Retained Executive Search Career Transition Resources

Over the years, we have compiled an ongoing list of Executive Resources to assist executives in transition, including our time tested interviewing tips, job search best practices and salary negotiation advice. Many of our executive and professional / management level candidates have told us that these resources have been very helpful to them while making decisions about changing jobs -- or careers.

Below are some other resources which we hope will be helpful to executives and professionals who are making decisions about changing jobs -- or careers. For example, based on our experience on both sides of the desk, as both the "head-hunter" (search consultant) and the "head-hunted" (exec in transition), we've compiled some insights on whether - and when - to work most effectively with recruiters.

First, think like the exec at a company by whom you'd love to be hired. Consider the differences between Retained versus Contingent search firms. When you are in a position to be recruiting a key player, you'll also benefit by asking some key questions before you engage a firm to conduct a particular search. Some of the answers you receive may prove to be equally enlightening whether you are in the market or not. Rites of Passage" by John Lucht. This is one of the best resources available to help executives who are contemplating a career transition understand 1) how various recruiters work and 2) how to leverage the process for their own benefit. A more recent book, “Deciding Who Leads”, is authored by Joe McCool, (BusinessWeek online columnist. Joe's perspective ranges from the provocative to the not so subtle.

One of the best ways to get your resume in front of the executive recruiters who specialize in your industry or function is to research the firm directly by going to each firm's website and identifying the practice leaders for various retained executive search firms. How to identify these firms? We've developed a mini-guide which lists some reputable executive search firms that have been in business for at least ten years. While there are no guarantees, mediocre firms tend to be weeded out during economic downturns. While the actual firm names can (and will) change, reflecting ongoing mergers, acquisitions and spin-offs, the practice leaders tend to remain focused in their area of expertise -- regardless of which firm they currently have on their business card. Once are known to a practice leader in your area, that established relationship will continue to serve both of you, regardless of your respective employers.

Linkedin.com Probably the single most effective job hunting tool on the Internet right now is Linkedin.com. This has become one of the best places to get visibility with as many recruiters as possible.

Step One. Build a detailed profile on LinkedIn.com, including all of the detail that is included on your resume. It's a bit tedious but it increases the chances that someone looking for a candidate – who graduated from YOUR university OR who has worked for one of YOUR previous employers or consulted to one of YOUR former clients -- will find you. If you are in an active job search, you should make your email address viewable in your public profile. (You can use "FirstInitialLastNameATharvardDOTedu" or "FirstInitialLastName @ harvard .edu" to sidestep spammers.)

Step Two. Once you've built your profile on Linkedin, you should search the Groups and join some of those that are the largest. There are groups for every imaginable industry, function and work history on linkedin, e.g. project managers, not for profits, alum of virtually every large company and most of the smaller ones, telecom industry professionals. You name it, there's probably an affinity group on Linkedin.

Step Three Take advantage of Linkedin.com's "job" function to search jobs. When you find one of interest you can use Linkedin.com to help you identify someone you know who may currently be working at that company, and who may be helpful in getting you an interview. Equally important, you can search jobs that have NOT been posted using Linkedin. Like Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com (see below), Linkedin.com now aggregates postings it finds on the Internet, presumably providing a one-stop-shopping experience.

Digital Dirt: Even if you’ve never posted your resume online, you’re likely to be amazed (or appalled) by the information about you that exists in cyberspace. “Google” yourself (both your name and similar spellings). Go to ZoomInfo.com, find your profile, and check out each of the sources listed to be sure the data is accurate. “Claim” your profile to update inaccurate information (and to remove/substitute unflattering photos.) There are other unreliable “people information” sites which – time permitting -- you may want to search and correct, e.g. Jigsaw.com, Spoke.com, Ziggs.com, ZabaSearch.com, PIPL.com, etc.

Flying Solo versus Working through Recruiters: What is the best use of your time? When should you work with recruiters versus target employers directly? The largest percentage of jobs are found through personal networking, not through recruiters or even job boards. Recruiters are not usually engaged unless or until

  • other avenues have proved unsuccessful, or
  • a search is particularly confidential, or
  • position is sufficiently senior that the number of qualified candidates is finite,
  • search is sufficiently complex, e.g. challenging combination of skill / experience requirements, coupled with one or more unattractive elements (e.g. remote location, compensation, reporting lines, turnaround situation, etc.)
In fact, there are some circumstances in which it would almost always be a waste of your time to try and work with most recruiters:
  • if you are trying to change industries or functions
  • if you have been out of work for an extended period (even to care for a family member)
  • if you have more than one “quick job change” (defined as working for any employer working for less than two years – regardless of well-publicized industry layoffs or economic downturn).
In any of these cases, you need to focus your efforts on applying to organizations directly, not through an external recruiter). Why? Because if a company's internal recruiter 'finds' you, you have a lot better chance of being hired. Bottom line, most companies are not willing to pay to an external recruiter unless the three basic ingredients are there:
  1. target skills, qualification AND experience
  2. similar compensation requirements and a
  3. stable work history.
Not understanding this fundamental dynamic can be a source of great frustration for people. Especially those who want to re-enter the work force (a stability issue’), or change industries (an ‘ experience issue’)  or who don't have a required certification (e.g. CPA) or academic credential (e.g. bachelors degree) – an issue of skill or qualification. This is not to say that you can’t do any given job, or even that your search won't be successful. It is simply that most – if not all -- clients are not going to pay an external recruiter fee to hire you. candidate unless they have EXACTLY the required industry experience, requisite certification or the stable job history. Those same clients will overlook lack of a degree or a certification or even some understandably quick job moves -- when looking at the same candidate whose resume they’ve receive directly. Please see The Three Magic Bullets for a more complete explanation.

Networking, networking, networking... Bottom line, more than 70% of jobs are filled through networking, so at least 70% of your efforts should be dedicated to this task. Focus your efforts accordingly: pick your target firms, tell everyone you know of your interest and desire to talk with others who work there and tailor your resume (not cover letter) for each position for which you apply. Save working with recruiters for a time when 1) you yourself are hiring; 2) you are highly marketable (currently employed) and need 100% confidentiality.

Public Job boards: Unless you have been unemployed for several months, we generally discourage candidates from posting their resumes on to the major "mega" job boards (e.g. Hotjobs, CareerBuilder or Monster). Far better to set up a job search alert to have emails sent to you about potential opportunities that fit criteria you’ve provided. Using profiles on Linkedin.com and zoomInfo.com (above) are better ways to be "discovered".

There are two sites -- Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com -- that have all but dis-intermediated the role of job boards. These sites aggregate job postings found anywhere on the Internet – both corporate sites, as well as niche career sites and the traditional job board postings, providing “one stop shopping”.

Most executive level jobs are NOT posted on the public job boards, anyway. Below are some executive-oriented networking sites and resources worth exploring. Our personal favorite is posting on NetShare.com, because execs who apply for our positions via NetShare tend to be more senior, more highly compensated and never seem to apply for more than one job (which suggests to us that they are landing more quickly than the execs who respond -- often multiple times -- through other executive networking sites.) Click here to email Jan Furste for more information about membership in NetShare.

Executive Level / Networking Resources and Data Bases ($100K up professionals):

  • SixFigurejobs.com: a good site for positions over $100,000, free to job searchers),
  • KennedyInfo.com: one of the best email agents out there: resume is only sent to recruiters who specialize in your industry sectors and/or functional expertise.
  • ExecuNet.com: an executive networking site for job searchers where all positions must have minimum $100K annual salary). Fee-based for both executives and recruiters.
  • TheLadders.com: one of the newest, and most aggressive executive level job sites.
  • NetShare.com: an executive networking site for job searchers where all positions must have minimum $100K salary (base alone). Fee-based for executives only.
  • ExecutivesOnly.com: an executive networking site for job searchers where all positions must have minimum $70K salary (base alone). Fee-based for executives only.
  • RiteSite.com is a site owned by John Lucht, author or Rites Of Passage (if you haven’t read his most recent book, order it through Amazon.com or Half.com. RiteSite charges a modest fee to candidates; but offers a good alternative to the major search firm’s sites because any retained firm can post without telegraphing the search to their competition.

Networking and Expert consulting organizations: the following sites can be valuable, depending on your industry / functional expertise.

  • Financial Executives Networking Group (finance and accounting executives earning over $100K): www.TheFENG.org
  • Technology Execs Networking Group (CIOs, CTOs, etc), www.TheTENG.org
  • the Marketing Execs Networking Group: www.MENGonline.com
See also Gerson Lehrman’s “Council of Advisors” and eValueServe's “Circle of Experts”. These are sites whereby you complete a detailed profile and specify an hourly consulting rate. Clients, who are typically private equity portfolio managers, often need immediate input for investment purposes, subscribe to this service. If your area of expertise is of interest, they will request a consult (usually by phone) to speak with you.

Resume tips: When you forwarding your resume for a specific position, try to always tailor it to the opening. Keep in mind that irrelevant information, for example, may be used to screen OUT your resume, because the first scan is made very quickly to determine whether the resume is looked at a second time. If you’re just submitting your resume for consideration in general by a recruiter, be sure to have a position objective in the subject or they will have no way of quickly assessing whether they should open your email for any current openings they are working on. Keep in mind that -- most recruiters – at least those who conduct searches versus "placements" -- find people for JOBS, they do not find jobs for people... because they are paid by the client to fill a particular position. Ask a recruiter before forwarding your resume whether they pro-actively ‘market’ candidates, work on a contingent or retained basis (or some flavor thereof)? When you send your resume to a recruiter, be sure to identify it by including your name in the name of the word document, e.g. "FirstNameLastNameResume". Like us, most executive search firms receive hundreds of resumes a day, and the ones that are named "Resume" are very likely to get 'lost in the shuffle'. For your own protection: if you do NOT know the person to whom you are sending your resume, do NOT include your list of references info in your resume. Your references may get the call about an open position -- instead of you.

Cover letters: Always include a tailored cover letter that addresses every requirement of the position description – point by point. Make it easy for the recipient to "connect the dots". Also, be sure to include in your cover email or letter, your current or most recent comp and any geographic preferences or restrictions. You’re going to need to provide your compensation information anyway at some point in the process, as recruiters often verify compensation and academic credentials. If you do all of the most firms -- even if they do not have any current assignments for which your background is a fit, will keep your credentials on file for at least six months (or longer). You may want to include a one liner in your cover letter requiring explicit permission from you before a recruiter is authorized to present your credentials to a prospective employer. While advising the candidate FIRST of the name of the potential hiring company is standard practice, not all recruiters have the same training.

General advice: Individuals seeking outplacement services should be prepared to pay for the level of service provided. Because of the conflict of interest, we can not represent candidates for a fee. So please don’t be disappointed if you don’t hear back from a retained search recruiter, who will typically not respond to your resume unless they happen to have a particular position which is an EXACT fit with your background and qualifications. Most search firms (including ours) receive hundreds of unsolicited resumes weekly (sometimes daily, in a weak economy). We can’t possibly respond to each one individually, and still meet our obligations to our paying clients. If you acknowledge this when contacting them, and offer to assist with referrals on any current assignments, your chances of them actually coming back to you with something increase, because they’ll know that you know how executive search works.

If a search professional is helpful to you, please be sure to keep them in mind. When you are in a position to be hiring again, consider engaging them -- or at least offering them first right of refusal on your next search. Wherever you land, consider referring them for your next employer’s recruiting needs. That is the only way you can ever compensate a search consultant for providing you pro bono assistance.

Disclaimer and Feedback: Please keep in mind that the advice above, is just that -- advice. It is our attempt to codify some of the best practices developed over a decade of retained executive search and another dozen or so years as a "hiring exec" and/or "candidate". Please keep in mind that these are opinions, and that there will be exceptions to every situation descried above. With that caveat, your feedback -- data from your own experience -- will help us keep these guidelines fresh and relevant. We are very interested in learning about the results you achieve (or lack thereof) after employing any of the resources or approaches discussed above. In addition, you may find other valuable resources and techniques not mentioned here that have contributed to your successful career transitions.

Please send your career Your input will help us ensure that other execs and professionals also benefit from your experience. feedback to us by clicking on this button.

Again, hopefully you'll find something of immediate value to you in our list of Executive Resources. If you have sent us your resume, we hope to have reason to contact you about an opportunity very, very soon. One thing is sure. It's time for a "candidate" market again! All the best to you and yours...