Have you ever been concerned that executive recruiters weren't calling you enough (or at all) or were calling about roles you weren't interested in? If so, then host Doug Lester shares five strategies for getting on the radar screens of recruiters for the right opportunities. They're based on his experience as a senior associate at a top executive search firm.
Have you ever been concerned that executive recruiters weren't calling you enough (or at all) or were calling about roles you weren't interested in? If so, then host Doug Lester shares five strategies for getting on the radar screens of recruiters for the right opportunities. They're based on his experience as a senior associate at a top executive search firm.
Resources mentioned:
ποΈ 1: What's Your Narrative?
ποΈ 8: How to Communicate Your Narrative in Your LinkedIn Headline
ποΈ 9: How to Write a LinkedIn About That Supports Your Narrative
ποΈ 10: How to Write a LinkedIn Experience Entry That Answers 3 Key Questions
π₯οΈ Blog: Network with Your Competitors, Be More Attractive to Executive Recruiters
π§ Take control of your narrative and advance your career — subscribe to the podcast!
π€ Need a thought partner with experience as a Fortune 100 hiring manager, an executive recruiter at a top firm, and a coach at Harvard Business School? Schedule a Career Strategy Session with Doug
β Avoid making 3 common mistakes with executive recruiters
πΈ Improve your executive presence on Zoom
00:00 - Introduction
01:22 - Getting on Recruiters' Radar Screens Increases Career Opportunity
01:57 - Strategy 1: Have a Reputation for Being Good at Your Job
03:07 - Strategy 2: Make Sure Your Network Remembers You
04:33 - Strategy 3: Share Your Narrative with Your Network
05:34 - Strategy 4: Have a LinkedIn Profile That Reflects Your Narrative
06:45 - Strategy 5: Be Responsive and Respectful
10:50 - Conclusion
11:43 - Send Doug a Message, Share This With a Friend
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One of the most common things people say to me in coaching sessions goes something like this: I need to get on the radar screens of executive recruiters.
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What this usually means when I hear clients saying it is that the executive recruiters who might help them advance their career aren't calling, or aren't calling enough.
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Or maybe the right recruiters just aren't calling for the right jobs.
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Does that sound at all familiar?
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Given that I'm focusing a few podcast episodes on executive recruiters and executive search firms, this is the second in the series, I think it makes sense to have a quick conversation about some of the best ways to raise your visibility with executive recruiters.
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Stay tuned.
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So you want to get on the radar screens of recruiters who can help advance your career.
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If you're targeting or you're already in senior management roles in medium or large-sized companies, then this is something you should be thinking about, because executive recruiters and internal corporate recruiters are often the gatekeepers to opportunity and advancement.
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If you can't get their attention, then your career potential is likely going to be somewhat limited.
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So what can you do?
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If you don't already have the attention of recruiters, how do you get it?
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The first way, it's an obvious one, and I won't be the first to say it, but it does need to be said: Be good at what you do.
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More precisely, build a reputation for being good at what you do.
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The number one way recruiters learn about new people is through referrals from people they already know and trust.
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Having been a recruiter at a retained executive search firm, I can tell you with confidence that recruiters spend a good portion of their days and weeks contacting people in their network in the hope of getting referrals.
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So be a person that people want to refer recruiters to.
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And the prerequisite for them wanting to do that is you being good at your job.
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When people make a referral or offer a suggestion to a recruiter, they're risking their own credibility in the process.
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So be so good at your job and so well known for being good at your job that the people in your network will feel confident mentioning your name, and they'll know that if they say you're good and worth talking to, they won't regret it.
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And there'll probably be other people out there who will back them up.
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The second way to get on recruiters' radar screens is closely connected with the first.
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Stay in touch with the people in your network.
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People can't refer you if they don't remember you, so take a page out of the advertising playbook and make sure you have both reach and frequency.
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Even if you haven't worked as a marketer, you probably remember those terms, reach and frequency, from a marketing or advertising class you might have taken in college or business school.
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For reach, make sure you've reached out to the people in your network the recruiters are likely going to call when they're filling jobs that you might want.
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If you want some guidance on who those people might be, I've written a blog post about it, and I'll link to it in the show notes.
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But here's a hint: You need to be reaching out to your competition.
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And then, once you reach out to them, recontact those people frequently enough that they'll remember you when that pressure-filled moment arrives and the recruiter, that used to be me, asks your friend or colleague: Is there anyone else you think I should speak with about this role?
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When that happens, you want to be fresh in their mind.
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So, how frequent is frequently enough when it comes to keeping in touch?
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I'll leave that one up to you to decide.
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It's going to be different for each person in your network based on the strength of your relationship and your prior history working together.
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The third way to get on recruiters' radar screens is to make sure you share your narrative with the people in your network when you're speaking with them.
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Staying in touch, it's all well and good, but if the people in your network don't know what you do, and more importantly, what you want to be doing in the future, then they might not make the connection between you and your ideal job when a recruiter reaches out with it.
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For a primer on how to craft a crisp and easy-to-recall narrative, check out Episode 1 of the podcast, What's Your Narrative?
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In a nutshell, the people in your network need to know what you do, the context you do it in, and the impact of your work.
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When they know those three things, they'll more easily make the connection to you when a recruiter describes an opportunity that's a relatively close fit.
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In the end, it's pretty simple.
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People won't refer recruiters to you if they can't remember what you do and what you might be interested in doing in the future.
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The fourth way is to have a complete and compelling LinkedIn profile.
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I've already done three podcast episodes about communicating your narrative effectively through your LinkedIn profile.
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So if you need a refresh, listen to Episodes 8, 9, and 10.
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To put it simply, you need to be discoverable.
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Clearly communicating your narrative, that is, what you do, the context you do it in, and the impact of your work will help recruiters find you through the magic of search.
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And if someone in your network refers you into a recruiter's search, then where do you think they're going to go to check you out?
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That's right, your LinkedIn profile.
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And what will they want to know about you?
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Right again.
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It's what you do, the context you do it in, and the impact of your work.
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Those three things need to be close enough to their client's current opportunity, organization, culture, and current challenges that the recruiter feels it's worth the time and effort to connect.
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So make it easy for them.
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Have an up-to-date LinkedIn profile that reflects you and your current career interests.
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The fifth and final way to get on recruiters' radar screens is one that, based on my experience, many people miss.
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Be responsive to recruiters, not just when you need them, but even when you don't.
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Having been an executive recruiter and having seen how things work, I can assure you that recruiters document almost everything they do.
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If a recruiter from a firm that covers your industry reaches out to you repeatedly and is met repeatedly by radio silence, they're going to document it.
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And, honestly, it's likely going to count against you, at least a little.
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Executive search is a two-way street, and relationships and trust are built over time.
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Each interaction you have with a recruiter is an opportunity for you to show that you're a smart, helpful person who cares not just about their own career, but the careers of your colleagues and the health and vitality of your industry overall.
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Don't miss these opportunities to present well and build trust.
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Even if you offer a quick but helpful response via email or a DM based on your industry knowledge and connections, it will be remembered and appreciated.
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And don't underestimate the importance of developing relationships with recruiters at all levels of a firm or company.
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Even the most junior recruiter could make the difference in you being considered for a role that could advance your career immeasurably.
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For many searches, it's the associates and not the partners who assemble a candidate pool.
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The partner might only get involved in a meaningful way once a candidate pool is assembled or close to being assembled.
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Let me tell you a quick story.
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When I was working as an associate at a top firm, I worked on a search for a very senior role at a prestigious university.
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Many of the people I was reaching out to were at the top of their game, they had great reputations and were maybe just a step or two away from retirement.
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They might only make a move for something they'd consider to be a capstone for their career.
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In the course of my networking, I had identified an impressive candidate with a lot of experience and a great reputation, who I thought could be a great fit for our client.
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So after a phone screen, based on a referral, I invited him to an in-person meeting at the firm.
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Up to that point, we had only spoken on the phone, so he hadn't seen me yet.
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The day we met, he arrived and took a seat in the firm's reception area.
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I was notified that he was there, and I went down to meet him.
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He was a fairly tall, gray-haired man.
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I, on the other hand, am a relatively small person, and at the time was looking a few years younger than my age.
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I worked in the beauty industry on anti-aging products for about a decade and always wear sunscreen, so what can I say?
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You get the picture.
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He looked experienced and authoritative, and had a bit of an attitude to go along with it.
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And I looked relatively young and inexperienced, at least on the surface When he met me, I could see it in his face.
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He was thinking to himself, I'm interviewing for what might be the capstone role of my career, and you're the gatekeeper?
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And I was.
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I was the gatekeeper.
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And his reaction made me like him just a little less.
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So let that be a lesson to us all.
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Don't judge a book by its cover.
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And drop the self-importance and attitude.
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Be nice to everyone associated with an executive search firm, even the junior people, or the people who just appear to be junior, if you want to have a productive long-term relationship with that firm and the people who work in it.
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They all talk behind the scenes.
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We did when I was working as a recruiter, and if you're dismissive with a more junior associate, or even a coordinator when you're trying to schedule an interview, you might be shooting yourself in the foot.
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So always remember, getting on recruiters' radar screens isn't about quick fixes or shortcuts.
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It's about building a reputation and relationships over time.
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The five approaches I've talked about: having a reputation for being exceptional at what you do, staying connected with your network, sharing your narrative clearly, maintaining a LinkedIn presence that reflects your narrative and interests and being responsive and respectful to recruiters, they're all interconnected.
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You could think of it this way.
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Your reputation for being good at what you do is a positive reflection of your personal narrative.
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Your network shares and amplifies that narrative for you.
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Your LinkedIn profile makes your narrative discoverable and reinforces it.
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And your responsiveness to recruiters keeps the momentum going.
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I'd love to hear your thoughts about these strategies.
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Which ones resonate the most with you?
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Send me a message.
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You can do it through a link in the show notes.
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And if you found this helpful, be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already and tell a friend so that you can both advance your careers.