I obviously seem to have touched a raw nerve with my previous post - Why are recruiters so rude? I got a few comments from both sides of the divide. I would use them in a future post to list out the points and counter-points put up by some of the readers.
I had promised to cover the search consultants in this post.
I am listing out some of the most common peeves people have against search consultants and my suggestions on how you could address them :
1. They are so inaccessible in the first place! They just refuse to acknowledge our attempts to reach out to them.
Executive search consultants work on exclusive, and usually confidential, assignments for their clients. They are retained by corporates to help identify some very key, senior leaders for their business. These consultants then usually map and head-hunt people with very specific skill sets, pedigree and experience.
Given the exclusive nature of their work, search consultants work on a select set of assignments in a year. But they have hundreds and thousands of people reaching out to them in the hope of finding a dream job. Now these consultants are not in the business of finding jobs for people who reach out to them. They are in the business of searching for the ideal candidates for specific positions that their clients want to fill.
Most of the assignments these consultants are working on require people with more than 15-18 years of experience with very specific leadership skills and competencies.
So its no surprise that these consultants not only seem inaccessible, but also come across as not being responsive, sensitive or caring.
2. Is it necessary to woo a consultant? Why should I approach them? Let them approach me. They need me more than I need them.
In today's corporate environment it is increasingly important for you to be connected with a few good search consultants. Many companies use search firms for some of their key leadership hires. These roles will not come your way through job portals or through your personal networks.
It is also important for you to understand the role the search consultant plays for the hiring company and for you as a candidate. The search consultant is not just a resume-pusher (though many of them do just that). The companies trust their advice and opinions when it comes to their senior hires. You too should build a relationship with some good consultants where they become your 'trusted career advisors'.
And this relationship is a mutually beneficial one and cannot be only one-sided. There is a chance that they will reach out to you because of your achievements and your reputation, but the chances of them reaching out to you with your dream job are greatly improved if you have maintained a relationship with them.
3. How do I get the search consultant's attention? How do I reach out to them?
Don't reach out to a search consultant!
Especially when you are desperately looking for a job.
The best thing you could do is position yourself as a strong, potential candidate that they would reach out to whenever they are looking for strong candidates for their clients.
Search consultants always have a set of professionals they track through every career move and stay in regular touch with.
Now the question is - how do you get into a search consultant's list?
Here are a few tips to keep in mind :
- Make a list of the key consultants across some of the key search firms that cater to your specific industry.
- Now try establish contact with these consultants where you simply introduce yourself without sharing your resume. You could do this by finding their e-mail ids from the search firm websites or by connecting with them on LinkedIn.
- Request your friends/ colleagues to introduce you to the top consultants in your industry they have a good rapport with.
- Keep in touch with them and update them about your career moves and introduce them to good candidates whenever they are looking for people.
- Share details of your articles/ blogs/ tweets/ events which position you as a subject matter expert or as a key person in the industry.
- Do not give them the impression that you are hounding them.
- And the most effective way is to let your work speak for you and to let others do the talking on your behalf!
4. They don't seem to understand my profile and skill sets. They are not willing to look beyond my obvious skill sets. They cannot seem to think beyond some specific profiles.
The onus of positioning yourself with the relevant consultants in the search industry industry is upon you!
Please remember that these consultants are not in the business of understanding your uniqueness and finding you a job!
You have to build these relationships over time which then ensures that a few key consultants understand your achievements, your skill sets and competencies and your career aspirations. Only then will they reach out to you with opportunities which are in line with your dreams and expectations.
-----------------
Please write in to me at ckguruprasad@gmail.com or post your comment if you have any other questions on this topic of working with search consultants.
I had promised to cover the search consultants in this post.
I am listing out some of the most common peeves people have against search consultants and my suggestions on how you could address them :
Executive search consultants work on exclusive, and usually confidential, assignments for their clients. They are retained by corporates to help identify some very key, senior leaders for their business. These consultants then usually map and head-hunt people with very specific skill sets, pedigree and experience.
Given the exclusive nature of their work, search consultants work on a select set of assignments in a year. But they have hundreds and thousands of people reaching out to them in the hope of finding a dream job. Now these consultants are not in the business of finding jobs for people who reach out to them. They are in the business of searching for the ideal candidates for specific positions that their clients want to fill.
Most of the assignments these consultants are working on require people with more than 15-18 years of experience with very specific leadership skills and competencies.
So its no surprise that these consultants not only seem inaccessible, but also come across as not being responsive, sensitive or caring.
2. Is it necessary to woo a consultant? Why should I approach them? Let them approach me. They need me more than I need them.
In today's corporate environment it is increasingly important for you to be connected with a few good search consultants. Many companies use search firms for some of their key leadership hires. These roles will not come your way through job portals or through your personal networks.
It is also important for you to understand the role the search consultant plays for the hiring company and for you as a candidate. The search consultant is not just a resume-pusher (though many of them do just that). The companies trust their advice and opinions when it comes to their senior hires. You too should build a relationship with some good consultants where they become your 'trusted career advisors'.
And this relationship is a mutually beneficial one and cannot be only one-sided. There is a chance that they will reach out to you because of your achievements and your reputation, but the chances of them reaching out to you with your dream job are greatly improved if you have maintained a relationship with them.
3. How do I get the search consultant's attention? How do I reach out to them?
Don't reach out to a search consultant!
Especially when you are desperately looking for a job.
The best thing you could do is position yourself as a strong, potential candidate that they would reach out to whenever they are looking for strong candidates for their clients.
Search consultants always have a set of professionals they track through every career move and stay in regular touch with.
Now the question is - how do you get into a search consultant's list?
Here are a few tips to keep in mind :
- Make a list of the key consultants across some of the key search firms that cater to your specific industry.
- Now try establish contact with these consultants where you simply introduce yourself without sharing your resume. You could do this by finding their e-mail ids from the search firm websites or by connecting with them on LinkedIn.
- Request your friends/ colleagues to introduce you to the top consultants in your industry they have a good rapport with.
- Keep in touch with them and update them about your career moves and introduce them to good candidates whenever they are looking for people.
- Share details of your articles/ blogs/ tweets/ events which position you as a subject matter expert or as a key person in the industry.
- Do not give them the impression that you are hounding them.
- And the most effective way is to let your work speak for you and to let others do the talking on your behalf!
4. They don't seem to understand my profile and skill sets. They are not willing to look beyond my obvious skill sets. They cannot seem to think beyond some specific profiles.
The onus of positioning yourself with the relevant consultants in the search industry industry is upon you!
Please remember that these consultants are not in the business of understanding your uniqueness and finding you a job!
You have to build these relationships over time which then ensures that a few key consultants understand your achievements, your skill sets and competencies and your career aspirations. Only then will they reach out to you with opportunities which are in line with your dreams and expectations.
-----------------
Please write in to me at ckguruprasad@gmail.com or post your comment if you have any other questions on this topic of working with search consultants.
You have outlined the functioning of the retained search industry rather lucidly, Guru! I am sure this will be really useful to those that are new to interacting / networking with "headhunters" from search firms.
ReplyDeleteThe "rude" bit I think is not particularly applicable to people in search industry as it is not to any other. Rudeness is a personality trait and with true professionals can never be imposed by constraints or vagaries of any business parameters. The antidote to this perception is professionalism. As with any other industry, "professionalism" in the search business too is / should be driven by responsiveness, integrity, fairness, honest communication and empathetic listening. And this is valid for all sides in the transaction: clients, candidates and the consultants. Unfortunately, all of these as a package seem hard to come by these days :) but I'm sure folks realize - sooner or later - that lack of any of these hurts individual credibility and the firm's business.
Things are changing and will continue to change faster. Primarily because of explosion in opportunities, rapidly shifting demographics (younger leaders with different mindset, values and cultures) and most importantly globalization & the Internet (and it's deadly derivative: the social networks).
It will be really enlightening to see from professionals like you continuous analyses of how the search industry is responding to these changes and what new value-adds are arising out of search firms in an era of unprecedented competition in the war for talent!
Great series and look forward to reading more :-)
Cheers! NTAK
The diamonds will always shine even when surrounded by coal - candidate and consultant alike.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Very enlightening indeed Guru!
ReplyDeleteMy experience with some of the top notch ones has been that they are aggressively focussed on the mandate in hand and don't really bother to keep in touch with the candidate if he/she doesn't meet their immediate requirements. At the same time there are a few who do care to get back in touch with the candidate even if he/she didn't make the cut.Then there are some, who are just plain paper (resume) pushers!They come in all shapes and sizes :)
this is classic case 'rationality with bounds' . You don't look for the best but look for the best in your stock. No wonder there are so many managers around hardly few leaders.
ReplyDelete