How to search for a new job?
As a head hunter and interim management professional I am fortunate to meet a wide variety of executives, finance professionals and business transformation experts. I am frequently asked for guidance on how one should approach searching for a new role and, of course, each person and situation requires specific advice but there are some general themes that are worth sharing.
Typically there are three avenues to explore when seeking a new role: via a recruitment professional, direct to the organisation and finally through your network.
Recruitment businesses and professionals, as with most professions, come in all shapes and sizes with differing approaches and specialisms. At the mid to senior level recruiters are generally rewarded by their clients for successfully finding a suitable candidate for their vacancy. It's a fee on success model which is highly competitive and these recruiters are often competing against three of four others so to secure the interviews they are looking for the best CV rather than the best candidate. Great recruiters will still find the best candidates (over the best CV) but not all the recruiters fall into this camp. My advice is to simply seek out the best recruiters through asking colleagues and friends for recommendations and then commit the time to meeting and building a relationship with them. Ideally this is done over a number of months and years.
Companies frequently advertise their positions on Linkedin so it makes perfect sense to apply. However, I am certain you didn't need me to tell you that! What I advocate is taking this a step further. All hiring managers are looking for proactive, driven and capable candidates who are genuinely excited about the prospect of working for their business. What better way to demonstrate all of these traits than connecting directly with the key hiring managers in the firm you'd like to join. Choose the companies you would love to join, identify the hiring managers on Linkedin and email them. It only takes one response from the right person to unlock the opportunity so it is a worthwhile investment of your time.
Your network is a great source of opportunities, information and referrals. Make sure you connect with and ideally meet former colleagues, friends, advisors, auditors and anyone else you might know. Prior to going to these meetings, it is important to prepare and determine how this contact can help you. It may not be immediately obvious but by doing some research you may find the contact you are meeting for a coffee is connected to a hiring manager in a company you would love to work for.
Finally the activities I have described above are not an exhaustive list but a starting point and require time and energy. If you are focused on finding the right role for you and demonstrate perseverance you will be successful in making a great next step in your career.