Using An Executive Recruiter

By Robert Elsenpeter, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: May 28, 2005 - 11:00 PM

You're not likely to find an ad reading, "Local company seeks vice president. Salary commensurate with qualifications. Submit your resume to hr@bigshotcompany.com." The truth of the matter is that your best way of finding a high-level job is through a solid network and the skills of an executive recruiter.

"Up front, I tell (job seekers) what I can do and what I can't do for them," says recruiter Mark McKoskey. "They have to go out and do some of their own networking. Ultimately, I am a piece of their puzzle."

McKoskey is a senior partner with VTLSearch, an executive search firm in Edina.

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"A good recruiter will help you keep in touch with your industry, discuss career options, identify possible opportunities and generally serve as an unpaid adviser," says McKoskey. "In return, he or she will expect you to respond to requests for possible candidates for other searches, contacts and referrals with potential clients, and general industry news. The right recruiter will even steer you toward opportunities where he or she will not collect a fee."

McKoskey recommends four things a professional can do to find career opportunities – and to be prepared in case of a sudden job change:

• Get in touch and stay in touch with former friends, colleagues, supervisors, etc.

• Get in touch and stay in touch with people others have referred you to.

• Develop a relationship with a couple of reputable recruiters who know your industry.

• Learn to use the Internet as a research tool and to monitor opportunities.

The Right Recruiter

Consider recruiters who specialize in your industry. VTLSearch, for example, employs 12 recruiters, each with a different specialty. McKoskey spent 25 years working in the medical device industry.

"If someone from that space comes to me, I can help them," says McKoskey."Find a couple good recruiters who have knowledge and lots of people skills who are out there networking," advises Tony Koening, a managing partner at VTLSearch.

McKoskey offers these tips for choosing a recruiter:

• Retained vs. contingency: Most high-level jobs are filled by retained firms. They have a commitment from the client to do a search. A contingency search becomes a race to get your candidates, résumés in as fast as possible.

• Integrity: You must trust your recruiters to act ethically. Remember, they have your résumé, and if they flood potential employers with it, you will have trouble later if you approach the firms on your own or if the firms retain their own recruiters to do the search.

• Specific industry experience: Beware of generalists. They may be great people, but they can't do for you what specialists can.

• Client lists: The client lists of some of the national firms may look impressive, but their staff are ethically blocked from recruiting from those companies.

"A good recruiter should be more than someone who peddles around your resume," adds Koening.

Learn More:
VTLSearch is located online at www.vtlsearch.com.

Robert Elsenpeter is a freelance writer from Blaine.

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