Types of recruiting firms
- Executive Search – senior level positions usually above 250K. The hiring company pays the search firm upfront to recruit the ideal candidate.
- Contingent Search – salary levels below 200K. The staffing firm earns a fee after the placement is made and guarantee period is reached.
- Consulting Firms – interim positions, projects, limited in scope and duration. Individual could work directly for a company or through a “consulting firm”.
- Temporary Staffing – individual required to fill an open position immediately.
When and how to use recruiters
- Always – the best time to build relationships with recruiters is before you are on the market.
- Get to know 2 or 3 recruiters, find out what their focus is and what their company specializes in, what jobs are in house, what companies they deal with, salary ranges, etc.
- Specify that you don’t want your resume sent out unless you are notified first.
- Use recruiters to expand your network of contacts and gain intelligence on the market.
- Be aware that good recruiters work a narrow range of skills and different recruiters work different jobs.
- Keep in mind that recruiters are commissioned based sales people and don’t have the luxury to spend time where they can’t make money. Therefore, set a schedule for follow up.
Take a hard look at yourself
- Recruiters have a difficult time placing people outside their chosen profession and field. Companies only want to pay a fee to a recruiter for an exact match. When the economy is booming there may be some latitude, when the economy slows, none.
- Identify your strengths, accomplishments, industries, titles, computer skills, areas of expertise, etc. Ask yourself if your skills are still in demand?
- Who do you want to work for? Who should you work for, what size company, atmosphere, travel, etc.?
- Job search:
- When the economy softens, the first to go is full time direct hiring, then consultants/temps and finally lay offs.
- Don’t wait when you know a change is coming, get out there. Market yourself ASAP because your marketing effort will need time to work. Have a plan and work your plan. Pull out the old rolladex, make those connections.
- Update and have several versions of your resume: profile, chronological, short, long, simple, complex, etc. Prepare and contact references.
- Do you have an elevator introduction?
- Once your marketing campaign is in full swing consider consulting or volunteering to keep active. Brush up your skills. Learn new skills.
- Network, network, network. Tell your story. Ask for leads.
Internet usage:
- Get your resume profile on line, search for jobs, set up search agents, research companies and managers.
- Uncover who is hiring? Why? What opportunities does that present for you? Be strategic in your thinking.
- Helpful websites:
- LinkedIn: a wonderful networking site, seven degrees of separation
- Monster: register, create a profile, set up your account so that job postings that fit your background are automatically emailed to you.
- Careerbuilder: register, create a profile, set up your account so that job postings that fit your background are automatically emailed to you.
- Ladders: search for jobs paying more than 100K. Register, create a profile, and set up your account so that job postings that fit your background are automatically emailed to you.
- Craigslist: gaining a much broader and more diverse group of users on its job boards.
- The Vault: research and get names and contact information of senior managers at specific companies.
- Hoover’s: research companies and get names and contact information of senior managers at specific companies.
- The FENG (Financial Executives Networking Group): search for jobs paying more than 100K.
- Jobs In The Money: search for financial and accounting jobs.
- Indeed: searches the internet for job postings
