Guerrilla Marking for Job Hunters 2.0 - Jay Conrad Levinson [81]
There are 4 broad categories, and you lever each for a different outcome. By understanding the differences, you will know which ones can help you and which ones you shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for a return call. The 4 major categories are:
1. Executive search firms
2. Headhunters
3. Temporary employment agencies
4. Contract placement recruiters
Executive Search Firms
It’s not unusual for job hunters to mistakenly regard the “don’t call us, we’ll call you” mentality of most executive search firms with contempt. Rule 1: It’s not about you. Employers retain Executive Search Professionals (ESPs for short) to find candidates to fit a specific role the company has identified. This is common with executive level hires, especially where the position is highly visible and critical to the organization’s mission. As a rule of thumb, the greater the need and the more complex the search, the more likely an executive search firm will be retained. The ESP is paid handsomely regardless of the outcome.
When the position to be filled is a CEO, president, vice president, or board member, an ESP will be working with an employer’s search committee and a target list of potential candidates who were identified by a researcher. A candidate must meet rigid requirements to receive consideration. The job of the ESP is to convince the targeted candidates to look at the opportunity and to then assess their fit. Search firms are not really interested in job seekers, other than to fatten their databases. There is little to be gained by stalking them when you’re already knee-deep in your job search. You are better off to wait for them to discover you. If you excel at your job, they will find you—without prompting.
You can accelerate the process by increasing your visibility in the community through board memberships and civic organizations. In the meantime, send them your resume electronically and mail them a hard copy. Do not call them to see if they received it—it brands you as light and desperate. If they have a suitable opening, they will call you. That’s how they make money. Do send a resume to every executive search firm in your vicinity or niche that deals with your skill set and/or industry. Research your niche through Kennedy Information (kennedyinfo.com).
• Tools of their trade: In-house databases, ZoomInfo.com, LinkedIn.com, ExecuNet.com, association directories, Who’s Who, bizjournals.com, and a fulltime researcher. Make sure you can be found. Read more about this in Chapters 4 and 5.
• How to reach them: Ask for a referral from a college, kennedy info.com, or ExecuNet.com.
Headhunters
Headhunters come in 2 basic flavors: retained and contingency. Both offer you benefits:
1. Retained: The firm has a financial relationship with the client company much like that of an executive search firm. Retained recruiters are paid an up-front fee and a further success fee for completing the assignment. Completing an assignment requires the recruiter to match a candidate to a job specification. Retained recruiters usually have an exclusive relationship with the employer and may even be their unofficial talent scout.
2. Contingency: The recruiter can present candidates but is only paid if the company likes and hires that candidate. Often many contingency recruiters compete to fill the same position. Time is of the essence, so if you want to be considered, you have to be available for interviews on a moment’s notice.
Sometimes a headhunter is also a good “promoter” and will play both sides of the employer/job hunter equation. Find a recruiter who specializes in your industry or the industry you want to enter. If possible, find a recruiter at least 6 months before you need to because it will take the recruiter a while to hunt through the market