If you want to improve your chances of landing a private equity job or moving to a better position, then sooner or later you may with executive recruiters.
Recruiters who target the private equity industry have extensive networks and often have access to jobs you may not hear about otherwise. However, there are a few ground rules to follow to make sure the process works effectively for you.
First, understand there are two types of recruiters: those who are retained by a firm to fill a particular job, and those who work “on contingency” and get paid only if they find the winning candidate.
Typically, the recruiter who is retained by the firm will have a higher likelihood of placing you if they feel you are a good fit. When you work with contingent recruiters, you are simply one of many candidates who will be put forward to the hiring firm. The more candidates they forward, the better their odds of winning the placement race.
Recruiters may pre-screen hundreds of candidates for a particular job opening. They will attempt to whittle this list down to a short list of finalists. The rest are relegated to a “reject” or “future” pile. If you are placed in the future pile it often means your skills are good but did not fit the specific criteria for the job being filled. It’s all a matter of timing.
In fact, you should ask for an appraisal of your fit both for the current position and other possible positions when you meet or speak with the recruiter. Many experts suggest that you try to meet in person, so you can present yourself and give the recruiter an idea of your personality. A personal meeting can also help overcome a recruiter’s reluctance to work with a candidate with a weaker financial background or someone without a name-brand school or organization on their resume.
As you develop a relationship with one or two top private equity recruiters you trust, here are a few more common sense rules to get the most out of the process:
1) Set expectations early. Determine how you will communicate with the recruiter and how often. Find out whether they will contact you if you are being considered for a position.
2) Share information. The recruiter should tell you whether there’s a bona fide job opening or career upgrade when they set up an interview. They should also give you a fair amount of information about the job, the firm, and what they’re looking for. Likewise, you need to share information about where else you have interviewed, how the interviews went and why, and whether or not you are considering other job opportunities or offers.
3) Be courteous and professional. Always take calls from private equity recruiters, even if you have established a working relationship with others. They are an important source of information about the industry and it’s in your best interest to maintain a good reputation with all of them. People talk.
If a recruiter mentions an opportunity, ask for a job description and analyze it to see if it fits your career goals. If it doesn’t, then perhaps you can refer them to someone you know who may help. They will appreciate your help and remember the gesture in the future.
4) Limit the number of recruiters you work with to one or two. Otherwise it could actually hinder your job search. You might have too many sets of your resume sent to the same potential employer. Or worse, if you are working at a particular firm, the news that you are job hunting could leak out to your current employer. Limiting the number to one or two recruiters allows you to be more discreet with your job search.
Next time, we’ll look at working with recruiters within the venture capital space.
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