What You Should Know Before Contacting an Executive Recruiter
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Many executives and senior-level professionals planning to enter the job market will consider contacting a recruiter to find out about open jobs in their field.

However, presenting yourself as a great candidate to work with a recruiter doesn’t just happen. It’s important to understand the relationship among all involved parties (the recruiter, company, and you), get your resume in top shape, and to be ready to deal with potential objections.

These tips will help you be ready to work effectively with a recruiter:


Recruiters often source candidates that have been there, done that.

Talking with a recruiter is advisable for career professionals and executives that offer a strategic career trajectory that includes a straight-line career path and infrequent job changes.

Recruiters are hired by companies to identify talent among leaders who can demonstrate commitment to a specific type of career or skill set. Therefore, if you’re trying to switch between one job type to another, you’ll often fare better by contacting employers to present your skills directly.


A recruiter’s mission is to focus on the needs of their client companies.

What many job hunters fail to grasp is that a recruiter’s job order will contain specific details about the background, education, and career history of the ideal candidate.

Depending upon the recruiter’s relationship with their clients (who are the ones paying them), they may not be able to convince the company to take a chance on your background—especially if it’s not in line with these requirements.

A recruiter must not only be comfortable with the strength of your credentials, but confident that you represent a true personality and leadership fit within their client companies. After all, the recruiter’s professional reputation (and future commissions) are riding on their ability to supply the all-around perfect candidate.


Your resume must be ready for presentation to their clients.

Too often, job seekers dash off a resume to recruiters that undercuts their abilities—making it difficult for the recruiter to promote the job hunter as a viable candidate.

If your leadership resume hasn’t had a review from colleagues or a resume professional, it can be worth your time to request a critique or suggestions. Some recruiters even refer their clients to career coaches that can elicit a strong brand message on the resume.

Others can often see qualities in your background that you’re too close to realize, and their recommendations can make the difference in the response you receive from a recruiter.

As a job hunting method, working with recruiters can be very effective, but only if you go in with an awareness of your role, fitness as a candidate, and realistic expectations.