How much time should you invest in developing a relationship with search firm recruiters as a job seeker?
This subject is not widely understood, so let me unpack three myths about how the process works and you make the call.
- Search firms handle only about 30 percent of all executive placements, and that number is slipping with industry consolidation and the expansion of internal recruitment resources.
- While search firm partners try to track the scuttlebutt on the top performers in each industry, they are more focused and put more energy into finding new business.
- Search partners typically will not be that involved in developing and selecting the recommended panel of candidates for a client.
My advice? You should spend more time developing executive contacts, including internal recruiters, of targeted companies – those places where you would like to work in the future. That is a better use of your networking time.