Middle East - Stanton Chase International

MAY 2010
p8
Job Search Strategies for Executive Level Leaders
It is an extremely powerful and completely
flexible tool for your personal brand development
and promotion.
A second kind of platform that you should look
out for and explore is the plethora of growing
online executive job boards. They tend to be just
below the CXO roles, but would usually list the
most senior of roles possible to list online without
causing damage. Usually this will be Director
level roles with some regional responsibilities
and will tend to pay north of $150,000 US per
annum. The system works differently there.
The executive will usually pay to be listed on that
database, to anonymously receive information
on opportunities. But it differs with every
platform. I encourage you to look at some of the
following platforms, such as: ExecuNet, Exec-
Appointments, Blue Steps, and the likes. Blue
steps can only be accessed by Executive Search
consultants registered with the Association of
Executive Search Consultants, which will give
you immediate exposure to over 200 Executive
Search firms with a worldwide presence.
And the final word on Relationship Networking
is that you really cannot ignore the old, tried
and tested. An in person presence at social
gatherings and networking events, especially
designed to connect executives together, is
invaluable. The opportunity to meet new people
at your level, in a casual environment is just too
good to pass on. Don’t stock up on business
cards, and don’t go mad handing out cards to
everyone. Take only a few, say ten or twenty
cards, so you make sure you make them
count. Make sure to split them in a fair share
between executive search consultants and
other executives. Most importantly, after the
event, follow up and build a relationship. The
networking event is a means to end. What you
need to be doing is talking more to the people
with whom you met and seeing which of them
work for a relevant company, get to know them
better, learn about their business, and make a
friend. One day when the opportunity presents
itself, this relationship will bear fruit.
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Befriend the Headhunters
As you can imagine by now, if you are using
a pull strategy, you need to be pulling people
towards you. Any company that is worth its size,
and that would likely pay you the top dollar you
are looking to earn in a CXO role, will usually
engage an Executive Search firm like Stanton
Chase, and many others, to help them identify
the right individual for the role that they have
open. In rare cases, you may be approached
directly, either formally or casually, from the
would-be employer. Generally speaking, it is
a fact that executives, prefer to go through an
executive search consultant, better known as
headhunter, in order to enjoy the same level of
confidentiality and due diligence that is afforded
to an employer, and not jeopardize their current
position.
Despite the fact that headhunters understand the
role of a passive candidate, using a pull strategy,
we always appreciate being approached by
executives. The best time for an executive
or manager in a senior leadership position to
approach an executive search consultant is
when that executive just received an award,
received a huge bonus, got a promotion etc… In
brief you are on the rise, and you are just building
a relationship for the future. The worse time to
approach a headhunter is when you are made
redundant or after you have resigned. It puts
an undue amount of pressure on the headhunter
to help. The executive search consultant
may or may not have an opportunity to do so.
Executives must understand that an executive
search consultant’s ability to help in making
a quick introduction to an employer is limited
to the positions that they have currently open.
Headhunters will not go around prospecting
candidate profiles, even on the request of the
executive himself. We are just not geared for that
kind of work. With some key clients, executive
search consultants may be able to effect what
we call “Creative Introductions”, and still remain
within our terms and conditions, despite that
there is no active and open role, and if such a
clause is originally included in an ongoing frame
agreement. These cases are very very rare.
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So, only with executive search consultants, you
can continue to use a push strategy, and contact
them directly to build a relationship and put a
face to your brand, over coffee, lunch, ice cream,
or a simple meeting at the headhunter’s office.
The key in getting the correct response with
this approach is to understand how Executive
Search companies are structured. There are
generalist and specialist executive search firms.
The specialist would obviously be specialized in
a specific sector of the market, such as Financial
Services, Oil & Gas, etc… or in Functional roles,
such as just CFO or CMO roles. There are also
the generalist executive search firms, who will
tend to have a number of consultants or partners
on board, who themselves are specialized in
different sectors.
As I mentioned in the beginning, this approach
is a drawn out, pull strategy, with a proactive
relationship building combination. Needless to
say, you need to start immediately, especially
if you are happily and gainfully employed. It is
the best time to connect. If you ever want to
be considered for those
Million Dollar earning
opportunities, you
need to be ready,
branded, with
the right level of
exposure through
the right channels
and the right
people.
Wassim Karkabi is the Managing Partner of Stanton
Chase Qatar and UAE & EMEA Regional Practice Leader,
Industrial at Stanton Chase International