As a professional with an elite set of skills and expertise, it’s important to work with a specialist talent partner who understands both you and your sector. There can be stiff competition at the top of the ladder, and landing a new top tier position where your level of expertise have the opportunity to be both utilised to their full potential and encouraged to grow further can be hard to come by. But when such an opportunity arises, having an advocate who truly knows the market, the organization, the industry, and what you’re looking for, is invaluable to your success.
Partnering with a great talent specialist will help you differentiate yourself from other senior professionals who will inevitably have an equally impressive career history. Using their specific network of organizations as well as their understanding of your market, personality, and skillset, they will be able to piece together the complex puzzle that helps you achieve a skill, culture, remuneration, and development fit in your next role.
As most senior level roles are exclusively advertised within an organization’s internal network and their talent partner’s network, job boards can provide little more than useful resources to help you to begin identifying opportunities and get a general feel for the market. Therefore, it is often the case that professionals with a highly sought-after skillset are approached for a well-matched position when they aren’t necessarily looking for one.
So, by seeking the expertise of a talent specialist when you’re considering a career move, you will benefit from an expert match-making service within an internal network of hiring organizations, and receive timely, direct feedback. The talent specialist acts as a representative for both you and the hiring company, operating with an understanding that time is precious.
They will help to improve the communication process, place you in a strong position to get the most from the opportunities presented, and ensure that the culture of the company you are interested in is aligned with your personality and requirements. After all, a top talent partner’s main goal isn’t to get you into a seat in the office, but to present you with a great opportunity in which you can thrive long-term. This way, they remain the go-to talent specialist in the company’s network, and all three parties are achieving their goals.
The power of strong relationships
A talent specialist will have a strong relationship with the hiring organization and may even have placed other professionals in previous roles, meaning they’ve built up a level of trust and understanding with the people who make up the business. This gives them leverage when advocating for you and provides you with the information about the company that you need when making an important career decision. A strong talent partner will have made it their business to know the company inside out and will be able to tell you exactly what they are looking for, rather than giving you generic information that ends up wasting your time.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions – a talent specialist is a great source of in-depth market knowledge, giving you access to current industry trends or changes, which can give you the edge should you need to tailor your resume and interview strategy to stand out from the competition.
For future reference
Nurturing a relationship with a talent specialist can help you secure a position with promising prospects. Even if you don’t find the perfect role on the first try, that relationship will mean you are kept in mind and indeed in their database for when the perfect opportunity does arise.
From resume advice to salary guidance, a talent specialist can update you on the market and show you how to leverage that to find the right role. They can also actively network for unadvertised opportunities that best fit your career goals, while helping you enhance your resume or professional online branding so that you are ready to make a stellar first impression to a prospective employer.
Networking with a specialist talent partner can also develop a long-term relationship for future opportunities. In years to come, when you are ready for the next step, that consultant will still understand you, your requirements, and the best next steps available to you. And for you, it’s always a plus to have a rapport with someone who’s helping to steer your future.
Experts in the art of selection
Talent partners are selective by nature. Honing the skill over time, they hand-pick the most suitable roles for the professional seeking a new opportunity. Not only does the tailored approach maximize success for all parties involved, it also helps professionals to recognize the potential in an opportunity they may not have considered on their own, while reducing the competition and creating a higher chance of success.
Be open to networking with talent specialists when you may not be actively looking; the best opportunities can often pop up when you’re least expecting it.
The inside scoop
At senior level, opportunities are not always advertised through traditional mediums. Specialist talent consultants are privy to a range of positions that only they and the organizations’ internal networks are aware of. This could be especially useful in situations where the vacancies that suit your skill set are few and far between.
Leading businesses often utilize a talent partner because it’s a more efficient way for them to hire the right person. Therefore, rather than hunting for opportunities that may not be visible online, you could save considerable time working with a talent specialist.
Working in your interests
Approaching a job search can be daunting, but a great talent partner is a wealth of knowledge on the state of the current job market and your specific industry. Once they get to know you and what you’re looking for, their only objective is to place you in the role that is right for you. Once they have a clear idea of what you have to offer both professionally and personally, a talent partner can help you present a strong resume to any hiring companies who meet your needs. It is therefore imperative to be open and honest with your talent specialist, taking the time to clearly define your needs and expectations.
Liaising with a talent partner can help increase the efficiency of your search. When you succeed, they succeed, and so it’s important to remember that they are truly there to work in your best interests, with your long-term career trajectory in mind.
In the same way that networking is often less effective if you just ramp up your activity when you want a job, reaching out to a talent specialist and building a relationship with them over time could help you secure better opportunities in the future.
We partner closely with senior-level professionals with elite skill sets to enable their careers now and in the future. If you would like our help to find your next opportunity, get in touch today.