Finding Top Financial Services Recruiters

Ken writes:

Could you please send me a list of the top financial services recruiters?

The Career Doctor responds:

A number of sources are available for finding the information you seek. The best online source is Oya’s Recruiter Directory, which allows you to search for recruiters by location or specialty. If you are more of a print person, the best source is The Directory of Executive Recruiters, published by Kennedy Information, a leading source of executive recruiting information.

But before you jump into the world of working with recruiters — also referred to as headhunters, executive recruiters, executive search consultants — let me offer some advice.

First, it always works better for you if you have been contacted by a headhunter rather than the other way around. Headhunters work for the companies that hire them to find and screen the candidates they seek, so a headhunter may not be as interested in you if they do not have a particular slot they are trying to fill that matches your qualifications.

Second, never pay for any kind of services. Some folks mistake employment agencies with recruiters. Recruiters are always paid by the employer; job-seekers never should have to pay any company a fee for helping them find a job.

Third, adjust your job-search materials to the format that recruiters want. Your resume must be a standard, chronological format. You should have a specific job-search goal in mind. And you should have a detailed list of your specific — and ideally quantified — accomplishments.

Recruiters and headhunters can be a valuable asset to you in your job-search. They are connected to positions that may never be publicly known — the so-called hidden job market. And if you have the skills and accomplishments that match the types of jobs they fill, it can be an extremely beneficial relationship.

But remember, you should always strive for a balanced job-search — using multiple sources of job leads.

Learn more about using and finding headhunters in this section of Quintessential Careers: Recruiter/Headhunter Resources, Directories & Associations.