Recruiters and Job Boards: Are They Worth an Executive's Time?

I had yet another client ask me this question today. Here are my thoughts:

Regarding the efficacy of contacting recruiters or using recruiter sites and job boards in general, I do not think these activities are a waste of time and would not recommend them if I did. I can think of no more efficient way of getting yourself “on the radar” of a large number of recruiters and companies. However, I must point out that realistically, only a relatively small proportion of positions are found through recruiters OR job boards, with personal and professional networking accounting for 60 to 70% of hires.

This is why I encourage my clients to access either or both of these resources, but to do it in the most efficient way possible. Send your executive resume to a select, targeted group of recruiters. Upload your executive resume to executive-appropriate job sites. Set up automated job posting notifications to be sent to your e-mail inbox. Then you are free to devote the majority of your time to two activities:

a) Leverage and build your network by interacting with your personal contacts, participating in professional organizations, utilizing LinkedIn and other online networking resources (and establishing yourself as an expert there by asking and responding to questions), and perhaps joining executive networking organizations such as ExecuNet or Netshare.

b) Research companies that interest you and work to get your foot in the door by finding contacts who either work within those companies or know someone who works within those companies. You then initiate contact via online networking resources, phone or e-mail, or mailing them a customized letter expressing interest in their organization. (This works best if you can identify areas that may be of concern to them and offer your thoughts on suggested ways to address them, establishing yourself as an expert offering valuable advice.)

So although a relatively small proportion of positions are found through job sites and recruiters, positions ARE found through them every day. Why leave a possible source of job leads out of your strategy? However, take care that you do not find yourself devoting a large portion of your time to this. Get out there and network!

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Should I Be Using Twitter in My Executive Job Search?

If you're not a "Tweeple" yet (someone who posts "tweets" on Twitter.com), you may wish consider becoming one. As you probably know, Twitter is one of the many social networking tools available online today (examples of other major sites that are relevant for executive job search are LinkedIn and Facebook).

Twitter was designed initially for personal socializing and a stream-of-consciousness type of communication based on the question "What are you doing?" However, it has quickly evolved far beyond that to become a place where professionals and business people "tweet" advice, opinions, and links to resources they have found on the web. Don't expect to post your executive resume there; you will need to show just how succinct you can be by posting a profile that is limited to just 160 characters. That's right, 160 CHARACTERS, not WORDS. And your posts will be even shorter--a maximum of 140 characters.

A major use for Twitter that has emerged is in job search. As a member, you will be able to "follow" numerous people who post valuable advice, including executive resume writers, coaches, and other careers professionals, recruiters, and other job seekers. There is even a Twitter job board.

Since recruiters DO search Twitter for potential candidates, an emerging Twitter job search strategy is to "pitch" yourself with a brief description of the skills you bring to the table and the kind of job you are seeking, to which you add what are called "hash tags" that will ensure your post is read by all who monitor or search those hash tags. Examples of hash tags are "#jobangels" (you'll get responses from this organization with advice, job leads, etc.), and #jobseeker, #ITjobs, #jobs, #careers, etc.

When using this strategy, be sure that your post is specific (not just "Help me! I need a job!), and that you spell out the important keywords and phrases in your post to ensure they are found in a search (e.g., "business development" instead of "bus.dev."). Here's one I found with a quick search on #jobseeker:

"Business Systems Analyst in Central FL (Orlando Area) w/10 yrs of IT, requirements, process & svc delivery exp. #jobangels #job #jobseeker"

As you build your "following" and "followers" lists, it can become a bit unwieldy to monitor them with the basic Twitter interface. Many have found it helpful to use third party apps such as Tweetdeck to make the process more efficient and manageable.

To fully leverage the advantages of social networking sites, work to drive connections among them. When you post to Twitter, occasionally include a link to your most recent blog entry (You DO have a blog, don't you?), work in a link to your LinkedIn profile or website, or to articles you may have published or that have mentioned you on the Web.

At this point in time, it seems that Twitter may be most effective as a direct job search tool for entry level to mid-management candidates. However, by creating a name for yourself as a subject matter expert with a substantial following, the indirect benefits to your executive career and job search could be substantial. I encourage you to join Twitter and see what it's all about. You can follow me at LSmithResumePro.

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Executives' Top 5 Career Search Tactics

A recent article in myResumeAgent's e-newsletter for job seekers explores the tactics used by today's executives in conducting a job search during the current steep global recession. Lauryn Franzoni of ExecuNet quotes statistics from ExecuNet's 2009 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report indicating that 71% of executives have updated their online networking profiles in the last 3 months, versus 60% who have updated their resume.

However, when asked about the most effective strategies, uploading resumes to online databases and maintaining online profiles trailed networking activities by a wide margin:

1. Networking (70%)
2. Responding to online job postings (14%)
3. Posting resume in online database (5%)
4. Maintaining an online profile (4%)
5. Researching target companies/cold calling (3%)

Ms. Franzoni wisely points out: "While it is clearly important to establish a positive Internet presence in this Digital Age, relying solely on an online profile to build mutual trust--a critical component in developing and maintaining an effective network online and off--is not a productive strategy. To be effective, online networking should be focused, targeted and coupled with in-person interactions designed to strengthen the connections with new and existing contacts."

Social networking sites offer a tremendous opportunity to showcase your accomplishments and expertise, build credibility, and to store and track your contacts. However, don't forget that it's still all about building and maintaining personal and professional relationships. Don't let "high tech" replace "high touch"!

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Still Not on the Social Media Bandwagon? Could Be a Big Mistake!

Up to now, I've frankly been exerting a somewhat half-hearted effort to use LinkedIn, and only just in the past week started to explore the potential of Facebook and Twitter. I intend to change that, and after what I've heard today, would encourage executives, professionals, and managers who want to proactively manage their careers to do the same.

For some highlights from a seminar I attended today exploring how you can leverage social media effectively in managing your career, see my post over at CareerHub.

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Network, Network, Network to Uncover Job Opportunities!!

Nearly 40% of all positions filled within a company result from internal transfers or promotions, according to the latest Source of Hire Study from CareerXRoads. The study (8th in a series) also affirms once again that for the remaining hires originating from external sources, referrals from current and previous employees, customers, and vendors are the number one external source, accounting for 27.3%. Notably, job boards (excluding company sites) produce just 12.3% of external hires and seem to have reached their peak. The big boards such as Monster and Career Builder also seem to be losing ground to niche boards.

These facts make cultivating “insider” connections one of your best sources for job leads. With the implied endorsement from a trusted source that you have when referred to a company, you gain a great advantage over your competition. Not only are you most likely going to get an interview ahead of the pack, you are also an attractive candidate due to the fact payment to a recruiter may be partially or totally removed from the equation, substantially reducing the employer’s cost of hiring.

In a tough job market, proactively building your network is arguably your best strategy to identify and pursue a new job before hundreds or even thousands of others have beat you to the door.

Ways That Recruiters Leverage Online Networks to Source Candidates

A recent ExecuNet newsletter discussed the results of recent research that indicates executive recruiters are making more extensive use every day of both social and professional online networks such as LinkedIn to expand their networks and open new avenues for sourcing candidates. There are a number of groups on LinkedIn that cater to recruiters and human resource professionals, and the list is growing rapidly.

ExecuNet's research provides some interesting insights into how specifically recruiters are using these networks:

45.7% use their online network connections to generate referrals to potential candidates.
39.1% use them to engage potential candidates.
15.2% use them for purposes of business development.

The take home? Nearly half of recruiters are actively using online networks to source candidates. If you are an executive who strives to proactively manage your career, it's definitely time for you to make your presence known in the online community.

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Social Networking Sites Are "In" with Those "In the Money"

A recent ExecuNet newsletter cites results from a Luxury Institute Wealth Survey revealing that "60 percent of wealthy Americans with an average income of $287,000/year and net worth of $2.1 million participate in online social networks, compared to just 27 percent a year ago." It was found that on average they had joined about 2.8 networks. Affluent individuals with $300,000 or more in annual income were even more avid participants, belonging to 3.4 social sites. If successful people are this enamored with online networking, it bears our attention.

There are 100 or more social networking sites, some purely for recreation and personal socializing, and others dedicated to professional or business interaction. (For a list of notable sites, visit Wikipedia.)

Computer World did an analysis recently comparing the features and advantages of the two most prominent sites, LinkedIn and Facebook. They formulated 6 business scenarios to solve, and assigned writers to compare results on Facebook and LinkedIn. As might be expected, each site excelled in different areas, and neither was the clear overall winner. Scenarios tested include Looking for a Job Without Your Boss Knowing, Finding Information about a Job You're Interviewing For (LinkedIn was the winner in both of these), Solicit Ideas and Discussion from Team Members (Facebook won this one hands-down), and Keeping Track of Former Associates (yielded a tie).

So which site is best, and should you join more than one? There are so many, but for professional and business purposes, LinkedIn seems to be winning the war for members right now. I encourage my executive clients to maintain a LinkedIn profile as part of their ongoing professional networking as well as for building a digital signature. A web presence is becoming increasingly important in job search, as candidates are commonly googled--often before a recruiter or hiring manager initiates the first contact.

In executive circles, it seems to be almost an assumption now that you maintain a profile on LinkedIn. Adding to its utility for career management and job search is its recent integration into the Simply Hired job search engine, as pointed out by Louise Fletcher in a recent Career Hub blog post. What could possibly be more convenient? You search for a job, and then click on a button to find out who in your LinkedIn network may have an "in" at that company. Although Facebook has recently moved from being strictly a social tool to a business tool as well, it seems to be the preferred platform for social interation with family and friends. Its wider range of services and third party applications concern employers as a likely distraction for their workers.

While online networking is an increasingly important part of an overall career management strategy, one thing to watch for is devoting too much time to joining every "hot" new site with a flashy interface, maintaining your profiles, building your contact lists, and interacting with your networks. As with most things in life, there is a danger of "too much of a good thing." The ExecuNet article highlighted a Global Secure Systems estimate that employers in the UK lose 3 weeks per year of work time on employees' social networking activities during business hours.

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Free Career Networking E-Book

CareerHub, a group careers blog I co-author, has released a series of free eBooks featuring advice from some of the country's top career experts.

The latest is on networking--which is a valuable skill whether you are currently in the job market or happily employed. As one of several co-authors of this eBook, I know that it contains valuable information from the first page to the last.

If you'd like to grab your copy of this or one or more of the other free titles, just click below and download the PDF--no sign-up required.

LINK: http://careerhub.typepad.com/main/2007/04/free_job_search.html

Happy reading!

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Is the Online Networking Craze All It's Cracked Up to Be?

All the buzz in career professional circles these days seems to be around the emergence of online or virtual networking through social and professional networking sites such as LinkedIn and Ryze. I've attended several seminars on the subject, and read new articles almost daily about the phenomenon.

Is online networking something that you as an executive need to be involved in as part of your career management strategy? All the statistics seem to show that career transition and advancement for the executive is most likely going to occur through networking or referral, so taking advantage of the ability to network in cyberspace seems like a "no brainer."

For more on this topic, see my recent post on the CareerHub blog: Virtual Networking: Does It Live Up to the Hype?

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Online Networking - Are You Missing the Boat?

Savvy executives in job search mode use the Internet extensively as they submit their resumes to executive-level boards, upload them to recruiting firms' sites, and research companies to learn more about potential employers. It is amazing what you can find out about a company on a variety of websites, newsletters, recruiting sites, and on blogs - some of it simply basic information and some of it very revealing - positive and negative.

A new wave that is increasingly gathering momentum is the use of networking sites, both purely professional and social, in recruiting. Recruiters and employers actively use them to identify potential candidates, as well as to learn more about executive candidates that are under consideration. A recent Herman Trend Alert notes that referrals do still rank as the most valuable recruiting resource. However, it also notes that social networking sites have surpassed employment websites, ranking now as the #2 recruiting resource. This is based on hard numbers: The number of new hires recruited as well as the budget allocations of employers (results from a Direct Employers/Booz Allen Hamilton study).

Some of the major players in terms of third party search tools are:

Zoominfo - aggregates data found on the web to create a "picture" of people and companies, and claims to have profiles of over 33 million individuals and 2.6 million companies.

Ziggs - exclusively features profiles of professionals.

Blue Chip Expert - focuses on top echelon talent, invitation-only site.

Spock - this start-up site targets 100 million profiles as of its go-live date 4th quarter 2006.

Linked In - social networking site that allows you to create a profile, collect endorsements, and build your network online. In a recent study, LinkedIn was shown to be one of the fastest-growing Web 2.0 sites. ("Web 2.0" simply refers to a new breed of websites that allow users to create their own content.)

The Trend Alert article also echoes a caveat I have put forth previously: Watch what you say on the Web and realize that your words could come back to haunt you. Recruiters are known to consider candidates' own statements about themselves and controversial topics in weeding out their candidate pool. "According to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, one in four employers uses social networking web sites such as Facebook.com or MySpace.com to screen out applicants based on the information they post there. A CareerBuilder.com survey found that about 63 percent of employers decided against hiring someone after seeing content the person had posted online."

Posting your executive resume on reputable and discreet executive level sites and maintaining your own blog and/or executive portfolio on the web are good first steps in creating an online presence. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that to stay ahead in the executive employment search and career management game, it behooves executives to actively maintain profiles on social and professional networking sites, and to leverage the networking and visibility building capabilities of those sites.