Making the Most of Recruiter Partnerships - Your Career Intel

Making the Most of Recruiter Partnerships - Your Career IntelWhen you need to source top talent quickly, a recruiter is a natural ally who can streamline your hiring process. Recruiters tap into a large network of passive job seekers who would otherwise never see your job posting. We act as ambassadors for your company, getting prospective hires excited about growing their careers with your company. We also play a critical role in offer negotiations, setting appropriate expectations and working behind the scenes to ensure your top choice candidate accepts your offer.If youre new to working with a recruiter or had a negative experience in the past, its natural to be hesitant about jumping back inand in particular, investing upfront money for your search. It all starts with building a relationship with your search firm partner, one that is grounded in trust and realistic expectations. Like any successful relationship, you need to invest a little time up front to build that trust and se t mutual expectations. Once a strong foundation is in place, your recruitment partner will be able to provide the consultative advice and carefully curated candidate list your company needs to land top talent.Heres how to get the most out of that relationshipCommit to the process. There are two types of executive search retained and contingent. In a retained search, the company pays a (negotiable) fee up front to initiate the search and typically works exclusively with one firm. With a contingent search, a company only pays a fee at the end of the process, after an acceptance. While some companies may believe a contingent search can save them money, the opposite is often true companies end up spending mora time considering candidates that a specialized recruiter would have ruled out, critical business processes and projects go undone, and the extra work gets piled on others in the organization. If you want focused attention on your search, build a true partnership with your recruite r with clear communication of expectations and be willing to invest a little money up front. Retained searches send a much different message to candidates about how serious your company is and that theres a real sense of urgency. In addition, with a large firm, the whole team takes your search more seriously as well Youll reap the benefits with high-potential candidates and a smoother search process.Pick the right recruiter. In general, youll stand to gain the most by working with a specialized recruiter at a large firm. Specialized recruiters at large firms bring the best of both worlds a deep understanding of your industry and a broad national network to source leading talent. Larger firms typically have multiple offices around the country, which can help streamline hiring efforts. Rather than hiring multiple recruiters to service specific geographic regions, one recruiter can serve as your main point of contact for multiple searches, building a deep understanding of your needs an d delivering the right candidate for each position.Consider firm size carefully bigger can be better. One common misconception is that recruiters at large firms are too busy to give clients individual attention. From my experience, the opposite is often true you may actually get more attention For example, our Chicago office has 27 recruiters dedicated to Accounting and Finance executive search. Even if a client approaches us about a small contingent search, for example, the client will benefit by tapping into the network of the whole team thats much wider and deeper than a boutique firm.Invest time in an intake call. An intake call is an opportunity for your recruiter to fully understand your current and future hiring needs. Specialized recruiters like myself follow a consultative approach. This means our mission is to notlage only fill the current open position, but to ensure the candidate is the right choice for your companys future. We consider your current market position, emer ging threats or opportunities, and any missing skills or experience in your current talent roster. Taking the time upfront to communicate your needs enables recruiters to effectively represent your company and communicate a compelling story. An intake call only requires a 30-minute investment on your end and can save you hours of future work not to mention make it easier to snag top talent in a competitive market.Be responsive. Some companies require recruiters to submit applicants through online portals or prohibiting direct communication with the hiring manager. These restrictive policies are designed to streamline the recruitment process but can backfire.For recruiters, theres nothing more frustrating than submitting three stellar candidates for review and then hearing crickets. Weeks pass, the candidates become frustrated and move on to other opportunities, and the recruiter is left hanging. I get it timelines change and needs evolve. But without an update, I cant move forward a nd find the right candidate. If a candidate misses the mark, I always ask clients to tell me why. The more feedback I get early in the process, the faster I can adjust my search to find the right talent for the job.Companies that understand the value of a long-term recruitment partnership will work with a sense of urgency. They candidly communicate (upfront) about needs and constraints. They lead with their best, competitive offers. Theyre also realistic about the process they know recruiters cant manufacture dream candidates out of thin air. Most importantly, because theyve invested time upfront to a strong relationship, they trust recruiters to present the right candidates for the job.Struggling to source top talent, close a candidate on an offer, or just want to hear about whats happening in the market? Leave us a comment below and we will set you up with a recruiter to help answer your questions.

Changing Career Series Part 2 Finding a New Career

Changing Career Series Part 2 Finding a New Career Finding a New Career After Making the Plunge to SwitchIf youre gearing up for a change of career, but unsure of what direction to go in, consider these career change tips to help narrow down your list of options.Welcome back to the mini-guide on making a career change In Part I of this series, we mapped out three essential steps for making a career change. If youve followed along, so far you haveIdentified what you have lost (or are about to lose)Separated the package (all the exterior specifics of your previous jobs) from the gift (the lessons, inspirations, and skills that will serve you for the rest of your life) and,Made an inspiring list of possible new jobs, career paths, and professional roles.My challenge to you was to keep your list of career change ideas open-ended, and elendlage to worry about making it reasonable or logical.With your list of career change ideas in hand, it is time to narrow down the field. However, I dont recommend that you switch your inner skeptic on to full volume just yet We will begin by simply looking at these exciting possibilities a little closer to see which ones warrant a full investigation.Step 1 Can you imagine yourself in this job role?Go down your list, and try to imagine yourself in each of the roles that you wrote down. Your goal is to eliminate the options for a change of career that you do not see yourself committing to.For exampleJeff was an attorney with a thriving divorce practice. He started to search for a new career after he realized that, no matter how hard he worked, his clients never walked away truly happy. Less miserable and with a sense of relief yes, but not happy. One of the things he was hoping to do in his next career was to make people smile. When Jeff crafted his list of possibilities, it occurred to him that it might be fun to be a clown at childrens parties. Upon further reflection, Jeff realized that he could not imagine himself actually doing that, so he eliminated it from his list.RelatedWhat to Do When Your New Job Isnt Your Dream JobStep 2 Choose your top three careers for a deep dive.Now that we are working with a shorter list, let us choose the first three possible career change ideas you would like to research. You are connected to hundreds of people through your personal and professional networks. Even if you do not personally know someone who works in the field that intrigues you, someone in your network mightAsk and you shall receive, but be specific when you ask. Here are some optionsDo you know anyone who works in _____?Can you help me find someone who can help me shine some light on _____?Who do you know who has done _____?Step 3 Have reality-check conversations.Now that you have identified some people doing what you are interested in, it is time to connect with them This step may feel intimidating, but you will be surprised how open fruchtwein people are to offering advice and guidance. Ask them for a phone call or a coffee, come prepared with a few questions, and get ready to absorb the wisdom.While you can make your own list of reality-check questions, in the event that you need some inspiration, here are a few to get you startedCan you share how you got to where you are today?If you were to do this over again, what would you do differently?What is your favorite part of your job?What are some of the complaints you have?What income can I expect starting out?Your goal is to walk away with some insider job tips things that outside observers might never get to see.If your first batch of 3 possible career change ideas does not yield a result that speaks to you in a compelling way, keep going down the listRelated Social Networking Engage With Potential Employers OnlineStep 4 Bringing it all together.Now that you are back from your deep-dive conversations, hopefully a change of careers is beginning to emerge for you. Maybe you have an obvious clear-cut choice, have narrowed it down to a h andful of possible paths, or have found a trend. All of those are good results.Next, we must make sure we have selected the right direction to find a new career.Step 5 Get clear on your criteria for happiness.While the idea of defining happiness as a checklist may sound strange, stay with me. Knowing what you need for happiness gives you a greater chance of aligning your career choices with what is true about you as a person. That, in turn, allows you to stay true to your values and purpose. A 2015 study by The Happiness Institute and Gallup found that alignment with purpose had the greatest impact on ones happiness at work more than achievement, work-life balance, leadership, colleagues, or influence.Here is an example. Laurel, a young professional on a CPA track, was progressing through the ranks of her firm as expected, but felt that a spark was missing from her life. When asked to reflect on what her criteria for happiness is, Laurel came back with this listSpending time nouris hing family and friend connectionsMeeting new peopleMaking people smile and,Spending time in beautiful spaces.While her upcoming promotion to manager seemed to fit in the conventional sense of getting ahead, the CPA job meant that she worked long hours, spent more time with her computer than with people, and was stuck in the office for 12 hours at a time. After making a list of possibilities, Laurel became excited about exploring the career change idea of becoming a real estate agent. Flexible hours, meeting new people every day, playing matchmaker with homes, and hosting open houses all aligned with her criteria for happiness perfectly. With that clarity, the requirement to study for a license did not seem so daunting. With the change of careers, Laurel has since built quite a following as a real estate agent, with fruchtwein of her business coming from referrals.There is one last piece to this puzzle the ever-important how. My clients typically have two sets of questions at this p oint in the process figuring out the money issues, and mapping out the specific steps to the next opportunity. We will explore those change of career topics nextClick on the following link for more advice on changing careers.Ready to write the next chapter of your career? Hire a TopResume professional resume writer todayRecommended ReadingHow to Tackle the Short and Long Term-Goals Question13 of the Smartest Questions to Ask a Hiring ManagerHow To Search for a Job While Employed vs. UnemployedRelated Articles