This is important to executives whose range of opportunities are further restricted by how

each search firm internally allocates potential candidates among different search

assignments at any given time.

Debra Feldman Executive Search Consultants vs. Executive Talent Agents

Page 1

HIDDEN JOB MARKET SECRETS

Do You Need an Executive Talent Agent? Debra Feldman, JobWhiz

Executive Talent Agent

Having an executive talent agent is a competitive advantage providing expert

confidential, personalized career guidance, exclusive entrée to prime inside connections

as well as comprehensive professional services that support the daily needs of busy

executives.

Executive talent agents and headhunters (also called executive search consultants or

external recruiters) are often confused. They appear to produce the same outcome:

introducing executives to potential new employers. However, there is an unmistakable

distinction. The two professions are paid by, loyal to and represent separate parties that

may have different priorities and opposite interests related to the same recruiting

transaction.

Headhunters stay in business by satisfying their corporate client’s, i.e. an employer’s,

mandate. They find appropriate prospects to fill an open position. They are not

outplacement specialists. They don’t create new jobs or find spots for individuals.

Headhunters are paid by employers to identify and attract new talent that exactly matches

the employer’s specific requirements. Their role is to source the perfect candidate and

manage the applicant pool. Thus, headhunters frequently exert control over the recruiting

process by limiting executives’ ability to communicate directly with company insiders,

those with actual hiring authority.

On the other hand, executive talent agents are consultants to individual executives and

have been compared to the agent model in the entertainment field and sports industry. As

experts, executive talent agents provide a competitive advantage for the individuals

whose careers they manage. Their knowledge, guidance, connections and business savvy

propel their clients’ success. Individual executives, not employers, pay an executive

talent agent for services that include being their personal coach, mentor, representative,

advocate, confidant, and scout. An executive talent agent can be a long term partner or

retained on a short term basis to advise on a job search campaign. Their remuneration

ranges from a percentage of an executive client’s annual compensation to a project-based

or hourly fee. Agents usually differentiate their practice by industry sector or functional

discipline.

Executive talent agents are not a substitute for executive search consultants and vice

versa. Search consultants put their employer-clients first. Executive talent agents

evaluate situations from the personal perspective of individual executives. Here are more

This is important to executives whose range of opportunities are further restricted by how

each search firm internally allocates potential candidates among different search

assignments at any given time.

Debra Feldman Executive Search Consultants vs. Executive Talent Agents

Page 2

details about executive talent agents and the exclusive benefits they provide for their

executive clients.

• Providing objective advice and counsel gleaned from a wide range of practical

industry and personal experience- more than any one person might gather in a

single lifetime.

• Devoting 100% of their time and resources to their client’s career management

issues. Customer service is top priority. Sample assignments include developing

strategy, evaluating alternatives, analyzing deal structure, researching and

collecting information, preparing documents, initiating introductions, planning

new mandates, conducting follow-up activities, etc.

• Maintaining their client’s privacy and conducting business or setting up meetings

on a confidential basis. Protecting the client’s current status while pursuing more

rewarding future challenges consistent with the client’s career goals.

• Incented financially and motivated by client’s success in finding a new job or

getting promoted or closing a deal on favorable terms, not satisfying an

employer’s needs.

• Independent agent: not restricted by employer-defined recruiting agreements that

limit which other employers they are allowed to propose an executive as a

prospective candidate.

• Each executive’s career comes first. No limitations on where an executive is

introduced based on other search engagements undertaken by other headhunters in

the firm.

• Access to the 80% of executive positions that are not advertised. Agents deliver

leads in the hidden job market. Establishing new connections for their clients to

place them on the radar screens of hiring authorities in advance of other potential

candidates.

• Bypassing human and automated gatekeepers and opening closed doors to

connect clients with hiring decision makers, key industry leaders and academic

trendsetters. Promoting their client’s visibility, building their client’s credibility

and strengthening their client’s competitive positioning for their next gig.

• Unparalleled cachet that differentiates an agent’s clients commanding attention,

developing credibility and promoting meaningful dialogues with contacts leading

to productive business relationships, new opportunities and creative ventures.

Retaining an executive talent agent is an investment. Those most likely to appreciate and

value this relationship are executives that fit into the following categories.

• Doesn’t have a network or known contacts are not generating leads

• High stakes campaign: search must be confidential, discreet, sophisticated

This is important to executives whose range of opportunities are further restricted by how

each search firm internally allocates potential candidates among different search

assignments at any given time.

Debra Feldman Executive Search Consultants vs. Executive Talent Agents

Page 3

• Re-entry candidate emerging from a sabbatical or early retirement

• Changing career or industry: needs new, targeted inside contacts

• Not prepared for today’s complex job market. ” I never had to look for a job

before because I was always promoted or recruited.”

• Limited time and restricted availability for networking and researching

• Job search progress stalled and needs diagnostic to remove barriers

• Needs sharper focus and consistent execution of the right strategy

• Seeking hands on partner: “Can I hire anyone to job search for me?”

If any of the above applies to you, then an executive talent agent may be the right

solution for your career’s future success.

© 2009 Debra Feldman

Debra Feldman ( link to http://www.jobwhiz.com/index.php ) is the JobWhiz™, a nationally-recognized expert who designs and personally implements swift, strategic, and customized senior level executive job search campaigns, banishing barriers that prevent immediate success. Her gift for cold calling, executed with high energy and savvy panache, connects candidates directly to decision makers, not HR. Network Purposefully™ with the JobWhiz, and compress your job search into mere weeks, using groundbreaking techniques profiled in Forbes magazine. In addition to her private practice, writing featured columns and conducting exclusive workshops, Debra is a recommended resource to alumni of top-tier business schools. Contact Debra @ www.JobWhiz.com ( link to http://www.jobwhiz.com/contact.php ) to expedite your executive ascent.