Recruiters Can Play a
Key Role in Your Search
Whether they are called search firms or headhunters, all recruiters work for
employers. They locate and screen employees, filling positions at $80,000 to
$1,000,000 and up. They seek candidates who meet specialized criteria.
Typically they are retained for searches on an exclusive basis, and at fees
averaging 33 percent of compensation for the position they are seeking to fill.
To distinguish themselves, they are also sometimes referred to as "retained
recruiters." Contingency recruiters are also active at ranges up to $150,000.
They receive a commission when a placement is made.
A growing category is the temporary executive recruiter. They earn fees when
employers hire professionals and executives on an interim basis.
We believe you should give yourself exposure to a maximum number of recruiters
that might have a need for someone like you. While your percentage response will
be low, you can often create instant activity. As part of our service we will
electronically distribute thousands of your resumes to national recruiters. We
will also place a hard copy of your resume with instate recruiters. You will
also be able to use our private website to review recruiter openings by state
and respond.
The number of executive jobs controlled by recruiters is sizeable, but still
comprises only seven to nine percent of the market. While 8,000 firms claim to
be active, fewer than a dozen dominate the upper-end business. However, many
fine smaller firms specializing by industry or discipline have played an
important role.
Most recruiters often play a role in helping management set up position
specifications. If you are in your 30s or 40s, you should develop relationships
with recruiters and maintain them throughout your career.
Recruiters have a preference for achievers, people who make strong first
impressions and who are employed. Being visible in your industry can be a major
key to success with recruiters. Being in a hot field or industry can improve
things still further.
The manner in which recruiters find candidates has shifted rather dramatically
due to the Internet's impact on the employment world. Approximately half of all
assignments are now filled by candidates who are identified through massive
databases of scanned resumes that recruiters individually maintain, along with
databases made available to them (Monster.com, etc.).
The other 50 percent of recruiter assignments are filled through more
traditional methods. A small percentage are filled through their ads placed
online or in traditional print media; while a larger percentage is filled
through networking referrals. Some assignments, of course, are filled by firms
targeting individuals currently working for competitors (or specific
organizations of interest ... as suggested by their corporate clients).
Keep in mind that recruiters are "assignment- oriented." They will be focused on
filling their active contracts. In most cases, all that will happen is that you
will simply be "placed" in their files.
You should also know that "parallel processing" is a recruiting practice where a
candidate is introduced to more than one client of a recruiting firm. However, a
great many recruiters say they consider this practice unethical, thus
restricting your opportunities as a candidate. This is just one more reason why
you need to be in touch with a lot of recruiters.
When you communicate with recruiters, never be negative about your current
employer and never appear desperate. Many large firms are contacted by 200 job
seekers each day, and won't get in touch with you until months after the firm
first receives your resume.
How We Distribute Your
Resume to Recruiters
How many resumes do executives put into the hands of the right people in a job
search? The answer is not many. However, we have a capability that can quickly
launch a search toward appropriate targets.
Once clients approve their e'resume, we distribute it via e-mail. We want
recruiters to learn more about our clients. It is then up to you to continue to
build interest. Here are some guidelines. People with recognizable "tickets" do
best (e.g. well known schools, degrees, blue chip company affiliations, good
titles, etc.).
This distribution can be effective for those in popular occupational fields
(e.g. sales, accounting, finance, IT or IS, manufacturing or service operations
and other fields where there is a sizeable demand). It is far less effective for
those in narrower or low demand specialties (e.g. a patent attorney, city
manager, technical writer, blood chemist, mechanical engineer, etc.) or for
those making a complete career change (e.g., an educator moving into business).
Also, as a person goes up the pyramid, there are fewer jobs available, so the
response for the less senior professional is generally the best.
Stated another way, those who position themselves with lofty titles and high
income, as well as those without recognizable "tickets," or who are in narrow
demand areas, should not expect too much here. It is a low percentage game. That
is why compensating with greater numbers of resume placements is required.
We also place resumes with recruiters in hard copy form. For executives
interested in the best regional or national positions, we can also do a resume
distribution by first class mail to our blue chip list of 1,000 recruiters. This
is directed at firms that initially select resumes for scanning into their
database. As they receive search assignments, then they retrieve resumes by key
words.
Our clients typically receive responses from this type of mailing over many
weeks, and sometimes months. Note: A second electronic or hard copy distribution
to the same list three to four months later usually produces 80 percent of the
response from an initial distribution.
Obviously, there can be no assurances of success, since the effectiveness of
distribution depends on the demand for an individual's field and background.
Unfortunately, there is no way to accurately predict response, since everyone
has his or her own unique identity. Nevertheless, many people do very well with
recruiters.
Reviewing Openings with
Recruiters on Our Private Website
Several thousand recruiters post descriptions of their openings online. When you
enter our website, simply select the state in which you have an interest and the
level of openings of interest. Then you can instantly review job listings and
submit your e'resume as appropriate.
You will be most popular with
recruiters if you will explore attractive situations but are not openly unhappy
with your current employer. Because timing is critical, "luck" can play a
significant role.
We believe that recruiters are important for the vast percentage of mainstream
executives. To recap, however, keep in mind that the chance of an executive
recruiter filling a job that is right for you, at the moment you contact them,
is remarkably small.
If you are not well known in your field, this is why we believe in blanketing
this segment of the market. This includes electronic and first class resume
distributions, but also personal registrations on the websites of leading
recruiters, and attempts to respond to openings of interest which they post
online.
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How Some of Our Clients Found
Jobs Through Executive Recruiters
"I got all I needed from
recruiters, through your electronic and first class distributions. I had 11
interviews with search firms in the New York area. Then, I visited with three
employers and was invited for second interviews by two of them. One turned into
a top job offer as chief financial officer of a major medical equipment
manufacturer. Frankly, I had very little time to pursue the other avenues in our
plan."
"Recruiters won't produce much for you if you want to change fields. At first,
I wanted to make a dramatic shift, but the resume distributions produced very
little in the way of interviews. Then, we adjusted my materials to keep me in my
specialty, and the results were entirely different. I accepted a position with a
small but fast growing firm. At my age (43) I also have developed relationships
with recruiters that could be of help to me throughout my career."
"I worked every angle of your system, but my activity with recruiters was for
the best quality jobs. I think employers who spend the money for large
recruiting fees value their positions more. I also think they are more solid
businesses. When they pay a recruiter $60,000 to get a job filled, you can be
sure that the job you accept will have some room for negotiation."
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