Why You? A series on how to market yourself and CREATE your next opportunity- Pt 1

In my role as an executive sales recruiter I have the privilege of speaking with dozens of highly qualified sales professionals everyday. While I am able to connect with many I wanted to share some of my thoughts/ideas and knowledge and archive this information in a more usable format. Feel free to post your questions/comments!

This series of blogs will share with you some of the tips and tricks of how to market yourself that I give to these great sales professionals that I have the honor to serve and work with each day. In other words, I am going to teach you do to do for yourself what I would do for you as a professional recruiter if I were able devote my full-time efforts to your search!

Note: **This series is written and designed specifically for Sales Professionals. The information does work for anyone but it was developed for and about my favorite people in the world- the salesman!

So, you are looking for a new opportunity. Feels weird right? Depending on where you are in your search you may be feeling hopeful and optimistic (even excited!) or you may be thinking of taking a leap into the Pit of Despair. Why? Because you probably feel powerless. Like your whole future is now out of your hands and you are at the whim of being "picked" by some company, any company- not unlike standing on the side of the gym waiting for someone to ask you to dance at the Junior High Sock Hop (just me? hmm, ok).

If you read much you'll probably even run across at some point that changing jobs is one of the top 5 most stressful things that you'll ever do in your life! Wow, no wonder this is so tough. BUT WAIT....I have good news! You are a salesperson and because of that you have an edge that no one else has, want to know what it is? Great! Here we go... finding a job is a sales cycle and it is just like every sales process you have even gone through. I have been doing this a long time and I promise you that there is no part of this whole "finding a job" thing that you cannot related directly to closing any other sale. This is your comfort zone, it's what you do every day. I will even really challenge you and tell you that if you are worth your salt as a salesperson and can't close a deal when you are selling yourself, perhaps sales is no longer for you (if it ever was). Sorry to be blunt but I am here to help, not hand hold.

As you take these first steps in this new sales process (keep in your comfort zone, this is not finding a job its closing your next million dollar deal- which as we all know it could very well be) is to pull the trigger on low hanging fruit. These would be applying to jobs on the job boards and partnering with recruiters.

Job boards: Job boards are great tools and can be very helpful. They let you know who is hiring (obviously) but you can also get a feel for trends and what niches are hot in the Valley (or where you live). For instance, if you look right now you will see there are a ton of tech jobs open in the Valley but not so much Consumer Goods. Ok, I am biased because I work with software and hardware companies but the research holds. The price is right to use job boards because the only cost is your time and many companies do require you apply online before you can be considered as a candidate. Might as well cast your net and see what you can pull in. I recommend hitting the majors: Monster, Career Builder, Jobing but also looking at niche specific like Dice, The Ladders, SixfigureJobs. Why not right? BUT- here is the catch with job boards....they are chum in the water. Meaning, the blood is already in the water and the other sharks are swarming. Is it possible to get a decent chunk and land a job that way? Sure, but I consider these the "GlennGary" leads of our world. They are tattered, picked over and you aren't likely to close a deal using them.

Think of it another way....have you ever done a direct mail campaign or a email blast for leads? The usual return on a blast is single digits- a 5% response rate is considered very good. Why then would you expect any different results from blasting your resume out everywhere? Use it as one of many tools that you have but don't pin all your hopes and dreams on each click of the send button.


Recruiters: Here is what you should be aware of when you work with a recruiter. First, there are different types of recruiters. Corporate recruiters work directly for the company and are an extension of the Human Resource department. Most corporate recruiters are very overwhelmed with a heavy load of reqs that they are looking to fill. They tend to be very reactive and may be hard to reach and get answers and replies to your inquiries. They are also the gatekeepers to the "black hole" where your resume goes when you never hear back after submitting your application through their online portal. Lovely people but probably also not your best bet to land the deal. Also, a side note on HR/Corp recruiters. Consider them as the gatekeepers of the company much like an executive assistant for the CEO. It is their job to filter and screen you out so I do not recommend you sell to them. HR can never say yes, they need a hiring manager/decision maker to pull the trigger BUT they can always say no.

Next are Headhunters which is the bucket I fall into. Headhunters are also called 3rd Party Recruiters or Executive Recruiters. My view of headhunting (which my peers may or may not share) is we are consultants to our clients and like any consultant, we are able to charge a premium for our service because we fill a need that the client is unable or unwilling to do for themselves. In recruiting, I am paid a fee by my clients to go out and find the people that they are unable to find on their own. That is important for you, as a candidate, to know and understand. At the end of the day my time and activity is driven by my clients needs so while you have a great and solid background, if you do not fit an open job order that I am working on right now I will be limited in how much I am able to help you. When looking for a headhunter you need to understand what they focus on and partner with the ones who work in your industry/niche. Getting to know a good recruiter is a relationship that can pay off for you both long term. A good match here can be great for referrals and future resources for you both. In my own experience I have had clients turn candidate turn client through the years. Headhunters are sales professionals as well so they (I) always have to stay focused on closing our deals so if you don't hear back from a headhunter, the reason is usually becuase your background is not fit for their desk speciality or their specific clients right now. Trust me- good news never waits so if you even come close to fitting an active clients background you will get a call. Period. No call usually means "can't help".

Headhunters will also market candidates who have highly sought after and desireable (as determined by the industry) skill sets. When a headhunter is marketing you they will usually want an exclusive relationship and let then be the contact for all positions you go after. This means you need to let your recruiter be your "Jery McGuire" and represent you in all offers. If you apply directly to a company you may duplicate efforts which makes you both look bad. Honesty and full disclosure is very important when working with a recruiter- the more informed we are the more we can help. Our job is to faciliate and navigate a smooth hiring process for you and our clients and this is tapping into the "Hidden Job Market" where 80% of all jobs live. These are jobs that are critical but there is no "req" open, HR may not even know there is a need or a job might be created just for you because your recruiter called and "sold" them on how much they MUST have you onboard- that you are the solution to their pain (sound like a sales cycle??). This is what I will be showing you to do in future postings.

Another note on headhunters- you must do your diligence in checking them out and I would exercise great caution when interviewing potential recruiters. There are some people who might want to charge both you and the client for placing you. There are thousands of well qualified and great Career or Life Coaches who do charge a fee for their services, this is a very valuable service and very different then what a recruiter would do. I would take a sharp look at anyone who calls themselves a headhunter and asks to be paid a fee by you.

Stay tuned for the next step which is Creating your One Sheet aka build a resume that will SELL...