At a recent meeting of Northwest Arkansas Recruiting & Staffing Professionals, Cameron Smith addressed some issues surrounding the crucial partnership between human resources professionals and executive recruiters.

Smith told the crowd of corporate recruiters and independent "headhunters" about his background as a recruiter, the beginnings of Cameron Smith & Associates and the unique market in Northwest Arkansas. He also described the uneasy relationship between HR and executive recruiters.

"HR may resent search consultants for over-promising and under-delivering. Some recruiters have a reputation for being aggressive and fast-talking. For the partnership to work, both sides have to cooperate. There must be a commitment for a win / win."

Smith provided a list of reasonable expectations clients might hold. For instance, a company should expect the search firm to show a clear understanding of the position, the company and the goals of the search.

The code of ethics extends to the candidate as well. Hiring professionals owe the candidate the courtesy of confidentiality, full disclosure and timely communication.

Smith also reminded the audience that whether they represent a company, an agency or just themselves in the job market, each individual must address the issue of personal branding. "People do business with people. Not companies, not services - people." 

by Mike Whittington

Choosing a recruiter is like choosing a doctor or lawyer. Find someone that you can develop a relationship with that will learn your background, interests, dislikes, and that will work on your behalf.

An experienced recruiter will have your best interest in mind while searching for that perfect job. A great recruiter will make your career change experience both successful and enjoyable.

Expert recruiters know their industry and specialty niche inside and out. They will discuss your background, skill set, and career goals with you in detail prior to making any recommendations or referrals. Successful recruiters understand the importance of helping you find a good “home." They are interesting in acting as your representative throughout your professional work life.

Because of this, a reputable recruiter will protect your confidentiality. He or she will screen out obvious mismatches and present only opportunities that are a good fit for you. Often they are privy to more information about a company’s culture and internal reputation.

The most important reason to use a reputable recruiter is that he or she works directly with the company and can market your background directly to the hiring manager. To approach the search from a “shotgun approach" - sharing your resume with multiple recruiting firms, job boards and corporate web sites - does nothing to lend credibility to your search. Posting your resume on job boards can leave you feeling that your application is “lost in a sea” of other resumes with no evidence that anyone ever reviewed your background.

One main reason to use one reputable recruiter would be for sanity. First, the reputable recruiter has a proven track record, professional references and  knows what he is doing. This creates trust at all levels - between you and the recruiter and between the recruiter and the decision maker.

The primary reason you use an executive recruiter is there is no substitute for professional representation. Having a professional representative with the connections and the skills to separate you from the crowd can be the deciding factor that yields or prevents an interview.

As you plan your job search strategy, here are some additional points to consider.

• Do you really want to be associated with the masses - or would you rather be perceived as confidentially and quietly looking to better your situation and leverage your career?
• It is a well known fact that candidates who are found on the job boards are perceived as second tier as well as potentially desperate.
• Candidates who have a good recruiter get valuable information about the client company and how to position themselves in the interview as well as throughout their search.
• Good recruiters not only will identify quality opportunities for their client candidates. They also play a priceless role in managing the process.

by Mike Whittington

Posting your resume online and using multiple recruiters might seem like a good way to open more doors in your job search, but in reality, doing those things can actually hurt your chances of getting a new job. Ask any hiring manager and they’ll tell you the best candidates are the ones who are performing at the top of their game and not actively looking for a job. However, great candidates are willing to keep their options open, and if the timing is right, they’d be willing to explore an opportunity presented to them. 

By flooding your selected market with resumes, you run the risk of clouding your reputation within it. When your resume is presented to a company, for a great position, it might be that the company has already turned you down for a lesser position that you applied for online, or they may have already heard your name because it has been presented by multiple recruiters who have not effectively marketed your credentials. As a result, you appear to be needy, or, worse yet, someone who has already been passed on.

Working with just one carefully selected recruiter, you have a career search manager who can strategically market you into the right opportunities, while maintaining your position as a carefully screened candidate for particular positions.

Keep in mind that you’re dealing with recruiters who call on the same managers to place candidates within their (your) specialty area. Hiring managers want to hire people who stand out from their peers. If 3 or 4 recruiters are calling into that same manager to talk about you, it has a negative effect because 1) you don’t stand out much when multiple people are telling the same story about you, and 2) it makes it clear to the hiring managers that you’re actively searching and maybe even somewhat desperate in your search.

This leads to questions from the hiring manager about why you’re looking for a new job. Are you about to get fired? Do you change jobs often?

Before posting your resume on job boards, you may want to consider the pros and cons:

• Job boards are great tools to get your resume in front of the masses, but as the example above shows, you don’t want to be in front of too many people.
• Most hiring managers subscribe to job boards to assist in their searches. But keep in mind, some job board positions may only be a means of gathering resumes for potential jobs - jobs not yet approved, not yet budgeted, or on hold indefinitely due to a hiring freeze. 
• Hiring managers want those A+ candidates who are hard at work in their job, not hard at work posting resumes online.
• If, as a recruiter, I connect with one of the few great candidates on the job boards, I recommend they immediately take their resume off.
• Keep in mind that hiring managers also frequently look for employees of their own company who have their resumes posted.

by Mike Whittington

It makes great sense to partner with a recruiter in any job search, particularly when employed. It makes even more sense to partner with a recruiter who is completely familiar with your discipline and has his/her own practice directly connected to that same sector.

Recruiters are specialists. They know the companies, decision makers, and positions better than anyone outside the industry and are positioned to offer advice based upon that industry knowledge. Most importantly, partnering with one recruiter provides the opportunity for you to get to know and trust one individual who can be there for you as your career advances.

Just like a high priced sports star, a good candidate will need professional representation – someone who knows how to structure the right deal, offer critical advice and be a sound voice of reason. This “agent of change” is paramount to the success of any executive in today’s market.

• Using one recruiter is vital in that the rapport you build together insures a built-in coach and connector to your best possible next job.
• An experienced recruiter is there to know her candidate and represent her in a way that possibly exceeds the search she’s conducting on her own.
• It often takes another set of eyes and ears to really pull out the best attributes and talent and speak them loudly to a potential hiring authority/company.
• Most importantly, your recruiter is there to negotiate the best possible set of circumstances - including compensation packages - insuring a great career move.

by Carla Herren

I have good news and bad news. The good news is that for one of the first times in the Bentonville arena it is acceptable for a potential employer to learn that you have been downsized. At one time that did not sit well. In today’s market we are seeing positions eliminated at all levels, from analyst to VP of Sales. I don’t have to go into the bad news; it is blasted on the front page of every newspaper and at the top of every news broadcast.

The bottom line is there are many very talented candidates out of work today. Living in the Bentonville bubble does afford some protection. Walmart is an account for which most vendors can’t afford to lose their top talent. At CSA our clients are still looking for the best. They are not resorting to Monster and CareerBuilder. They require the same caliber of talent and expect to interview polished professionals, just as they did before the current economic turmoil.

But if you’ve just been downsized or expect the axe to fall any day, you may be feeling more panicked than polished. When you get the chance to interview, you don’t want to come across as desperate or fearful. You want to walk in with a warm smile and a firm handshake, ready to connect. You know you are competing with that candidate who is not out of work and interviews calmly and confidently.

Here are some suggestions to help you prepare for your next opportunity. Getting this information together in advance will help you react quickly when we call:

• Have a few good questions about the company and/or the position;
• Be prepared to share examples of how you have made a difference in your positions that are similar to the job profile;
• Have a few stories of how you have made a difference in your company, i.e., a few success stories of how you helped to advance the business, worked with adifficult situation to turn it around, came up with a creative solution to a problem, etc.
• Research the company (if possible, go to a Walmart store and check out their product on the shelf);
• Have a positive answer to why you are looking to make a move from your present situation.

By remaining calm and positive, you reflect the capable, confident professional that hiring managers want to meet.