The Top Ten
Some mid-career changers are in executive positions with enough responsibility and high enough pay to be attractive to the top group of executive recruiting firms. These firms are paid by corporations to find top-level executives. Getting the attention of one of these firms will do wonders for your career search, because they have access to companies and positions not available to you as an individual. You stand to get a higher salary through them than you could ever get on your own. The challenge is getting their attention. In order to even be considered for inclusion in their database, your resume must show that you:
- earn $75,000 or more per year;
- have a college degree;
- work in a profession in demand; and
- have a good work history.
College degree. When a company begins a search to replace one of its key executives, the minimum education required for a candidate is a bachelor's degree. Anyone without a degree is going to be difficult for a recruiter to sell. As a general rule, they don't bother to try. The more education, the better.
Profession in demand. Recruiters are in the business of selling products (people) to clients (businesses). They respond to market demand. Nuclear scientists may receive good salaries, but they are not a product in great demand. A nuclear scientist by training but a department manager by profession will have more opportunities. The industry in which you have worked is less important than the management skills you have acquired. You can always learn a new industry.
Five job groups are most in demand: general managers (including CEO, president, division vice-president, and general manager); vice president of sales/marketing; vice president of finance (including treasurer and controller); vice president of human resources (including director of employee relations and director of labor relations); and vice president of information management systems (including director of management systems, director of manufacturing information systems, and director of data processing).
Good work history. Twelve jobs in twenty years is not a good work history. Twelve positions at the same company in twenty years is an excellent work history, provided the job changes reflect growth in skill and responsibility. Generally speaking, you should have at least two years' employment with your most recent employer. It is best if you have had five years with at least one employer.
Get in contact with one of the top ten recruiters if you meet the above criteria. Obtain the branch-office address and the name of the office manager for each city where you would like to work. Send a letter with a copy of your resume to each manager. Usually the large firms have one database to which all branch offices have access. However, you should send a letter to more than one office for several reasons. First, that office could have a search assignment for your specific area of expertise, so your resume would get immediate attention. Second, it is usually a researcher, rather than a placement recruiter, who decides whether or not your resume will be included in the database. One office may have standards slightly different from an-other's. Contacting each office as well as the headquarters could increase the chances of your resume being accepted.
Most of the firms do not consistently send notification of acceptance; it is your responsibility to find out. Call each office to which you sent a resume and ask for the researcher who handles the database. When you speak with the re-searcher, identify the person to whom you directed your letter and find out whether it has been received. If it has, ask whether you have been entered into the system. If you are not in the system, find out why you were not accepted.
After you have determined that your resume has passed the test and is in the database, your next challenge is to get an interview. Ask how many searches are currently being con-ducted for people with your qualifications. You may find the researcher will not be willing to talk openly with you. On the other hand, the researcher may be very candid with you, excluding the names of any clients, of course.
Retainer Recruiting Firms
Only a small percentage of mid-career changers earn the kind of money that makes them eligible for the top ten recruiters. There are many retainer recruiting firms throughout the country that help people with smaller annual earnings. Be sure to follow up with these firms just as you would with the larger ones. Try to speak with the recruiter in each local firm to arrange an interview. They are always looking for promising candidates.
Working with Contingency Recruiters
Contingency recruiters are busy. They have many searches in progress because these firms are paid only for the vacancies they fill. You may not obtain a preliminary face-to-face interview as a result. Still, you will almost always have an interview before you are sent out to a prospective employer.
Placement Agencies
Placement agencies are found all over the country in all but the smallest cities and towns. They differ from recruiters in several ways. They are usually generalists. They have positions available in many different fields and at various income businesses without realizing the financial commitment and forty-eight-hour days required to make a success of it. This ignorance is the formula for disaster.
