Martha Heller gives advice to job seekers To me, the business model for executive search is very simple: a company hires us to identify and recruit qualified candidates, manage the interview process, and secure the hire. But that’s because executive recruiting is my bread and butter. Not every professional is familiar with executive search, and not every person on the job market knows how to work with executive recruiters. For all of you who would like the inside scoop on working with recruiters, here are a few pointers. 1. Remember that recruiters don’t work for you They work for the hiring company, and their job is to help their clients, not to advocate for you. They’ll only recommend you if they think you’re the best candidate for the job. Don’t think of a recruiter as your buddy whom you can talk with casually. Approach interactions with recruiters just as you would interviewers at the company where you’d like to work. This means that when you’re talking with a recruiter, you have to be just as professional as you would with the CEO of a company you’re targeting. You can’t complain about your current or past employer any more than you would in an interview with a hiring manager, and try to not say, “I’m only telling you this; I would never say this on an interview.” 2. Use your network One of the best ways to establish contact with a recruiter is to be referred by a client or someone the recruiter has placed. If the recruiter values her relationship with that client or placement, she will be sure to set up some time to talk with you. 3. Pay it forward. When a recruiter contacts you about a role that is not a fit for you, take it as an opportunity to build your relationship anyway. Call back with names of people you believe are qualified for the role. While you’re on the phone, you can remind the recruiter of what you, yourself, are looking for. Recruiters have good memories. When they are recruiting a role that might be right for you, they will remember the qualified candidates you sent their way. 4. Stay in touch. As with anyone in your network, you have to nurture the relationship without being a burden. Send an email every six weeks to let recruiters know that you’re still on the market, and remind them of what you’re looking for. Regular contact ensures that your name keeps surfacing among the pile of resumes and messages the recruiter is managing every day. But asking to meet for coffee once a month is too much. Like you, recruiters have limited time, and most of their time will be spent recruiting for their current roles. Once you’ve met a recruiter once, a regular email check-in is plenty. Related content feature We’re all becoming software CIOs — a role Red Hat CIO Jim Palermo knows well As products become more based in software, CIO roles will increasingly align with CIOs who’ve been selling software for decades, like Jim Palermo, CIO of open source solution provider Red Hat. By Martha Heller Nov 15, 2023 7 mins CIO Software Deployment Marketing feature New US CIO appointments, November 2023 Congratulations to these 'movers and shakers' recently hired or promoted into a new chief information officer role. By Martha Heller Nov 08, 2023 9 mins CIO Careers IT Leadership interview How Huber spurs innovation in a historically decentralized business With IT/OT convergence, digital technologies, and the growing importance of data, Huber CIO Dwain Wilcox leads the creation of a cross-functional, cross-business innovation engine. By Martha Heller Aug 23, 2023 6 mins CIO Enterprise Cloud Management interview CIO Ryan Snyder on the benefits of interpreting data as a layer cake Thermo Fisher Scientific CIO Ryan Snyder discusses a tiered model used to turn data into value at the $40 billion laboratory equipment and instrument maker. By Martha Heller Aug 02, 2023 8 mins CIO Data Architecture Data Governance Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe