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Published in the
Orange County Business Journal, March 1996
HUMAN
RESOURCES GUIDE
“The
Executive's Agent?”
By
Fred H. Paar
President, Paar & Associates
Should job
seekers hire an agent? Let's consider the dilemma of the executive
or professional person that is or wishes to be, in the job market.
The
unemployed job-seeker has these options: Networking, the people
the he/she knows are where they use to be - not where they want to
go; Ads, very few upper level positions are available and the
competition for each is extreme; Executive Search firms;
headhunters represent companies seeking people with specific
qualifications - they do not look for a jobs for people. This
leaves "outplacement" if it was made available at the
time of separation. The key to successful outplacement is to be
represented by a firm that gives active participation in the job
search by making targeted contacts for the client job seeker. This
is an "Executive's Agent".
The
currently employed person that wishes to make a change for any of
many good reasons, i.e., upward mobility, industry change,
geography change, etc., finds that there is not enough time to do
their job and look for a new one at the same time. They must also
protect their job search confidentiality. The solution is to
retain an "Executive's Agent".
A successful
executive job search consultant will learn as much as possible
about his client and prepare effective marketing methods.
The three
steps of Focus, Communications and
Contacts, is my recommended approach. The jobseeker
must identify what his value in the job market is, and identify
who needs him. This is "Focus", the first step. Then,
the next step is to communicate this to the
"decision-makers" that have a need that is a match for
the job seeker's value. The language used must reflect your
compatibility with the targeted industries and companies.
Therefore, the materials like letters, resumes or profiles must
also demonstrate this compatibility. The third step is making the
right contacts. The "Executive's Agent", by making
direct contacts to decision makers, can identify staffing needs
that have not been published, and a "third-party"
referral of the job seeker can be made.
Fred H. Paar
is the founder of Paar & Associates, an outplacement and
executive marketing firm.
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