Have you ever wondered why you never see the most elite positions advertised on jobs boards and vacant columns?
There is an excellent reason for this – several excellent reasons, not least of which is simply imagining the hordes of unsuitable applicants that would flood in for a prestigious high-paying C-suite position which would then need to be winnowed through to find the few appropriate candidates…
No, most high-level positions are offered and accepted on levels far above the ‘shop floor’, so to speak. By the time the vacancy is readied for the candidate search, most companies will already have a short-list of suitable potential candidates prepared for them by elite recruiters like Eagle executive headhunters.
How can you attract the attention of these high-level recruitment experts? Let’s have a look at what makes a candidate ‘headhuntable’ in London’s elite job market.
Curate a Professional Image
The modern business world is changing and from a previous expectation that employees would have no social media presence, there is now an expectation that candidates will be findable online – but they are expected to have a polished and professional presence online.
Photographs should be suitable for the site they are found on: professional headshots in business attire is a must for LinkedIn, for example, with more informal images acceptable on other platforms.
Having good relationships with previous companies is also a positive sign: if your former place of employment endorses your skills and capabilities, this bodes well for anyone looking for someone with your skills and qualifications but also looking for a team-player with a habit of remaining on good terms with as many people as possible.
Network Widely and Well
As well as having a well-curated online presence, you should make the effort to get out in person and meet people in your community.
And not only those who might be able to do you a favour in the future: networking with philanthropic causes, aiding communities and donating or fund-raising for charities are all excellent ways to draw the attention of people who might one day be looking for someone with your talents – and you’ll be doing some good for your community while you are raising your profile and building a local network.
Be Generous
As well as supporting local charitable causes, it can pay you to support and praise others when it’s deserved.
You might think it is a waste of time to coach a new-hire in the correct way to perform tasks, but not only will it ensure that your subordinates are well-trained and efficient, but those low-level hires can sometimes be relatives of the existing C-suite, who might deliberately engage them in conversation to find out which middle managers have traits and characteristics that will translate well into the higher echelons.
Work Well
And finally, get a reputation for being the can-do candidate by working hard, with integrity, at every task and job you are given.
Laying down a solid background of reliable, correctly executed projects and gaining a well-deserved reputation for having a solid work ethic is the best way to ensure that you are kept in mind when the recruitment process begins.
