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How to Get Free Career Advice
There are many traditional sources available for career advice. Some seek advice from trusted mentors, while others turn to professional career counselors and authors of best selling books. But are these sources applicable to your unique career goals in today's rapidly changing world? More importantly, can you truly rely on their advice? A good place to start may be the sources relied upon by employers to help them fill and structure some of their most important job opportunities. One of the most commonly utilized sources is the executive recruiter. Executive recruiters are specialists who work at finding, evaluating and selecting talent for employers. Throughout the selection process, they evaluate a broad variety of accomplished talent and career success stories. Executive recruiters also counsel employers on the structure, benefits and presentation of their job opportunities to help attract the very best talent possible. This combined knowledge provides executive recruiters with an invaluable perspective for providing career advice. What makes the career advice of an executive recruiter even more appealing is that they are employer-paid, so by law their invaluable advice can only be offered for free to job seekers. How to find a good executive recruiter? The first task in obtaining advice from an executive recruiter is to find one that works in the unique industry where you want to pursue a career goal. The most practical career goal (and the easiest to provide advice on) is a goal that has a specific job title within a specific industry that exists in today's marketplace. Someone interested in becoming a Senior Vice-President of Sales for a national general building contractor should contact an executive recruiter who works in the construction industry that has recently filled this exact position. A quick search in The Directory of Executive Recruiters by Kennedy Publications, Hunt Scanlon's Executive Recruiters of North America, or the many Internet directories of executive recruiters such as the Recruiter's Online Network at www.ipa.com, should reveal a listing of executive recruiters by industry and job function. One of the best ways to locate an experienced executive recruiter is to get a referral from someone who has an existing relationship with one. Ask respected professionals within your industry of choice; talk with human resource departments and local trade associations to see whom they recommend. Types of Executive Recruiters There are basically two types of executive recruiters: retained fee and contingency fee. Both retained and contingency fee recruiters perform the same essential service. However, their working relationship with their clients is different, and so is the way these executive recruiters charge for their service. Retained and contingency fee recruiters each bring certain advantages and disadvantages to particular kinds of executive searches. 1. Retained Executive Recruiters Retained executive recruiters derive their name from the fact that they work "on retainer." Employers pay for their services up front and throughout the recruitment process. Retained recruiters are typically paid for the search process regardless of the outcome of the search, however most retained recruiters allow employers to cancel the search at any time for prorated rates. Retained executive recruiters tend to work on senior-level positions exclusively and in close partnership with the employer. They offer expert counsel throughout the search, and usually require exclusivity and significant control over the hiring process. They may participate in all client interviews with candidates, and all related candidate discussions with the employer including all negotiations, offers, and settlements. While the process may take three or four months, the hire is typically guaranteed for a year or longer. Because a retained executive recruiter spends so much time on behalf of each employer, he or she can only work with a few clients at a time (usually three to six). 2. Contingency Executive Recruiters Contingency executive recruiters derive their name from the fact that they work "on contingency." Employers only pay for their services if an employer hires a candidate referred by their firm. If there is no hire, then there is no fee due. Contingency executive recruiters usually find it more cost-effective marketing exceptional candidates to locate job opportunities than recruiting for employers and locating difficult-to-find candidates. Most contingency recruiters fill lower to middle management positions where candidate marketing results in greater chances for success (due to the greater number of positions available for exceptional talent). However some contingency executive recruiters will work on senior-management positions and will not market candidates to employers. The relationship between contingency executive recruiters and their clients is usually less intense, with less personal contact and a lower level of mutual commitment. It is common for an employer to use several contingency executive recruiters on a single search, while also trying to fill the position on their own. Contingency executive recruiters usually manage eight to twenty assignments at a time, and generally guarantee the hire for thirty to ninety days. How to obtain the advice of an executive recruiter? Due to the inherent nature of their profession, most executive recruiters enjoy advising individuals on career advancement and related subjects since it is part of what they do everyday. The problem obtaining their advice is not getting executive recruiters to talk, but in making contact with them. As with most busy professionals, there are limited hours in a working day and each hour are dedicated to the employers who pay their bills. The volumes of resumes and candidate solicitations that typically flood an executive recruiter's office far outweigh the few positions an executive recruiter can fill in a given year. It is impossible for an executive recruiter to respond to every candidate solicitation. Yet a surprising number of candidates do get through. If you are not successful in getting through with traditional methods, you might try calling before and after working hours when the gatekeepers (secretaries) are not there to screen your call. You might also call the receptionist and try to get the executive recruiter's direct phone line, car phone or beeper number. Another way might be to call in requesting advice from the executive recruiter on a specific problem such as a salary negotiation strategy, interviewing tip, or reference on a local employer you are considering working for. An introduction that requests a quick answer to a specific question might motivate the executive recruiter to take your call. However the best way to get through to an executive recruiter may be to utilize the name of a referral that that the recruiter has an established relationship with. Tips on what to ask an executive recruiter? It is important to be prepared with specific questions prior to every conversation with an executive recruiter, or any highly paid professional when seeking their advice. Organize your most important questions beforehand and keep questions brief and to the point. Below are a few good examples of questions to ask an executive recruiter: 1. Would you confidentially review my resume for an opportunity
I am considering? Be courteous when stating your introduction but go directly into the purpose of your call, expecting no more than five to fifteen minutes of the executive recruiter's time for any one session. And remember let the executive recruiter do most of the talking! Even if you only get one session, five to fifteen minutes of quality advice from the right executive recruiter could be the most valuable career advice you will ever receive. Follow up properly with the executive recruiter As a common courtesy, always follow up each meeting or conversation with a thank you letter showing sincere appreciation. Although you cannot legally pay an executive recruiter for his or her advice, you can offer them valuable information such as tips on industry news, events, job leads, candidate leads and other relevant information. |
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