Jobbie

Question:
How can I find executive recruiters who will help me to advance in my
career? And if a recruiter contacts me, is it customary to work with
just that one or keep trying to find others?

Answer:
It's rare for an executive candidate who contacts a search professional
out of the blue to actually find a job through that recruiter. In fact,
of the many headhunters I've asked, none have said they've filled a job
with a candidate who made an unsolicited overture.

"I am
looking for the elusive gem, the exact match for a job, and the chances
of that person approaching me are remote," says Tim McIntyre, managing
partner of Infonet Resources LLC, a retained search firm based in
Glastonbury, Conn.

Companies hire search firms to find candidates for hard-to-fill
positions. Retained headhunters typically work only on top-level and
high-paying openings and are paid regardless of whether the job gets
filled. Contingency firms generally find candidates for less-senior
roles and are paid only when someone they locate is hired.

Related Article Ways to Find Recruiters Who Specialize in Your Niche

The best way to get a search executive to notice you is to be visible
and successful in your current role, says Mr. McIntyre. Recruiters will
find you if you speak at industry conferences or professional meetings,
write articles for journals and network with colleagues, he says.

"Asking how to approach a headhunter is the wrong question," he says.
"The right one is 'How do I make myself accessible, visible and
valuable?' and that means talking to people and doing good work."

Typically, the best way to advance in your career is by networking to
learn about new opportunities that match your skills and interests.
Adding search professionals to your network by offering to help them
with referrals may be a smart move. The best way to become a resource
to a recruiter is to attach your resume to a short note, saying you
don't expect to fit current openings but would like to help the
recruiter with referrals, says Mr. McIntyre.

Before contacting a search firm, do some research to ensure that it
specializes in your industry and profession. "The Directory of
Executive Recruiters" ($60) published annually by Kennedy Information
Inc. lists recruiting firms by industry, specialty and geographic
location. An online database version of the 2007-08 book also is
available for $60 at www.recruiterredbook.com.

"Do the homework to target the right type of firm," says Mr. Cinello.
"Far too many candidates have no rhyme or reason about who they call."

As a contingency recruiter, Terry Hunter of Talent Scouts Inc., a
Lenexa, Kan., firm specializing in information technology, says he
likes hearing from job seekers whose skills match his niche area, which
includes business intelligence.

"If someone has the skills and background in this area, we would like
them to call us because there are never enough candidates to fill the
opportunities we are working on," says Mr. Hunter.

If you're contacted by a search firm, ask questions about the
background and experience of the recruiter and the company to evaluate
it, just as you would with any other professional vendor. Nothing would
prevent you from working with more than one firm, says Mr. McIntyre.
However, relationships between candidates and recruiters typically are
based on trust, and Mr. McIntyre says he'd likely lose interest in a
candidate who wasn't committed to working only with him.