St.Louis Business Journal
GETTING RECRUITERS’ ATTENTION IS KEY TO JOB HUNTING IN SOME FIELDS

By Anna Navarro

July 2009  

Examples in this column are fictionalized to protect privacy and told with permission.



In some occupations, recruiters are the gatekeepers. If you are looking for a position in one of these fields, knowing how to connect with them is critical to landing a job.

Arthur was an orthopedic surgeon in his late 40’s. In the beginning, he’d loved everything about his work. But after more than 20 years, he was ready for a change. In the initial phase of our work, he decided he wanted to be the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for a hospital—a big leap.

The position he was going after is typical of the kind of occupation where recruiters are used. Search firms tend to concentrate on high paying fields where the occupational credentials are very specific. Other examples include finance, information technology, and top level business management. If you are in doubt about whether a specific type of position uses recruiters, check with people who work in the occupation.

Recruiters usually seek out people who already have a track record in the field, so Arthur had a major hurdle to overcome.

He had the natural skills to be a CMO. He also had an MBA and some very impressive leadership accomplishments under his belt. He had been Chief of the Medical Staff for the very large hospital where he practiced. In this role, he had represented his fellow physicians their dealings with the healthcare system. But his lack of full time experience as a physician executive was a major drawback.

After we wrote a powerful resume that showcased his leadership accomplishments, I suggested he network with CMOs to get their advice about how to break into the field. One of the questions he asked was which recruiters they’d worked with and whether he could use their name to introduce himself.

I cautioned Arthur not to expect to do a full fledged networking interview with recruiters. They are focused on the searches they currently have in progress, and don’t generally have time to meet with individuals who aren’t potential candidates for those searches. Instead I suggested he undertake the following steps to get their attention:

First, go on-line and fill out the applications that most recruiting firms have on their websites. I suggested he do this whether or not they posted an opening of interest.

Second, call the recruiters whose names he had been given by the CMOs with whom he networked, and deliver a very brief but memorable description of the kind of job he was looking for and why he was qualified for it. (Note: We devoted an entire session to developing and rehearsing this two minute pitch.)

Third, send a note thanking the recruiter for having taken the time to talk with him on the phone, include a copy of his resume, and mention that he had completed an application and entered his resume and a cover letter in the company’s candidate database.

Using this approach, Arthur was able to come to the attention of a few recruiters. Though many didn’t return his calls, he persisted in calling every recruiter whose name he got.

He became the “long shot” candidate in a handful of searches. We worked hard to understand the specific needs of prospective employers in each position. We tailored his self-presentation and answers to hiring questions to these needs.

On most occasions, he wasn’t selected for the job because of his lack of experience. But being a candidate did give him the opportunity to impress a few recruiters even though he didn’t get the job. He carefully cultivated those relationships.

One of these recruiters later approached him about a search for a CMO of a small hospital in a rural area. The hospital was having financial difficulty, and Arthur realized that plus the location, might make it unattractive to many potential candidates. He wasn’t the first choice candidate, but when the two lead candidates declined the offer, he got his break.

He served as CMO for that hospital for a number of years, and did a terrific job. That created the track record he needed, He’s now moved on to a position as a CMO for a much bigger hospital system in a metropolitan area.

His second search was quite different. He not only had a track record, he’d also gotten to know all the major recruiters in the field and understood how the recruiting game was played. Our work the second time around was a great deal easier.

Anna Navarro is the founder of Work Transitions, a nationwide career consulting firm that works with clients on an individual basis to help them find more satisfaction and fulfillment in their work-lives. She can be reached by phone at (314) 367-0008 and her e-mail address is email@worktransitions.com. For more information visit the worktransitions.com website.

This column was originally published by the St. Louis Business Journal. The actual title of the column and date in which it appeared in the Business Journal may be slightly different from what appears on WorkTransitions.com.