How did you find me? How do recruiters find the candidate they are looking for and how do I get noticed?

How do recruiters find you in the first place if you are not posting your resume/CV online?

Well that’s like asking the magician to see what’s in his bag of tricks. But in all honesty it is most often a result of a diligent recruiter/researcher churning the web and “deep web” for any information pertaining to your professional function or noted accomplishments. Yes it is true that often recruiters have a lengthy database of previous contacts that they use as “leads” when they receive a new position to work on. They typically begin by sourcing those that are currently in the practice space or if they do not have direct contacts they will approach a Head or Manager of a department to elicit professionals that may be interested. Let’s say this approach does not produce the candidate they are seeking, what next?

Typically the recruiter is well versed in the industry they are recruiting from and thus know the ins-and-outs of that professional community. Utilizing this knowledge they can scan the web for likely prospects that fit the mold. One technique is to devise a list of “target” companies – these are typically firms/organizations that the client has suggested they would like to see candidates from- they then go to each company web site and being to peruse company newsletters, conference calls, bios, departmental memos, and SEC fillings, anything that can lead to the “right” candidate. After they have developed a list of names in a firm, they being to phone in through the main number and ask to speak with those individuals. After that it’s up to the tenacity and charisma of the recruiter to build a rapport with the professional and attempt to interest them in the retained opportunity.

Another approach is to reach out to institutions or societies that are related to the specific job function and get registered with their communities. An example would be the CFA Institute (Chartered Financial Analyst), GARP Global Association of Risk Professionals. Here you can find not only resources for the professional seeking employment but a community of registered professionals along with their specialty. Many of these sites listed below contain member databases that provide current employer and an email address to reach them.

CFA Institute - http://www.cfainstitute.org/

GARP- http://www.garp.com/

FENG- http://www.thefeng.org/home.html

FEI- http://www.fei.org/eweb/startpage.aspx?site=_fei

This list is not comprehensive but used as an example of professional association that can enhance your visibility and networking potential.

Ok so your not listed with any professional associate or institute but would like to be seen as a valuable asset to the field what do you do?

Some people will tell you to send your CV out to an executive search firm so that they can have you in their database for present of future opportunities. I will tell you first hand that this is the biggest waste of time possible! Why you might ask, isn’t this how you network? The answer is that most retained recruiters are working on a specific position with a specific skill set, and they can not devote the time to greet and court every professional who is looking for a job. More often than not the resume is deleted or put into a huge drawer never to be found again.

Ok ok, but I still would like to be considered for opportunities in my field as they come up.

Here is where looking for a job or even being a potential candidate for a position can be another full time job unless you do it intelligently. Putting your CV on every job board and applying for every opportunity can be daunting and very time consuming so let the web do the work for you. One great way to get noticed and not solicited is to create a profile on networking sites such as zoominfo.com or linkedin.com. with these two sites -and there are many more- you can build a profile with as much or little information as possible. By simply registering your name, function and email address you are now apart of a vast community that can reach you. And because it’s via email your confidentiality is up to you. If you are not interested to hear from this person, well just delete the email or block it and that’s the end of that. This is little effort and can end up being very rewarding.

If you are reluctant to join these sites there exist other ways of getting yourself noticed and networked professional community. Use everything at your disposal is the answer. You likely attended a university or college that has an alumni network. Reach out to your university or college and make sure your information is up to date.

Check your alumni job boards both academic and professional.

Also many recruiters use Alumni Job boards to post their jobs, and you can sign up for email alerts to new positions being posted and viola you now have a network of 100s if not 1000s of people in your field. Another alternative is that many firms have alumni sites as well, KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Prudential, Guardian, the list goes on and on. If your not registered with your former companies alumni, do so and again you will have similar results as many recruiters have managed to get themselves registered to post and surf alum profiles.

There are a number of ways to get noticed without attracting unwanted attentions and it is up to you as professional to enhance your career. That dream job is not going to fall from heaven and the idea of working from the mail-room up is basically a fallacy in corporate America. Just think if you are to approach an employer independently your salary potential increase is between 10-15% and if you are recruited your average salary increase goes to about 25-30%. So do the math and take the steps needed to leverage your career.