As the owner of an Executive Search firm, I receive a LOT of requests every day to connect or get introduced to job seekers. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, meeting with people to assist them with their job search is not actually what we do at Cornerstone Kansas City. Most people think… “well, you are a recruiter so don’t you want to meet a lot of potential candidates?” On the surface, that would appear to be true but when you fully understand what a retained search firm like mine does, you soon realize that is not the best use of the firm’s time and resources. Don’t get me wrong, I love connecting with people and I do, often, but there is simply not enough time in the day and I can’t drink that much coffee to meet with everyone that seeks me out or to whom I get introduced. At Cornerstone Kansas City, our mission is to help great companies recruit great people.
Let me explain further; my clients are the companies that retain our firm and pay us a fee to help them recruit for a very specific executive hiring need. As we only do a few dozen searches per year, the likelihood of us working on a project that fits a job seeker’s specific skillset, background and geographical preferences at the exact moment they are looking for a new job is almost 0%. In fact, we have placed only one candidate in my 12+ years who approached us looking for a job. It is all about timing and might be similarly described as catching lightning in a bottle. Therefore, we do not represent individual candidates in their job search or try to “place” them somewhere. We work on behalf of our client companies who retain our services to find their new leaders.
Okay, all that said, you may be thinking… how arrogant! He doesn’t meet people who may be desperately looking for work? The answer is maybe, but certainly not always, and, that is the reason for this post. I do care about individuals looking for meaningful work and I do my best to provide up to an hour of free consulting to help with their search.
After many years of doing this, I started sounding like a broken record. So, I surveyed my North American Cornerstone colleagues and compiled below THE BEST job seeker resources available today that should both encourage and provide very concrete resources to help an individual find their next job.
Keep in mind job seekers, it is not IF you find a new job it is WHEN and patience, process and activity are the keys.
From my Cornerstone Colleague in Nashville, Steve Hayes:
God is in control! He will open the right door… you just have to knock (network) and keep knocking – as you are doing!
RESOURCES:
RESEARCH: Read & Do
- Do You Have a Strategic Career Plan?
- Are You An Ideal Team Player?
- Yes, A Bad Candidate Experience Really Does Hurt You
- Executive Job Search Tips
TARGET YOUR SEARCH
Consider subscribing to the Kansas City Business Journal, as well as obtaining their “Book of Lists”(web link) to target your search. If not in Kansas City, most major markets have a local Business Journal so seek it out.
NETWORK In Groups – Show up & Connect
Reality: Some estimate that upwards of 85% of open positions are filled through networking. Some estimate that as much 80% of jobs are never listed but are instead filled internally or via networking. And less than 10% (5% – 7%) of jobs are found through a recruiter. Recruiters work for companies, not individuals. Budget your time accordingly.
Network in places where the decision makers are in the niche you selected (ie. conferences, professional association and meetings, contributing on LinkedIn, etc.)
Once you have found an opening, see if there is someone you may know at that company or someone you know that might be connected to someone at that company and try to get an introduction. Most companies value an internal referral over an unknown applicant.
REACH OUT TO OTHER RECRUITERS
Make sure you are connected to recruiters. Here are a few to consider in Kansas City:
BLUESTEPS – BECOME A MEMBER
BlueSteps is THE executive-level, self-sponsored career management service of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC). As a member of BlueSteps, you’ll have access to a plethora of job seeker resources and your career details can be confidentially provided to only the world’s leading executive search firms, like ours, who are all vetted members of AESC in over 75 countries. You can also download AESC’s new BlueSteps Global Guide to Personal Branding or The Modern Executive’s 2023 Job Search Playbook for Executives at this link among many other resources.
PERFECT YOUR RESUME
Consider a resume/social media writer to ensure your resume and LinkedIn profile are top-notch and will grab attention. Here are some resources:
CONSIDER AN EXECUTIVE COACH
Do you have an executive coach? Here is an interesting Forbes article on 6 ways an Executive Coach can make you more successful.
Here are a few Executive Coach Resources:
CONNECT 1:1 with those you already know
Make a list of everyone you know and connect to let them know you are looking for the next step in your career.
I sincerely hope you find this helpful.
Feel free to forward to those you know who are in transition and please stay in touch: Subscribe to our blog & Follow us on Linked In!
