invest in their relationships over the long-term and in a consistent manner. This usually portrays discipline and is likely to reward you more than the sudden enthusiastic behavior that most people employ when they need a job.
Executive Search vs. Recruitment
Recruitment consultants or the people who assisted you earlier in your career usually work on high volumes or roles and often depend on a database of potential candidates, networking, and advertising in order to fill jobs. This kind of recruiter is often easier to reach and engage with since they may be trying to create a vast and varied talent pool. As such, they will be willing to include you in their database until they have a suitable position for you. This is the smart way to deal with recruiters.
Utilize a Search Company for your Recruitment
An excellent way of creating a relationship with an executive search company is by using them to recruit for you. The strongest relationships in the professional field are usually those that are beneficial to both parties. So, if you come across a search firm that is relevant to your career development, reach out to them when you are hiring. They will take your call then, and if there’s a position in the future, they may contact you.
However, do keep in mind that off limits and conflicts of interest are taken very seriously by firms of this caliber. This tends to limit the effectiveness of this method. However, if you are keen on long-term professional relationships, the approach can prove to be beneficial.
Do not Contact Us; We Will Contact You!
Professional executive searches are designed to find the ideal talent for a certain role and then persuade the most relevant candidates to consider the position. So, whether you are actively searching for a job or not is not usually relevant. The rule is for the consultant to reach out to you and this explains why it might not be easy to get in touch with the executive search firm.
Most of these professionals are specialists, and so if they deem you as highly relevant, they are likely to be willing to talk to you or meet you. If you are not of direct relevance to them, they will politely explain that they may not be able to proceed with contact.
Are You a Candidate or a Client?
For most people, the answer to this question is both, but not often at the same time. Executive search consultants and recruiters usually end up listing individuals they have met as clients and ideally work for clients they initially meet as candidates. It is important to keep in mind that a skilled consultant may be able to help you with a job position and also help you find potential employees for your company.
Also, if in the past you did not use a recruiter when they were searching for business, they may not take your call when you are searching for a job. Of course, the reverse is true. As such, the best thing is for us to communicate with each other and keep healthy business relationships. After all, both parties end up benefiting.
As you can already conclude, it is important to take a long-term approach to creating mutually beneficial and strong professional relationships with colleagues and key executive recruiters alike. Try as much as you can to be visible with the above tips and make sure your key achievements and skills are in the public domain.
