Beyond The Basics: Career Strategies That Work Part III

Strategies for Building Relationships with Search Firms

Some Essential Facts About Search Firms
Search firms work to serve their clients - employers who want to hire an employee for a specific position. The focus of a search firm is always on finding candidates who will optimally match their client's specifications. These firms want to ultimately find the best candidate for a specific job, a candidate that will result in an "ideal fit" for the position that needs to be filled. In order to find the "ideal candidate," search professionals will extensively research and seek out the best candidates. This research includes identifying and talking to executives that may not be currently looking for a job. When search consultants are seeking a candidate, they are focused on the current search. If your credentials, experience, etc. do not meet the search criteria, consultants will not be motivated to return your calls as quickly as you would like them to.

Types of Search Firms
The two main types of search firms are retained and contingency. Both retained and contingency search firms may specialize in a particular industry or in a particular function. Most retained search firms share the following characteristics:

• They are given an exclusive contract by the client company to source, interview, and present qualified candidates for a particular position until the position is successfully filled.
• They are generally paid 33% of the first year's anticipated salary and bonus plus search expenses.
• They will be interested in you only if you seem to have the background and skills suitable for a current assignment.
• They are used by both for- and not-for-profit organizations to fill a large percentage of management positions.

Most contingency search firms share the following characteristics:

• They receive non-exclusive job orders from client companies to fill specific positions. It is not unusual for competing firms to receive the same order.
• They are paid a fee only when the candidate they present to the client company is actually hired by the client. Their fees are typically less than those charged by retained firms, do not include expenses and may be more subject to negotiation.
• Some contingency search firms will use phone interviews to screen potential candidates prior to submission of names to the corporate client.

In addition to retained and contingency search firms, temporary employment firms are currently an important factor in the employment market. It is not unusual for organizations to routinely employ up to 10% or more of their workforces as temporary employees. IMCOR, an executive level temporary employment firm, places CEO's, CFO's, and other executives on temporary or temp-to-perm assignments. The temp-to-perm trend enables both employees and employers to "try each other out" in order to determine the quality of "fit." All search firms work to fill their job orders for their client companies, not to find jobs for particular candidates.

Phases of a Typical Search

1. The client and search consultant meet and outline the position responsibilities, as well as the ideal candidate's experience, technical/educational requirements and personal characteristics. The position requirements are often subsequently revised in order to reflect the realities of the available candidates.

2. A search strategy is developed after the job specifications are complete. Prospective candidates and networking contacts are identified in as many as 12-60 target companies. The search consultant may also contact CEOs, industry leaders, association directories, place ads in relevant publications, and search their own database of resumes in order to identify a short-list of potential candidates.

3. Once a potential candidate list is compiled, candidate developers will approach prospective candidates in order to pre-qualify or eliminate them. During this stage, search consultants are just looking for the relevant facts about the potential candidate's experience and technical background in order to screen candidates for the next stage of the search.

4. Those candidates that pass the qualification screening will begin to work with the consultant who can provide the candidate with relevant details about the search, the position and the management and culture of the hiring organization. Selected pre-screened candidates are then presented to the search firm's client company. At this point, the search firm will actively advise and prepare candidates in order to increase their effectiveness in their interview(s).

Building Relationships with Search Firms
Retained and contingency search firms are an important component of your job campaign. Unfortunately, most individuals tend to ignore or downplay search firms until they are in a job search and need the services of this type of firm. The time to start networking with and building mutually beneficial relationships with search firms is NOW - before you need their services. The following tips will help you increase your effectiveness in creating and maintaining relationships with search firms:

• Intentionally join and be an active part of the network that helps consultants achieve their goals. When you are employed, talk with consultants who phone you in order to source candidates for a particular search. Establish a relationship with consultants before you need them for your own job search.
• Actively network with other professionals within professional associations and your community to ensure that your name immediately comes to mind when others are contacted by search consultants for names of potential candidates.
• Let your networking contacts know that you are open to talking to search consultants even when you are not actively in a job search and that you are always open to hearing about potential opportunities in your field.
• Cultivate relationships with specific search consultants and firms by referring them for search opportunities within your company and other companies.
• When actively involved in a job search, research specific search firms that specialize in your industry and increase your likelihood of working with them through a high-powered referral. In other words, use your network to network into relevant search firms.
• Be strategic and "thick-skinned." Don't take it personally if search consultants are slow to acknowledge or respond to your resume or phone calls. Always remember that search firms work for their company clients. They will contact you if and when they are searching for a candidate that fits your professional and personal profile.
• When actively working with a search consultant, trust in and use their expertise. Consultants will fully support candidates that are a good fit for a current search position. Help your search consultant to effectively promote you by providing complete and accurate information. Don't posture or play games in order to speed up the process. Search consultants, like candidates, prefer a search to conclude in a timely manner.
• Once you are on a search firm's short-list, elicit and use the search consultant's expertise regarding their client company's culture and other relevant information. The search consultant is also a valuable source of information regarding the specifics of the search, including the number of candidates presented and the entire search process and time-line.
• Know yourself and be able to clearly and concisely communicate your strengths and goals to search consultants. You need to have explicit and non-emotional explanations for gaps and/or setbacks in your skills and experience. The more you know who you are professionally and what your added value is to an organization, the more you will be able to project competence and confidence in your interactions with search consultants.
• Follow-up is essential to relationship building with search firms. Express your appreciation via E-mail, letter, phone-call or voice-mail. Your follow-up communications enable you to keep your name on a particular search consultant's "radar screen." Also, let search consultants that you have networked with know that you are available as an information resource when they are compiling their potential candidate lists.

Resource for Search Firms
The Directory of Executive Recruiters is the primary resource for information about search firms. It is published annually by Kennedy Publications and can also be accessed (for a fee) via the Internet at www.kennedypub.com. The Directory of Executive Recruiters lists over 8,300 recruiters nationwide, along with their functional and industry specialties.

When to Start
Whether you are currently in a job search, happily employed or not so happily employed, the best time to start networking with search firms is NOW. Join professional organizations and create a networking schedule and concrete networking goals.

Research search firms that specialize in your field and network to find referrals to these firms. Inform your networking contacts of your availability as a resource for identifying candidates for a search. Your active and strategic networking within your industry and with search firms that specialize within your industry will enable you to establish mutually beneficial relationships for your entire career and beyond.

Updated 21 January 2000