I've been an executive headhunter for many years. For folks that don't know, a headhunter (exact same thing as a recruiter) goes out and finds very specific individuals to fill very specific positions at client companies. If we pull that off, there is a nice commission included, if we do not, well, we starve. So, recruiters end up very proficient at not only finding qualified people (the easier, not easy, part) but (the most crucial part) at preparing men and women to talk about all of the right things replying to their phone interview questions and later face to face meetings.
I'm a great believer in marketing a Candidate (That's recruiter-talk for the person seeking the position) using a cohesive marketing plan. This involves three key components: The 30-second Elevator Pitch, The 180-second Tell Me a Little Bit About Yourself, and The Resume. All three are built concentrating on the most impressive, specific achievements of the Candidate.
In order to start, looking back over job history, and just the employment history that corresponds to the position being sought, identify the 3 highest impact specific success stories. These should be examples of going above and beyond that truly stand out. Also, they ought to include specific numbers when possible. To provide an example, "I was the # 1 producing sales representative out of Five-hundred in 2004 for producing over $50 million in my territory. That was a gain of over 36% from the previous year." Most people probably don't have something that ideal, but get as near to that particular mark as possible. It could possibly be "I ran a $10 million dollar company with 87 employees for 7 years." Now, list out those three items in order from greatest to least.
The Elevator Pitch is a short 20 to 30 second initial introduction that's used during a call when contacting a new person. In quick order, give your name, the number of years you have been in your profession, a single line version of the best accomplishment, and the reason you are calling. It might sound along these lines, "Hello, I'm Dean Jawarski. I've been an executive recruiter for 15 years. During that time I've placed over 200 software engineers at X company alone. I was wondering if we could speak about any positions you may have available?" If that goes well, that pitch might turn into a conversation or otherwise lead to one being scheduled.
"Tell me a little bit about yourself", stands out as the beginning question of most interviews. It's a wide open opportunity to set the tone for what is to follow. Again, repeat the elevator pitch, but this time get deeply into all three of your major accomplishments in depth. It should take two or three minutes. Then end it with a statement that those accomplishments as well as your work history on the whole are what make you a very good fit.
As far as the resume, it should also be made to highlight those three major accomplishments as well as perhaps two more. Many interviewers will use the resume as a general road map for that conversation going down it in order. If they do, this sheet of paper will lead them right to all the successes mentioned earlier.
Ultimately, the net result is an exceptionally concise and well put together presentation of all your best strengths that has been stated and restated several times.
I'm a great believer in marketing a Candidate (That's recruiter-talk for the person seeking the position) using a cohesive marketing plan. This involves three key components: The 30-second Elevator Pitch, The 180-second Tell Me a Little Bit About Yourself, and The Resume. All three are built concentrating on the most impressive, specific achievements of the Candidate.
In order to start, looking back over job history, and just the employment history that corresponds to the position being sought, identify the 3 highest impact specific success stories. These should be examples of going above and beyond that truly stand out. Also, they ought to include specific numbers when possible. To provide an example, "I was the # 1 producing sales representative out of Five-hundred in 2004 for producing over $50 million in my territory. That was a gain of over 36% from the previous year." Most people probably don't have something that ideal, but get as near to that particular mark as possible. It could possibly be "I ran a $10 million dollar company with 87 employees for 7 years." Now, list out those three items in order from greatest to least.
The Elevator Pitch is a short 20 to 30 second initial introduction that's used during a call when contacting a new person. In quick order, give your name, the number of years you have been in your profession, a single line version of the best accomplishment, and the reason you are calling. It might sound along these lines, "Hello, I'm Dean Jawarski. I've been an executive recruiter for 15 years. During that time I've placed over 200 software engineers at X company alone. I was wondering if we could speak about any positions you may have available?" If that goes well, that pitch might turn into a conversation or otherwise lead to one being scheduled.
"Tell me a little bit about yourself", stands out as the beginning question of most interviews. It's a wide open opportunity to set the tone for what is to follow. Again, repeat the elevator pitch, but this time get deeply into all three of your major accomplishments in depth. It should take two or three minutes. Then end it with a statement that those accomplishments as well as your work history on the whole are what make you a very good fit.
As far as the resume, it should also be made to highlight those three major accomplishments as well as perhaps two more. Many interviewers will use the resume as a general road map for that conversation going down it in order. If they do, this sheet of paper will lead them right to all the successes mentioned earlier.
Ultimately, the net result is an exceptionally concise and well put together presentation of all your best strengths that has been stated and restated several times.
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