Executive Search Recruiters, or ‘head-hunters’ as they are often known, are like most professionals, generally pretty busy people often with a number of high profile search mandates underway at any given time. On a daily basis they may receive significant volumes of phone calls and emails from active job seekers.
So how can you stand out from the crowd and get noticed for your ability??
Wright Executive has created their top 6 tips to help job seekers looking to connect successfully with an Executive Search Recruiter.
1. Find the right fit for YOU.
Reach out to the Executive Search Recruiters who are deep specialists in your field of professional expertise. Most recruiters will specialise within an industry sector, such as Accounting Recruitment, or perhaps Senior Executive Leadership search recruitment. Finding the right fit with the right executive search recruiter gives you direct access to the broad network of hiring managers and companies within their network, and potentially companies you may want to work for.
There is no point spamming the recruitment market hoping someone might have a decent role for you. Find someone who has experience and call them up directly, up. Be targeted and specific in your approach.
2. Have an Amazing CV
Polish that CV and make it incredible, but don’t be fooled by silly gimmicks, fancy fonts and buying online templates. Also, forget about having your photo on the CV (unless you actually are a model, looking for modeling work)
Your CV needs to reflect your career, so if you have been working for 15, 20 or 25+ years, this could be extensive. Don’t ‘KISS’ (keep it short s….) That is a myth, build a proper CV which reflects what you have done.
List your career achievements and quantify them! This means specifically outline how much money in $$ or ££ you have saved/made the company, or how much time has been reduced/saved, or how well you have affected the bottom line of the business
Good news, we have made it easy for you with the perfect CV Template… Click here: Sample CV – Wright Executive to download the Wright Executive Search CV Template…. You can just fill in the spaces!
3.Get Your LinkedIn Profile Polished
Executive Search Recruiters will always check you out on LinkedIn. It may seem obvious but make sure your LinkedIn profile matches your CV. Tidy up your LinkedIn profile, post a professional picture (not one of you on holiday sipping cocktails at the pool bar). Make sure your profile is complete and is a real reflection of your career and what you are all about.
Use some personality but don’t overdo it, too much waffle can disadvantage you. Pay close attention to the detail and make sure your spelling is correct (do you know the No1 mis-spelt word on LinkedIn? “Manager”, which is all too often spelt “Manger”) it could mean the difference between you getting hired or not.
Use facts, figures and give tangible and measurable achievements whenever you can.
4. Network to Connect
Ask your professional network who they know of in the world of Executive Search Recruitment. Who do you know who has changed jobs recently? How did they land that dream job, and which Executive Search firms or executive search recruiter did they use?
Ask them for an introduction. Executive Search Recruiters use the theory that ‘great people only ever refer great people’, so a referral will get you to the top of the pile in an instant.
5. Be a Recruiters Client
“After being placed, Candidates become Clients, and they may one day become a candidate again”… This is one of the first rules great Executive Search Recruiters learn. They will always look after their clients and will make a special effort to help a client who chooses to move to a new company/role.
When you are hiring for your own team, where possible, make it a standard practice to use Executive Search Recruiters to source the talent you’re hiring for your team. Let them know you may be open to opportunities in the future and what that may look like?
This gives you a natural alliance, the Executive Search Recruiter will surely think of you when they are searching for talent for appropriate live roles and companies.
6. Build Relationships Early
Even if you are comfortable in your current position and not actively looking for a new role, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be connecting and networking with Executive Search Firms and Executive Search Recruiters. The day will come when you need them.
Generally, it is perceived that the best talent is ‘passive’ talent. Active candidates often have a history or reason for looking; quite often it’s not a positive history/reason. If you take the approach of being a ‘passive’ candidate and let Search Recruiters know you may be open to a chat, well guess what, that dream job might just pop up when you least expect it.
In short and in conclusion, it’s all about networking and building your profile over the long term. Don’t wait until you need to move, be proactive and build that market presence… that way you will surely be at the top of the list of potential job seekers for that big step forward in your career.
© 2022, Paul Simms, – Wright Executive. www.
Paul Simms is an executive search recruiter with 25+ years of experience across the Australian and UK markets. He is the founder of Wright Executive Search, a specialist business within the Executive Search & Accounting Recruitment sector, and is considered one of Australia’s most respected Executive Search Firms.
If you would like to contact Paul, please email psimms@wrightexecutive.com.au or connect via LinkedIn here
