As an executive, you're constantly taking steps to better your career, even when you're not actively looking for a position at a new company. From industry networking events to getting your name in the press, routine practices can often provide additional value when the time comes to make a career move. In addition to these organic actions, it behooves executives to take deliberate steps to keep their professional brands fresh and in demand, which can make all the difference in landing their next perfect job.
One of the most simple ways for c-level staff to ensure they are keeping themselves well-positioned for an eventual career shift is to build a relationship with an executive recruiter. This is crucial for executives especially, because recruiters often fill key roles in strong companies before the openings are made known to the public.
Whether or not you are currently hunting for a new job, and even if you don't feel you qualify for these senior roles quite yet, professionals can always benefit from building relationships with recruitment consultants, even if it's not for several years. At the very least they can provide executives with critical insight on the job market, with the potential to grant well-regarded members of their network some of the most prestigious jobs in the country.
To help you craft productive relationships with executive recruiters who can help you make your next big career move, here are a few tips from BlueSteps:
- Rather than sending a mass email of your resume to all the recruiters whose contact information you can get ahold of, send a personal email to a shorter list of recruiters who work specifically in your industry, function and region.
- Keep your introduction brief. Be concise in explaining what it is you are looking for in your relationship with the consultant, then list a few bullet points explaining what role, region and industry you are interested. Close with a sentence or two summing up your career goals.
- Remember, networking is a two-way street. Let the consultant know what you can do to help them out as well. One idea is to offer to be a source, noting you can use your network to help them with searches in your industry.
- When appropriate, enlist the help of a friend or coworker who has an existing relationship with a recruiter to make an introduction. Personal connections can go a long way to helping improve your relationship.
- Finally, do your best to find out if and when there are local industry events that the consultant is also interested in attending. If there are, plan to be in attendance as well so that you can introduce yourself face-to-face.
Finding people is easy, but finding the RIGHT people is not. YES Partners helps companies FIND the right people for all company functions, across many industries and globally.
