By VALERIE
PATTERSON
From
the National Business Employment Weekly
"I’m
an unemployed technical marketing executive in New York
who has called and sent resumés to dozens of recruiters
in my field. Why aren’t they calling back? I thought everybody
was hiring these days."
Many unemployed executives
feel stonewalled by recruiters who don’t acknowledge resumés
or return phone calls. While there’s no doubt executive
search is hot -- business at select search firms grew an
average of 24.5% last year, reports Kennedy Information
LLC, a Fitzwilliam, N.H., publishing firm -- there’s a fact
of life every job seeker needs to know. Recruiters don’t
work for you. Instead, they work for -- and are paid by
-- client companies to locate and screen candidates for
positions. They also typically focus on finding exact fits
for specific jobs -- the proverbial "round peg for
the round hole" -- rather than on chasing down a broad
population of candidates.
"Job seekers get very
hurt when recruiters don’t return their phone calls, but
why would they return your phone calls when you’re not paying
them?" asks Ginny Rehberg, a consultant in Burlington,
Mass., for Drake Beam Morin Inc., an outplacement firm.
But all isn’t lost if you’re
currently job hunting and want to get recruiters’ attention.
Here are steps you can take to reach out to search executives.
1.
Learn how recruiters work. You’ll find two types of
recruiters: contingency and retained. They differ in how
and when they receive payment for their services. Contingency
recruiters earn fees only after a client company hires a
candidate they refer. Retained recruiters are paid "retainers"
in advance to conduct a search. They may collect payments
even if their search doesn’t produce a successful hire.
Both types of search firms earn 30% to 35% of first-year
compensation for candidates they place and never charge
candidates.
According to the Association
of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), a New York-based
trade group for retained search firms, contingency recruiting
often is used for:
·
positions that pay salaries of less than $100,000
·
positions which have many qualified candidates
·
filling multiple vacancies with similar candidates
·
hiring organizations that want more involvement in screening,
interviewing and negotiating
Retained firms are hired when:
·
salaries exceed $100,000
·
highly unique or specialized candidates are needed
·
a hiring organization wants a third party to screen and
interview candidates
·
a company wants to persuade an executive to leave an organization
and needs an intermediary
2.
Find the right targets. You’ll improve your chances
of a return call if you locate headhunters who specialize
in your industry or function. Check your local bookstore
or library for directories that list recruiting firms by
type, industry, job function or region. "Stay away
from recruiting firms that sound like they do all things
for all people," says Peter Jacobus, a recruiter of
software sales and support professionals for Century Associates
Personnel Inc., a search firm in Philadelphia. Most good
recruiters specialize in a few industries or functions,
he says.
It’s wise not to limit yourself
to contacting recruiting firms in your immediate geographical
area, even if you don’t want to relocate. Many firms that
appear to be local or regional actually have national accounts,
says Wayne Cooper president of Kennedy Information, which
tracks the industry.
And while many executives
don’t contact search firms until they have a career crisis,
it’s best if you can initiate contact with these professionals
"long before you need them," says Mr. Cooper.
3.
Get and give referrals. You should ask friends, co-workers,
family members and colleagues in your industry for referrals
to recruiters. Then, place calls to those individuals and
mention your mutual contact.
"If you can present yourself
as a referral of someone who’s used the firm before, it’s
always good," says Mr. Jacobus. Whatever you do, don’t
come across as desperate. Most recruiters don’t appreciate
being pressured by callers, he says.
If a recruiter phones you
about a job and you aren’t interested, he or she almost
always will ask if you know anyone who might be appropriate
for the assignment. You’ll gain favor with the recruiter
if you can make referrals.
"I make a note of who’s
been helpful in recommending other candidates," says
Joe Zaccaro, president of the Human Resources Consulting
Group Inc., an executive search firm in Lakewood, Colo.
"But don’t give names just to give names. Suggest people
who genuinely may be good."
Barbara Bogart, a strategic-alliance
executive for a Maryland-based software firm, found her
current job through a recruiter after being downsized from
her previous position. She still gets two or three recruiter
calls each week. She says she always speaks with search
professionals and provides referrals if she can. These efforts
will pay off the next time she’s in the job market, she
says. "It’s relationship-building, pure and simple,"
says Ms. Bogart.
4.
Don’t be a wallflower. You’ll improve your chances of
being found by recruiters in your industry or function if
you join professional societies, attend a conference and
tell colleagues confidentially that you’re open to speaking
with recruiters. These are sources of leads for recruiters
and their search researchers who help uncover potential
prospects.
5. Prepare a 30-second
"commercial". When you call a recruiter, first
ask if he or she can spare a few minutes, says Mr. Jacobus.
Succinctly describe who you are, what you do and what you’re
looking for. Then listen and allow the recruiter to let
you know if he or she can market you effectively. Don’t
read your resumé. Recruiters prefer dialogue that’s short
and sweet, says Mr. Jacobus.
6.
Don’t take silence personally. "Good recruiters
can and should be awfully nice to job seekers, but their
first allegiance is to the client organization," says
Ms. Rehberg. Realize that recruiters usually are working
on multiple assignments and can’t personally return all
calls or letters. Don’t take their lack of response personally.
"Even if your resumé
is impressive, it may not fit one of their jobs," says
Mr. Cooper. "But three to six months from now, they
may have a new assignment, search their candidate database
and find your resumé matches the requirements."
Says Ms. Bogart: "If
you have the talent [recruiters] are looking for, they’re
all over you," she says. "If they’re not trying
to fill a position in your area, they won’t call."
Moreover, search executives
dread candidates who badger them with phone calls and resumés.
If your job situation has changed since you first notified
a search firm, simply send a new resumé, but don’t leave
messages asking if they’ve received your resumé or have
new assignments you might fit.
7.
Screen recruiters who call. Check recruiters’ credentials
before revealing personal information. Ms. Bogart asks for
the firm’s name and whether it’s a contingency or retained
firm. Ask search executives to describe their typical assignments
so you’ll know if they recruit for positions that match
your experience and career goals.
"I also ask the person
who gave my name to the firm about [the firm’s] reputation,"
says Ms. Bogart, who questions recruiters about their background
in the software industry to see if they understand how software
firms operate.
8.
Be candid about your experience and compensation. Once
you’re under consideration for an assignment, recruiters
will investigate your background to make sure it’s squeaky-clean
before presenting you to a client company.
You won’t hurt recruiters’
feelings if you tell them up front that an opportunity isn’t
right for you. Also say early on if you’re willing to relocate
or if you might consider a counteroffer to stay with your
current employer.
As employers try harder to
retain staff in the current labor market, counteroffers
are causing problems for recruiters because they prolong
searches or cause them to fail. If you accept a counteroffer,
it may jeopardize your relationship with a recruiter permanently.
"Accepting counteroffers
hurts your credibility with the search firm and the client
company," says Mr. Zaccaro.
Moreover, be prepared to answer
frank questions about your salary or compensation package.
Give the recruiter "an indicator of where you are,"
says Peter Felix, president of the AESC, but don’t feel
you have to disclose your exact compensation. Additionally,
don’t give this information out freely to search professionals
you haven’t screened.
"Use vague terms to describe
your salary," says Ms. Rehberg. "Say ‘The positions
I’m looking at are in the salary range of $150,000 to $200,000,’
or you might offer a range that captures your total compensation
package."
Or turn the tables and ask
about the compensation level for the available position.
"If they say $200,000, then you can say, ‘I’m comfortable
in that range,’ but it doesn’t mean that’s what you’re making,"
says Ms. Rehberg.
-- Ms. Patterson is associate editor of the National
Business Employment Weekly.
