As in any business, the world of Recruiters, “Headhunters”, “Executive Search Professionals”, etc. includes the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are those in it for some good cash for now, and those in it to build a great long-term sustainable business. Which are you?

This industry is characterized by a glut of new recruiters when times are good, and dramatic reductions when times get tough. It’s an easy business to get into, but it’s a tough business to stay in during economic downturns. I often tell people… “This is a business that, when times are good, there’s almost nothing better. There’s a lot of relatively easy money to be made. However, when times are bad, there’s almost nothing worse. The ‘gravy train’ dries up very quickly and companies recruiting budgets disappear.”

There are a number of factors that go into making someone successful in this industry over the long run. However, I believe one differentiator is being willing to add value for people whether you’re likely to make an immediate buck or not. Especially in a down economy, when many good prospective candidates, and perhaps some former (and potentially future) clients are out of work, finding ways to be of help to them pays great long-term dividends. Do you invest significant time and energy into people that can’t be of immediate value to you? Do you view people as people, or simply evaluate them by whether they are worth money to you or not? Are you willing to find ways to assist people that don’t even seem to be of potential value to you down the road?

Many recruiters do, and many, many recruiters don’t.

I see so many recruiters that are so unwilling to share information with others that they create the impression that they are only in it for a buck. Whether it’s a lack of trust, lack of caring, or lack of long-term vision, they sacrifice valuable long-term relationships (and revenue) for a quick hit.

I’ve been recruiting for the past 24 years. Just as any other recruiter, I am only able to place a tiny percentage of all the people I talk to. However, I have tried to find some way to be a valuable resource to virtually every new person I connect with. I may not be able to place them directly, however, I generally offer to help them in a variety of ways:

• Coach them on improvements to their resume, or approach, or interview skills
• Help them prepare for interviews with “inside information” even though it’s not my placement
• Give them suggestions of good networking groups or resources in their area of focus
• Connect them with other people that may be a source of leads
• Refer other good recruiters that may be able to help when I can’t
• …and even provide them contact names at companies they are targeting to pursue on their own!

As recruiters, we have a unique perspective on what makes a good candidate or what job search practices work best. After an interview, we get to debrief with our candidates as well as with the hiring manager. We get to hear what resonated, and what didn’t. We see how people get jobs. We hear why a hiring manager selected one candidate over another. We see these things so often and, for us, it becomes “common sense” to do certain things and not others. To many job seekers though, who aren’t exposed to the job search process as we are year in and year out, that “common sense” can be quite uncommon!

When they find a recruiter who sincerely wants to help, they are very often very willing to reciprocate that help now, or down the road. People I’ve helped have often become future hiring managers somewhere, and many even become clients. They often become great ongoing resources for referrals. They often become great resources of job leads and hiring manager names. They often become a viable candidate years later after they’ve gained more experience and/or become more professional in their presentation. And some of the most valuable long-term relationships originally were people I thought would never be of help to me at all.

Some of my best relationships are people I’ve placed multiple times in their careers. They were initially early or mid-level in their career, became hiring managers and clients, candidates again, and clients again somewhere else. I have many people I’ve never placed, but talk to often throughout the year because they are great connectors for me with referrals, information, and leads.

Have I ever gotten burned because I gave a contact name to someone who somehow used it to hurt a potential placement for me? Yes, a couple of times. Have I gotten more business because of my willingness to share valuable information when they need it for their own benefit and not mine? Yes, many times. Do I get calls back more quickly from clients and candidates when I’m seeking referrals because I’ve helped them in the past? Absolutely! Has my job gotten easier because I have people calling me proactively with information, job orders, and leads, because they know I will help them again in the future? Yes!

Keeping everything you know close to the vest may benefit you in the short-run. However, sharing information freely and helping people whether they can help you in return or not will enable you to build a successful practice over the long haul! Try it! You may not see the results this month, or this year, but results will come and make your life much more rewarding in the process!

At the Fordyce Forum in Las Vegas earlier this month, it was announced that I would be taking over the duties of Editor for The Fordyce Letter from Elaine Rigoli, who will remain tied to ERE Media and Fordyce as a business writer. It dawned on me that after returning from the Forum, the news was never shared here. My apologies — I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to the readers of The Fordyce Letter and tell you how honored I am to be part of the history and tradition of this publication.

I am a graduate of the University of Florida, and I recently moved across the country and live in northwestern Washington state. I started my career as an Internet researcher in Jon Bartos‘ office, JSI, in West Chester (Cincinnati), Ohio. I spent four years working for Jon, and I remember some of the first resources I was provided with to learn about the recruiting business were old copies of The Fordyce Letter. I learned all of the basics of recruiting while I worked for Jon.

After leaving JSI, I joined Tom Johnston and SearchPath International, a recruiting franchisor. I was the manager of Internet research with Tom’s company, and I helped to train the new SearchPath recruitment franchise business owners. Topics I trained on included database usage, Internet research, and business/personal marketing through social media channels. I learned great lessons on working independently while at SearchPath, since I telecommuted during the time I was employed there, as well as client relations since I worked with up to 50 franchise owners at one point.

After SearchPath, I joined Waggener Edstrom, a global public relations agency based in Seattle, as a sourcing strategist. While there I helped to build Waggener’s digital employment brand by extending its reach through multiple social media channels. I also had opportunities to work on several international projects which helped me to understand many of the differences in recruiting practices around the world.

Most recently, I worked as a talent attraction manager with AT&T. I sourced for high volume retail, call center, and network openings and also worked on many social media strategies to further develop AT&T’s digital employment brand. I was one of the voices behind the @attJOBS Twitter account as well as the College Connection Facebook fan page. At AT&T, I learned how to function within a very large corporation (over 300k employees) as well as how to execute digital strategies for an already well-established brand.

In 2006, I started a blog, originally called SPI Research, now called Research Goddess. I write about Internet research, sourcing, and social media and how recruiting benefits from the use of each of these resources. I’ve been quoted and/or published in some well-known print and online publications, including AdAge, Mashable, and of course The Fordyce Letter’s print publication. I was even recently featured in a regional publication, the Northwest Business Monthly Magazine, as a ‘Rising Star’ in the Pacific Northwest.

Each of my professional experiences over the last eight years l has helped to prepare me for this role as editor for The Fordyce Letter. I have worked in both agency and corporate recruiting organizations for small, mid-sized, and large businesses alike. I’ve developed good relationships with many of you and look forward to getting to know those of you who I haven’t yet met. And, of course, I am thrilled to be part of the grand tradition that has surrounded The Fordyce Letter for the past three decades.

Having ‘cut my teeth’ on recruiting with The Fordyce Letter as one of my favorite training resources, I respect its history and the importance it has had in the search and placement world. The Fordyce Letter is the only publication of its kind that caters specifically to your industry; other publications certainly cover external recruiting to some extent, but Fordyce is the only publication designed specifically for you. I am excited to be part of continuing this tradition in addition to adding more value to it with the website and the Fordyce Forum. I welcome any ideas you would like to share about continuing to make Fordyce a valuable resource to search professionals. Thank you for your continued support of Fordyce and I am looking forward to working with you!

Being retained by, advising, advocating for, and representing prospective employees can be a fulfilling career in the recruiting industry, especially for those who enjoy individual job search coaching, extensive interaction with candidates, and focusing on individual candidate’s needs.

Executive talent agents and headhunters (also called executive search consultants or external recruiters) are often mistaken for each other. They appear to produce the same outcome: introducing executives to potential new employers. However, the two roles should not be confused. The two professions are paid by, loyal to, and represent separate parties that may have different priorities and opposite interests related to the employment transaction.

For candidates, having an executive talent agent can be a competitive advantage by providing expert, confidential, personalized career guidance, exclusive entrée to prime inside connections, and comprehensive professional services that support the daily job search-related needs of busy executives. Various financial models exist. Some agents collect 100% of their compensation from candidates. Others work on a modest retainer from candidates and charge employers a much larger placement fee. Total compensation for each client can range from a percentage of an executive client’s annual compensation to a project-based or hourly fee. While executive agents are engaged by candidates, hiring authorities also benefit when an experienced third party serves as a liaison brokering a transaction.

An executive talent agent shares their experience and know-how with their client, the candidate, including assistance to establish marketability, define goals, differentiate themselves from their competition, cultivate interest from employers, and negotiate favorable terms of employment. Uniquely, an executive talent agent can promote their client (candidate) to a hiring authority even if there is no official opening.  This attracts clients/candidates eager to access the unadvertised or hidden job market. Executive talent agents can coordinate creating a new position just for their candidate because they are not restricted to finding the perfect individual as specified by an employer.

Like recruiters, executive talent agents craft resumes, prepare candidates for interviews, and set up introductions and meeting appointments. They may have more frequent and deeper interaction with candidates than with hiring decision-makers.  Executive talent agents are consultants, coaches, and advisers to individual executives and have been compared to the agent model in the entertainment field and sports industry. Their role is to advocate for the candidate in an employment transaction. As experts in the careers industry, executive talent agents provide a distinct advantage for the individuals whose careers they manage. Their knowledge, guidance, connections, and business savvy propel their clients’ success and promote candidate best practices.  Executive talent agents assume different responsibilities including being the candidate’s loyal representative, business coach, leadership mentor,  confidant, and scout. An executive talent agent can be a long-term partner or retained on a short-term basis to advise on single job search campaign project.  Agents often specialize by industry sector, professional discipline, or position type.

The job market has enough demand for both executive talent agents and traditional external recruiters. These two closely related functions are distinguished by who their client is and hence, where their loyalty is. Executive talent agents evaluate situations from the personal perspective of individual executives, focus on the executive’s career, and are the candidate’s advocate. In contrast, the employer is the recruiter’s only client and rightfully puts company needs and interests ahead of an individual candidate’s.

Here’s a summary of what is expected of an executive talent agent and the benefits they deliver.

• Providing objective advice and counsel gleaned from a wide range of practical industry and personal experience- more than any one person might gather in a single lifetime.
• Devoting 100% of their time and resources to their client’s career management issues. Customer service is top priority. Sample assignments include developing strategy, evaluating alternatives, analyzing deal structure, researching and collecting information, preparing documents, initiating introductions, planning new mandates, conducting follow-up activities, etc.
• Maintaining their client’s privacy and conducting business or setting up meetings on a confidential basis. Protecting the client’s current status while pursuing more rewarding future challenges consistent with the client’s career goals.
• Incented financially and motivated by the client’s success in finding a new job, getting promoted, or closing a deal on favorable terms, not satisfying an employer’s needs.
• Independent agent: not restricted by employer-defined recruiting agreements that limit which other employers they are allowed to present an executive as a prospective candidate.
• Each executive’s career comes first. No limitations on where an executive is introduced based on other search engagements undertaken by other headhunters in the firm.
• Access to the 80% of executive positions that are not advertised. Agents deliver leads in the hidden job market. Establishing new connections for their clients to place them on the radar screens of hiring authorities in advance of other potential candidates.
• Bypassing human and automated gatekeepers and opening closed doors to connect clients with hiring decision-makers, key industry leaders and academic trendsetters. Promoting their client’s visibility, building their client’s credibility, and strengthening their client’s competitive positioning for their next gig.
• Unparalleled cachet that differentiates an agent’s clients commanding attention, developing credibility and promoting meaningful dialogues with contacts leading to productive business relationships, new opportunities, and creative ventures.

Retaining an executive talent agent is an investment decision.  Those most likely to appreciate and value this relationship are executives that fit into the following categories:

• Doesn’t have a network or known contacts are not generating leads
• High stakes campaign: search must be confidential, discreet, sophisticated
• Re-entry candidate emerging from a sabbatical or early retirement
• Changing career or industry: needs new, targeted inside contacts
• Not prepared for today’s complex job market. “I never had to look for a job before because I was always promoted or recruited.”
• Limited time and restricted availability for networking and researching
• Job search progress stalled and needs diagnostic to remove barriers
• Needs sharper focus and consistent execution of the right strategy
• Seeking hands-on partner: “Can I hire anyone to job search for me?”
• Current employer has retainer agreements with key external recruiters and candidate’s new opportunities are restricted by these covenants

If you enjoy career and job search coaching, then the role of an executive talent agent may be the right career choice for you.