In this entry, I’ve presented the second part of my “Strategic approach to the job search” series, which I started sharing in the April 4, 2010 entry. Here, I describe a few ideas about methods for sourcing job opportunities, with a eye toward mid- to high-level positions (i.e. not entry-level jobs) in a range of industries.

Because of the amount of content in this portion of the framework, I created two separate videos to allow it to be more easily consumed. The last thing I’d want to do is to bore you all with a 25+ minute video of me talking I’ve received very positive feedback after talking through my thoughts on this topic with friends, so I hope some of you find the ideas below to be insightful.

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Part 2: Sourcing opportunities

Three notable sources for job opportunities are:

VIDEO 1:

Strategic approach to the job search, Part IIa from Marquis Parker on Vimeo.

- Headhunters — These are recruiters that play a “middle man” role between candidates seeking jobs and employers looking to hire. Employers leverage headhunters to find and screen candidates for targeted positions for any number of reasons, including industry expertise, scale/reach advantages, and strain on the companies’ own recruiting staff. Headhunters are a great way to find out about available positions that aren’t posted on company websites or general job sites and can provide detailed information about a potential employer’s culture and work environment.

There are two types of headhunters, Retained and Contingency, and, instead of defining them myself, I’ve copied over a good description from CareerStrategy.org (LINK):

The major differences between the two include:

Retained Search Firms
1. Retained on an exclusive basis by companies to fulfill a position. Work as a contractor and are paid a flat fee.
2. Usually large prestigious companies or niche industry firms focusing on high end careers.
3. Cater to jobs in the $80,000 and above, charging the employer either a flat fee or upto 35% of the starting salary.
4. Retained recruiters usually contact potential candidates they they feel they have a match, tending to be selective.
5. Only have a limited number of career opportunities for a candidate.
6. Retained head hunters may undertake significant screening, assessments, and background checks.
7. Usually narrow down the search for a position to 2 or 3 job candidates.
8. Potential conflict of interest between clients and firms.

Contingency Search Firms
1. One of several possible head hunters used by a company. Fee is earned by the first search firm that places a suitable candidate.
2. Often tend to be specialists in an industry or field at the low to mid-management career level.
3. Tend to focus on jobs in the $30,000 – $75,000 range and usually charge the hiring company 25% of the position’s salary.
4. Contingency recruiters are usually aggressive marketers and often tend to send excessive number of resumes for every position.
5. Cater to various companies and have ability to share jobs and provide more opportunities.
6. Contingency head hunters do not provide these additional facilities.
7. Try to maximize their chances of success by pushing as many possible candidates as possible.
8. Independent with much lower chances of conflict.

The important things to remember about search firms/head hunters is that they are working for the employer and not you. Furthermore, you should never have to pay an agency for the promise of work.

Wikipedia.org also provides some good information on headhunters at THIS LINK and there are several other sites with additional definitions and background.

Candidates can connect with headhunters in several ways, including direct outreach emails (by both the candidate and the recruiter), filling out profiles on websites, and contact through career search websites (more on this below). To prepare one’s self for these interactions, he/she should have a standard 1-3 paragraph introductory “This is my background and these are the types of positions I’m seeking” email ready to send along with an updated resume and cover letter (if applying for a specific position). It’s difficult to make a blanket statement about what it’s like to work with a headhunter because they’re all different, but they can be a great resource for finding available position.

VIDEO 2:

Strategic approach to the job search, Part IIb from Marquis Parker on Vimeo.

- Online resources — There are a wealth of online resources for finding jobs, but it is important to ensure that the right types of resources are used. For example, if one is seeking post-MBA jobs, it is likely that standard job sites, like Monster.com, HotJobs.com, and one’s local classified, are the wrong places to look for great opportunities. I would recommend sticking to online job boards that are more likely to have higher-level jobs, like Doostang.com and TheLadders.com, and alumni job boards (business school and undergrad alumni sites).

- Networking — When searching for a job, it is important for candidates to tap into all of the networks available to them. Networking can often be tough, but, in today’s business world, it is a must-do, whether one is searching for a job or not. In terms of targeting networking outreach, I would recommend taking a broad-based approach and leveraging former employees (and sometimes current staff) of one’s employer, affinity groups, and school alumni communities.