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July 09, 2010

Start early to find a recruiter who'll find you the perfect fit

By Vickie Elmer

Sunday, June 27, 2010

If your career matters to you, you need to recruit a recruiter.

The time to do this, ideally, is before you start hunting for a new job. And the way to do it is either to be discovered by a recruiter who joins your network, or to be recommended by co-workers and others who value your talents and contributions.

Kathleen T. Kurke hears from one such man who e-mails about once a month saying he loves his job but is ready to help her with connections in Texas, where he lives. He wants to help the executive recruiter now so when he's next looking, she'll be more likely to assist him.

That proactive approach demonstrates his talents as a business developer and keeps his connections strong with Kurke, national practice leader with the Starbridge Group in Fairfax. "The best time to approach a recruiter is when you're not looking for a job," she said, offering advice echoed by several others.

Get connected through co-workers, a former boss or someone on the nonprofit board on which you serve. "Referrals are the best," said Patrick Gray, a Korn Ferry International partner who specializes in government contractor searches in the aerospace and defense fields.

A third avenue in: Develop a robust online profile on LinkedIn and in your professional association or community. "Make yourself visible," says Bob Corlett, president of Staffing Advisors in the District, which recruits for nonprofit, association and entrepreneurial clients. Speak at professional meetings or serve on a committee -- and leave an online trail illustrating your professional skills.

This will make you "findable" to recruiters, Corlett says. They seek candidates by searching LinkedIn, by checking professional association sites or by Googling around for prospects.

You want to connect with a recruiter who works in your industry or at your career level. For Corlett's Staffing Advisors, that's often at the director level, including many searches for directors of HR or development. For Korn Ferry, that means mostly vice presidents and above. Some recruiters specialize in one job function, such as general counsels or graphic designers, and others focus on one sector, such as finance or legal.

Once you have been introduced to a recruiter, look for ways to make the relationship mutually beneficial and long-term. "Be a good go-to resource for discussions on issues and trends in industry," said Kurke, who is president of the Pinnacle Society, a group of star recruiters nationwide. Or as the Texas man does, offer to connect her to other candidates. "It's sort of like managing up when you work for somebody," Kurke said. You need their help -- and you help the recruiter succeed, too.

Recruiters are inundated with inquiries and résumés, so respect their time. Don't ask them for advice on your résumés or cover letter; that's for friends, family or résumés writers. And don't expect them to help you with career change thoughts.

Some recruiters will take time to meet you for a quick conversation or coffee; others don't want to see you until they have an appropriate opening. "When a search firm has a good opportunity for you, there's lots to talk about. When they're not working on a search, there's not much to talk about," said Corlett, who's been working as a recruiter since the mid-1980s. "We want to be kind and professional. . . . But I can't have 20 cups of coffee a week" with candidates.

So don't stalk them. E-mails or calls every week will turn them off, Gray said. He also tells people to be realistic about their career and accomplishments. Acknowledge to a recruiter: "I'm not right for that, but here's two people who are."

It's fine to work with two or three recruiters -- "a manageable number of relationships," according to Gray. But you need to be honest and open with each one, Kurke says, so they don't duplicate efforts or feel you're being secretive. "Share your goals and aspirations," she said, and never lie about your experience or accomplishments.

Recruiters are paid to identify people who are in demand or difficult to find, Corlett said. Recruiters work for the organization, so unless you're a good match for the employer's specifications, you won't make the slate of candidates. Said Corlett: "You could be my brother, and I'm not going to put you forward if you're not a good fit."

Vickie Elmer is a freelance writer.

 

 

May 25, 2010

Will the Next Sales Achiever Need an MBA?

Posted by Andrew Rudin on May 20, 2010

http://www.customerthink.com/blog/will_the_next_sales_achiever_need_an_mba

May 13, 2010

CyberSecurity Conference a Success

Some Highlights:

Overall themes:

  • Funding is available and more is coming.
  • Security is not a solution on its own, it is a key requirement of good IT solutions.
  • Finding the right talent is a challenge. The U.S. needs to deliver more Computer Science graduates. 

Key Speakers:

Major General Dale Meyerrose (retired) now at Harris Corporation

Key Drivers for Greater Security Needs:

  1. Instant access
  2. Universal communications
  3. Mobility

Brenda Oldfield, Director of Cyber Education & workforce Development, U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security

- Public awareness of security concerns must improve.

- Developing new IT and Information security talent is critical, as are partnerships between the private and public sector.

Marcus Sachs, Executive Director, National Security and Cyber Policy, Verizon

- Cyber systems are the world's e-commerce systems in addition to being a defense battleground.

Douglas Maughan, Ph.D. Branch Ciief/Program MAnager DHS

- There are plenty of good resources to assist in obtaining Federal R&D funding. 

- See http://www.cyber.st.dhs.gov

 Annabelle Lee, Senior Cyber Security Strategist, NIST

- Today's grid infrastructure is old. 

- Solutions for automating and managing grid security must work with older technology. 

April 05, 2010

Need to Jump Start your Job Search?

Review 23 key aspects of the job search to see how your efforts stack up.

Go to our Job Seekers' Resources Page.  

 

February 18, 2010

"10 Resume Red Flags"     February 16, 2010

by Erin Joyce

 http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/108853/10-resume-red-flags

 

September 10, 2009

Achieve-it, LLC is selected by U.S. Commerce Association

"2009 Best of Reston Award" for Executive Placement 

 

April 07, 2009

Washington Post Article "Turning One's Age into a Job-Market Asset"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/04/AR2009040400656.html 

 

April 06, 2009

PRESS RELEASE

Achieve-It, LLC (Reston, VA) Announces Program for Contracts and Procurement Professionals

 Achieve-It, LLC is announcing a new program for our Contracts/Procurement Job Candidates.  Monthly Achieve-It is hosting webinars for candidates to review job search strategies, local market advice and related topics.  Achieve-It experts will share best practices and offer resources during these calls.   

 To register, send an email to info@Achieve-It.net and mention “Contracts Webinars” in the subject line. 

 

November 25, 2008

Achieve-It, LLC is expanding nationally.  This fall Achieve-It added recruiting and coaching staff members in the following cities:

  • Atlanta
  • Chicago
  • Seattle

We are committed to serving our corporate clients and our candidates with wisely chosen partners.  We now have two additional coaches and two additional recruiting partner firms on board.   

At Achieve-It, we leverage our years as hiring managers when we provide recruiting or coaching services.We take a long-term view to your human resource needs from attracting new candidates, hiring high quality staff or consultants, developing your staff and retaining them for long term success.  

ATTRACT.....HIRE.....DEVELOP....RETAIN

 

January 08, 2008

John McCrea Joins Achieve-It

Excerpt from January Press Release: In early January John McCrea joined Achieve-it, LLC as President, expanding the executive team. John has more than 20 years experience servicing Fortune 500 clients including Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lockheed, IBM, Sprint, GTSI, and Intergraph. He has hired, trained, and managed thousands of contractors over his career, and has sold and fulfilled over half a billion dollars in IT and Accounting consulting services.





"The future

never just happened.

It was created."

– Will Durant and

Ariel Durant, Historians Writers