Action Items YOU Can Take Now
to Take Control of Your Job Search

As an Executive Recruiter the most frequent request I receive is from candidates, both those currently employed and not, looking for guidance in finding their next opportunity. 

I’ve found this to be an area of confusion and difficulty for many so thought it would be of value to provide the solutions anyone can apply that will land them their next role more efficiently. 

1. Do the obvious

Reach out to your professional and personal network, and sign up for RSS feeds so you get notified of matching jobs; I prefer LinkedIn Jobs and Indeed.

2. Find 3 executive recruiters from different firms

Make sure they have your resume and search parameters so they can reach out as a relevant opportunity comes up. If you already have one or more, great, if not a simple Google search, such as “executive search firms Dallas” or “executive search firm for Chief Revenue Officer” should give you some good names.

In addition to ours, I’d suggest some big industry brands like DHR International, Korn Ferry’s Lucas Associates and Robert Half and for some good boutiques search your local area and you’ll find good results.

A common misconception regarding #2:

Many candidates think recruiters focus on finding jobs for candidates. It’s the opposite: They are paid by companies to recruit top talent for their open positions so stay connected with them but know that they can only help you if timing lines up such that they have a search aligning with your background.

So you tried #1 and #2… and still no dice? Keep reading.

3. DIY Approach:

Know that especially at the VP and C-level most searches are confidential and not advertised so will not appear on job boards. They are either done through retained searches with an external partner like DSC (that’s us), or through a company’s in-house recruitment team. Therefore, if you have the time to do your own search, here’s how it’s done:

• Make a list of target companies you’d like to work for (think big, at least 100 companies).

• Next, go to their company leadership page and LinkedIn and find the hiring manager the position you’re interested in would report into e.g. if you are a VP of Sales find the Chief Revenue Officer, the COO and the President. Also find the Head of HR and/or Talent. This should give you at least 2-3 names per company so a list of 200-300 or more total prospects.

• Now, via LinkedIn and email, send each of them a note introducing yourself and your background and that you’re specifically interested in working for their organization and would welcome an opportunity for a call if they have an opening for you. You may have just stumbled your way into a confidential search or they may like your background and create a position for you, especially if the person in the role now hasn’t been performing to their liking.

• Follow-up with those who didn’t respond once a week. This WILL get you results.

4. Don’t have the time to do #3 or… simply would rather hire an expert to do it for you?

Welcome to Outplacement Services. These companies have the opposite model to executive search firms, where you the candidate are the client, i.e. yes, it is a paid service but their daily focus is to help landing you a job.

Services include full search package, from resume creation or optimization to activities outlined in #3 above to interview prep and offer negotiation, or a la carte if you just want one or a few of these services and not the whole package.

I recommend either the industry giant LHH (Lee Hecht Harrison), or quality boutique firm PFI Outplacement (let them know I sent you).

My hope is that you walk away from this article feeling better about your job search, as you now no longer are waiting to hear back from job applications and recruiters, but are equipped with action items of what you can do to land your next role.