A few months ago, the C-Suite Career Catalysts asked C-level and Senior Executives a few questions about their experiences working with recruiters. One of the fascinating responses came from a question about what they (Executives) value in recruiter relationships.
Among both C-suite and Senior Executives, the #1 most-valued response was “Solid Leads / Opportunities.” I believe a few of the comments helped to clarify that selection …
- Match skill set and management philosophy with prospective company
- Knows / understands the company, CEO, opportunity, risks of company and position
- Corporate culture knowledge
What a waste of time for all concerned when recruiters contact CFOs for opportunities that are obviously not a good fit. Which begs the question, who is responsible for ensuring that recruiters can make an assessment based on a crystal clear value proposition and fit for culture?
The rest of the responses were pretty similar with the exception that reputation of the recruiter was much more important to the C-suite than to Senior Executives at large … 58% vs. 38%.
Here’s the breakdown of all the responses to the question “what do you most value in a recruiter relationship.”
| Value | C-Suite | Senior Executives |
| Confidentiality Reputation Accessibility/Responsiveness Solids Leads/Opportunities Landing a Great Position |
70% 58% 79% 86% 42% |
73% 38% 65% 81% 31% |
One other consistent comment from the C-suite was around “honesty and integrity” in their relationships. While probably somewhat tied to the “confidentiality” answer, the list of comments that were added around this issue raises the importance of it in the eyes of Senior Executives and the C-suite.
The “best of the best” are looking to work with recruiters who tell them the truth, keep them informed, and contact them for opportunities that are a good fit.
