People who have attained ‘Executive’ status have probably gained a fair idea of the sort of jobs they might be interested in. Hence they can be much more specific in their job searches.
Whilst they will regularly look at the jobs pages in newspapers and journals which are likely to carry details of potentially interesting vacancies and possibly stay in touch with one or two known agencies, the main focus of their search will be directed towards making direct or indirect approaches to companies they would like to talk to. People generally want to help and, if asked properly, will gladly give referrals to other people who might be able to help even more. Head-hunters, especially if they are already known, also like to help – they can potentially make a lot of money out of doing so!
It is reckoned that somewhere around 70% of senior jobs are filled as a result of a person to person contact rather than through a third party. Whilst it would be silly to ignore advertised job opportunities the bulk of the executive’s time is best spent resurrecting old ones and developing new ones. Networking, as it’s called, does work provided it is properly directed and positively used to ultimately meet people who have the power to allow the executive to do what he or she really wants to do.
The exercise must be conducted with military precision. The executive has a set of skills that he or she has decided they want to use in a certain arena and they must ensure that all appropriate people get to know, from trusted sources, that the job hunter is interested in talking.
About the author
Douglas has over 25 years experience as a senior management recruiter and career change advisor operating throughout the UK. Spent 11 years as Head of National Executive Recruitment with Ernst & Young and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
Published
04 October 2006
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