Magnetize Your Executive Job Search
Insider knowledge from an executive recruiter — who gets called first, how to stand out, why to take the call, and smart questions to ask
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We’re thrilled to feature a guest post by Somer Hackley. She’s been recruiting for over 20 years, placing VP to C-level executives at Fortune 100 companies and high-growth startups. Somer worked her way up in this industry, trained by former SHREK-firm executive recruiters at CTPartners (then the 7th largest global search firm) and immersed in every stage of the recruiting lifecycle. She’s done it all, from contingency to retained, associate to partner. Because of that, Somer is uniquely positioned to pull back the curtain and show people what really happens behind the scenes in executive search.
When Somer launched her recruiting firm, Distinguished Search, in February 2020, the world shut down weeks later. Business development was off the table, so she reached out to people instead, just to check in. What she found was a deep frustration and confusion when it came to dealing with recruiters and executive search. Executives had questions no one was answering, so Somer started answering them. First it was one by one, then in LinkedIn posts, and then a whole book.
Today, Somer run’s a firm grounded in transparency, long-term thinking, and doing right by both clients and candidates. She specialize in technology leadership roles within financial services, fintech, and insurance, and her approach is hands-on, honest, and built on relationships.
If you want to demystify executive search from either side of the interview table, Somer’s advice is a masterclass (you’ll want to bookmark and share this playbook).
MAGNETIZE YOUR EXECUTIVE JOB SEARCH
Somer,
Thank you for allowing me to introduce myself. I am aware that you work for employers and not for candidates and, therefore, I do not expect a response from you unless you have a current or future position that matches my background. If this is the case, I ask that you contact me prior to forwarding my résumé.
The email continues with an overview of this person’s background.
Every week, I get this exact impersonal introductory paragraph from a different person. There must be a series of email templates that someone out there is selling with promises of “this is how you develop relationships with recruiters.” I wish people who sold these things knew how it worked.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m in the people business, and my energy comes from conversation. But you can see why you may email a recruiter and never hear back. This person is even telling me a reason why I shouldn’t respond!
The question, then, is: How do you find recruiters to reach out to, and how do you make your email stand out?
Here’s a better question: When a recruiter starts working on a position, who do they reach out to first, and how do you get on that list?
You want to be a magnet for your job search. Let’s create that gravitational pull around you so that you’re in the position where open jobs are coming to you, versus you having to go find them.
Who Recruiters Reach Out to First
Early in our relationship, my husband Steve and I went to his friend’s wedding in Northern Virginia. Their live band had exceptional vocalists and dynamic energy, playing the kind of music where you can’t help but tap your foot, dance in your chair, and give in and make a fool of yourself singing all the hits from the eighties to today.
Steve and I were on the dance floor pretty much the whole time, having a blast. He exclaimed, “That’s going to be the band for our wedding!” I smiled and shouted over the music, “Is that the proposal?” The thing was, we weren’t even engaged yet.
When it came time to plan our wedding, he called his friend and asked for the band’s contact information. We hired the band and decided to throw in three horn players per their recommendation. We had a small wedding, and the band would be roughly 10 percent of the headcount, but that was okay with us. At our wedding, people kept coming up to us telling us that it was one of the best bands ever.
Now replace “band” with “candidate,” and you’ll know how it works in recruiting. Recruiters make mental notes of who’s excellent, and they’re the first people we call later, even if it’s a year or two down the road. If you are excellent, we remember you.
Let’s take a current example of a search I ran to find a VP of engineering for a startup, so you understand who I called first.
After meeting with the CTO to brief on the role, I took a whole day to create my search strategy, planning where and who to recruit. I thought about what companies have been on the journey that my client is about to go through. Then I thought about who in that company would be the person to take them on this journey and what title or role they may have.
After that, I put my head in my hands and started to think. Who do I know who could do this? Who in my network isn’t suitable for this but could introduce me to someone who is? I searched my LinkedIn network to remind me of who I already knew.
Those are the people I reach out to first — the people I already know.
I asked Kristin Sheridan from Perform Search who she calls first. Here’s what she said:
“I’m going to call the people I know really well, probably around ten people. Out of those ten people, maybe one will be good for that job. Every job has nuances, and I’m calling the other people to get their perspective on the search and to get referrals; that’s the point of my call.”
This is precisely what I do. I call my closest “candidate friends” to see if they’re personally interested, know someone who is, or can help me refine my pitch and search strategy. Every search is different, and I learn the market through the people doing the job.
Kristin continued:
“I will try to get an understanding of what companies make sense to recruit from, what type of roles might make sense, and then who they may know. They often ask a question that I won’t know the answer to, and then I can go back to the client to get the answer before I talk to someone I think is a perfect fit. It helps me to clarify what I’m looking for, and if I can have a practice round with a friendly person I know, that helps.”
I smiled because I do the same thing. It takes me about a week to get my pitch crystallized, and I first test it out with people I know. Take the VP Engineering search, for example. After my first day of pitching, people told me I needed to emphasize the company’s mission and know if they had plans to be acquired or go public. I had predominantly worked with large public companies until that search, so pitching startups was new territory for me. Their advice was spot on. I got answers, made notes, and came up with the perfect pitch.
I remember the candidates who helped me out this way, and that’s the point: being remembered. Sometimes they’re a fit, sometimes they’re not, but we’re getting to know each other with each conversation.
Here’s are the characteristics of the people I call first:
They positioned themselves in a way that they’re lodged in my brain for the search I just kicked off. Bonus points if they were referred to me by someone I trust and know well.
I sent them to an interview before for a similar role, and they did well or took feedback well.
I called them for a similar search before, and they didn’t go forward but were respectful, responsive, and helpful.
They’re tagged to a similar search that someone else at my company worked on in the past. They interviewed well or were responsive to the recruiter working on that search.
How To Position Yourself So You’re Remembered
When you initiate a call with a recruiter, assume they don’t have a job for you right now. If that’s the case, here’s your one main goal of the call: to leave a lasting impression so when they kick off a search, they think of you.
Your main goal is not:
to see if they have any jobs for you right now. They may, but the call will be quick if that’s your only goal.
to ask for a résumé review. Recruiters don’t write résumés and don’t have time to review yours.
to go through your entire background. It takes too long, and you won’t be remembered.
to get this recruiter to introduce you to other recruiters. Recruiters will do this occasionally, but I can’t bombard my friends with multiple introductions a day.
to send your résumé to the recruiter’s clients opportunistically. This is a tricky one. Remember that recruiters don’t get jobs for candidates; recruiters get candidates for jobs. If we don’t know you that well, we can’t put our five-star endorsement on you because if you don’t interview well, that will impact our reputation with the client. We charge money to place candidates, and it’s awkward to send random résumés with an ambiguous hidden price tag.
to make a LinkedIn connection. That’s great to have, but not the entire goal. I have over 14,000 connections on LinkedIn, and when I search for CTOs who I’m first-degree connected to, around 1,000 come up. I’m not reaching out to 1,000 people for any role.
All you want to do is be the person this recruiter thinks of first when they start a relevant search. Remember, I didn’t have the wedding band’s résumé. I have no idea how long they’ve been together or how much wedding venue experience they have. They came recommended by a friend and left an impression; that’s why we called them.
Tip: When talking to recruiters, position yourself for the job you thrive in.
Remember my example about recruiting for the VP engineering search, creating a search strategy, and then putting my head in my hands to think of people I already know. I’m thinking about who can help this company. Who do I know who has built engineering teams tenfold? Who has taken a startup with a certain amount of funding to the next level? Who has driven automation in business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, scaling the business with technology?
When talking to a recruiter, describe what you’re good at without going through your entire background. Create three bullet points that people can recall when they think of you. And this must be deeper than words like impact, innovation, or digital transformation. If it’s a word everyone else says, think of another way to say it. What separates you?
Basically, when you position yourself with a recruiter, you are telling them when to think of you.
For example, “Think of me when…
“there’s a strong team in place, and they need…”
“there needs to be a talent overhaul because…”
“a company needs to scale and…”
“a company grew too fast and…”
“there’s a need for global…”
“a traditional company needs…”
“a culture is… and needs to get…”
“the customer experience is… and needs to…”
“technology is in… state and needs to…”
“driving change has roadblocks like…”
Then, when they kick off a search, they think, “I know just the person for this!”
Since publishing my book, Search in Plain Sight, I’ve had three years to think about this “Think of me when…” advice, mainly because my inbox exploded with everyone’s three bullets. The main problem I realized is that they all sounded the same.
I encourage you to think deeply about your value proposition. If you think you’ve crafted the perfect statements, think about your peers in the industry and if they could say the exact same thing. What is it about you, specifically, that makes you unique and memorable? What is it that you do differently than everyone else, because of everything you’ve experienced?
Then, after you share your three bullets, root them in solid experience. Name the places you’ve done these things, and how many times you’ve done them. These extra anchors will give you credibility, but more than anything, they will make you memorable.
When Recruiters Find You, Talk to Them
You’re already a magnet; it’s just a matter of acting on it.
You probably have years of emails and LinkedIn messages from recruiters begging to talk to you. But remember, this isn’t about today. So, when you look at that job in your inbox and think, “Nah, that’s not interesting,” and want to hit delete, pause for a second and think about the relationship you could start to form with this person. Recruiters are finding you all the time, so stop ignoring them. Candidates complain that recruiters only reach out to them when they need them, but the inverse is also true.
In my experience, the more junior the candidate, the more often they ignore recruiters. When I work on director-level positions, they’re much more complicated to fill than C-level positions. There are more people to call, and those people have a lot of darts being thrown at them. There’s a tremendous amount of noise for me to cut through.
A little piece of my heart is sad every time I get a notification from LinkedIn that the person hit “decline” on my LinkedIn InMail. InMails aren’t free to send if we’re not already connected or if the candidate isn’t paying for that function. More importantly for the person, now I won’t think of them for the next search because they didn’t want to talk to me about this one!
So, when a recruiter reaches out, remember that a response is still better than silence. It’s all recorded in the search firm’s database, so two years from now, when I look through all the target candidates on a search, I’ll sort them by status. People who responded get looked at again, even if they said no.
To dive deeper, I reached out to Kara Ruskin, senior client partner at Korn Ferry, specializing in technology and industrial organizations. I first met Kara five years ago when she joined my team at our previous company. She has a get-it-done energy while also being very approachable and empathetic. I’m now a better manager and recruiter because of her.
Kara knows the frustration I am talking about all too well. She shared:
“This is why responding to recruiters is super important, even if you’re not looking. We share people. Typically, if you’re a recruiter, you have recruiter friends at other companies. Mike just sent me someone excellent, who I have a search for.”
She’s referring to Mike Gelfman, a former principal at True Search within the product, data, and technology practice. Mike was also on my past team.
Kara continued,
“Respond to recruiters, even if you say, ‘Thank you so much for reaching out to me. I’m not interested now, but let’s stay connected.’ We’re going to remember you.”
EJ Sander, co-founder of Monocle Search Group, and I also spoke about this. EJ said
“If you’re an executive, if you’re somebody who wants to continue to grow your career, take as many executive recruiter calls as possible.
There are four reasons for this:
#1, you’re going to build your network.
#2, you’re going to find those recruiters you like, that you should put a pin in and reach out to when you’re looking.
#3, you’re going to keep your wheels greased with having to talk about yourself.
#4, even if we go deep on one opportunity, I look at this conversation as the first step in the relationship.”
EJ continued,
“There’s a bit of serendipity once you get to those higher levels, regarding the right role and the right time. Even though you’re happy within a role, a little bit of networking investment over the years could potentially put you in a great position when that next great adventure reveals itself.”
I love this, thinking of recruiting in terms of serendipity. The relationships you create now will lead to those critical moments in the future.
There are candidates I have relationships with. Some know my entire life story because we’ve spoken so many times about real topics that are important to them, and I can’t help but relate to what I’m hearing.
Miriam, a candidate I have spoken to many times, is someone whom I’d consider a friend. She is a no-nonsense technology executive and diversity champion. I met Miriam in New York a few years ago when she was actively looking for a new job, introduced to me by a client of mine and her mentor.
She understands what it means to be a magnet:
“You’re not going for a specific job. You’re building relationships with multiple recruiters so that when the job does come, they know to reach out to you.”
Miriam has evolved how she approaches these initial conversations over time. Remember the goals of the call that I laid out earlier? This is precisely what she changed, realizing this wasn’t about her résumé and more about the relationship. She continued,
“I tended to lead with my résumé. It’s a great tool, so people know what you’ve done, but ultimately, it’s not only the résumé that’s important but also the relationships you build. Let people know your expectations. Let people know what your aspirations are beyond this next job.”
She also reflected,
“For me, ‘beyond the job’ also means life in general. I would share with certain people that I have a special needs son, just so they know. It’s not necessarily a handicap, but it would just make you that much more successful in your search and in the eventual role that you land, having that transparency upfront with the recruiter.”
As Miriam says, résumés are important, but they’re not what will get you remembered for the next job. The relationship will.
Know What You Want
“You have to measure out for yourself what it is you want. What’s going to make you leave that stability?” Amanda, a digital and technology executive, was passionate about this during our conversation. “What’s going to make you leave that amazing paying job or that incredible brand name for a lesser name? You have to know what it is and what your baseline is.”
Amanda and I initially met years ago when she was actively looking for a new position. Then, when I launched my company, she became a mentor and friend. I have always respected her direct style.
Recruiters reach out to Amanda often, and she always makes time for them. “I take every request that a recruiter has to speak with me. Why? I might know somebody who can help them. I learn about trends in the market regarding job roles and interests. I can also tell them what I am looking for, even if this position isn’t right. It’s essential to set yourself up for the future.”
When recruiters reach out to her, she tells them exactly what she wants. She continued, “Three days ago, a recruiter told me about a job. I said, ‘It’s great you came to me, thank you. It sounds like an interesting job. However, I’m not leaving this job unless I’m going to a C-level position at a public company. End of story.’”
What makes Amanda stand out is that she’s so clear about what she wants. She is intentional, and this consistency came from Amanda writing a short set of bullet points about what she wanted. For recruiters, this clarity is memorable versus the candidate who has no idea what they want to do next, how to position themselves, or wants to be thought of for basically anything. She continued, “Sure enough, three days later, the recruiter came back to me with a C-level role reporting to the CEO of a public company. Three days later!”
The lesson is this: The more clearly you articulate what you want, the more often recruiters will think of you weeks, months, or years later — or, in Amanda’s case, three days later!
You Have a Reputation
I love the Seinfeld episode where Elaine goes to the doctor, refuses to put on a gown because it’s not necessary, and then gets the reputation of being “difficult.” She then goes to another doctor, hoping to start over, but the doctor sees the prior note, and his demeanor changes. Her chart follows her from doctor to doctor, and she is distraught; Elaine’s reputation is permanent.
The same thing happens in recruiting. Your reputation may be bigger than you realize.
Beth Clemens and I spoke about this. Beth is a consultant within Leathwaite’s New York office, where she supports clients in all industry sectors with a focus on C-level recruiting within technology and operations. She reflected,
“Everything is by word of mouth and by trust. That’s how I’ve gotten some great candidates in the past. The biggest thing for anyone trying to make a reputation for themselves is {knowing that} how you treat people is going to come back to you. It’s really kind of simple.”
It’s a small world regarding how Beth and I recently reconnected. Beth came recommended to me by a CIO in my network as one of the best recruiters he’s worked with, someone I should interview for my book. Little did he know that when I joined CTPartners in 2008, Beth’s office was right outside my cube. She was one of the first people I sat down with to get my head around retained executive search–I listened to her candidate calls and asked for advice.
I agree with Beth that it is simple. The list above of who I call first wasn’t just candidates I sent on interviews before; I call people because of their character traits. Your reputation is more significant than your résumé and accomplishments; it’s how you interact with recruiters and the client, and how you’re remembered.
Like the Seinfeld episode, your reputation may travel between search firms.
I’ve taken over my share of failed searches, meaning a search that another firm worked on for months and the client fired them to work with me instead. Kara and I took over a chief digital officer search after another search firm tried to fill it for a year. When the client handed the search to us, they also sent us the names of all the candidates they had already met through the other firm. We needed this information because we didn’t want to call the same people. It’s also helpful for us to know who they interviewed so we can ask questions to understand the job better and not make the same mistakes the first firm did.
Kara had a recent experience taking over a failed search, and she ended up placing a candidate who turned down the role through the other search firm at one of her clients. She reflected,
“Research gets passed from firm to firm. He rejected the job at that company, but if you do it with dignity and do it in the right way, you’re going to get noticed. Whatever you do in a search process is much bigger than you think. How you act, how you treat everyone, how you respond when the recruiter calls you, if you are engaged, how you deal with them when they let you go, how transparent you are in your expectations, how transparent you are with all the factors in your life — it all matters.”
Magnetizing your job search comes down to creating your network of recruiters and managing your reputation so that when your dream job opens, you’re thought of first.
Or in other words, when your dream company finds itself in need of a wedding band, they know who to ask.
Reflection Questions:
When introducing yourself to a recruiter, how much of your time is focused on your résumé or LinkedIn profile or asking them about current openings?
What three things can you say to recruiters to be remembered, completing the sentence “Think of me when…”
When recruiters reach out to you about roles you’re not interested in, do you find time to talk to them anyway?
Are you finding recruiters through your network, or simply searching online? Referrals get attention and are memorable. Think about who in your network is currently in your ideal job. What recruiter placed them? Have you asked?
What can you do to approach your job search as a giver? What information could you share with recruiters that would add value to them and have them keep you in mind for the future?
Are you keeping up with your recruiter network at least twice a year, even if you’re not looking for a job? Is there anyone you should reach out to this quarter?
Building Relationships & Being Memorable – Questions to Ask Recruiters:
The search we just spoke about–is that typical of the types of roles you work on?
Would you like me to send potential clients or candidates your way? How should I think of you in terms of speciality or the types of clients or candidates you’d most value engaging with?
How often should we touch base, and do you prefer email, text, or LinkedIn?
How can I help you?
Be the First Call — Magnetize Your Executive Job Search
Whether you’re actively exploring new opportunities or just starting to think about what’s next, the relationships you build today will shape your career tomorrow. Magnetizing your job search means showing up, standing out, and staying connected.
If you’re hiring VP/C-level technology talent in financial services, fintech, or insurance and want to work with a search firm that holds values and transparency above all else, let’s chat. Visit www.distinguishedsearch.com or connect with me on LinkedIn. We’d love to learn more about your goals and see if our approach aligns with your needs.
If you’re an executive in the job market or think you might be in the future, let’s stay in touch. The best way would be to connect with me on LinkedIn. If you want to learn more behind-the-scenes advice like this, check out my book Search in Plain Sight, along with our self-paced online course and private community, designed to help you attract the right opportunities and land your dream role. We meet every month and would love to see you!
Your next chapter could start with a single conversation. Let’s make it count.
Thank you, Somer, for pulling back the curtain on how recruiters really think. Your stories make it clear that standing out is not about the perfect resume, it’s being memorable, building trust, and showing up consistently.
Also a timely reminder: how you show up often matters more than what’s on paper.
If you enjoyed this article, give it a like and share it so we know to write similar types in the future.
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