Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Part 1: Are you hiding in plain sight? Getting noticed as a five to ten year professional

The most difficult position to fill (even in this economy) is an opening for a five to ten year professional with current experience on key projects, in-demand systems, or processes. I'm not talking about pulling someone out of the bread line--because most employers don't want that kind of employee. I'm talking about finding a stellar performer with five-plus years of directly relevant experience, currently performing at the highest level. Most employers (and recruiters) want them, most have a really hard time finding them.

If you're a five to ten year degreed professional, you're probably confronted with two of life's little ironies. The first is that you've worked very hard to get where you are--and are probably not adequately compensated for the value you provide. You continue to put in those 50-hour weeks, the occasional weekend, reschedule your vacations around new deadlines, and basically continue to bury yourself in your career. Your employer probably loves you, but still thinks of you as being a bit more junior than your time-in-grade should allow for. You're not looking for a job (seriously, who has the time?), but you might consider a new opportunity if someone contacted you with something golden. The second irony is that you, and your peer group are the most difficult people for recruiters to find--and we're all looking for you.

There is a third irony as well. The senior people in your organization are likely receiving credit for all your hard work. It's probably even noted in the bios for the "management team" posted on your company site.

Yes, we have no trouble finding them. Have you ever thought about that?

Guess what? If we do contact them, they're not likely to give up your name, number, or email address--because you make them look so good. They are usually quite happy to talk to us about their accomplishments and any openings we might have for persons of their professional stature, though.

If you fall into this five to ten year category, we typically can't find you because you're hidden. You may think you're in plain sight on social media, but you're not--unless you've put some real effort and thought into what's in your profile. If you want a new challenge, more money, and more authority, you need to become "findable" in the right ways. Part 2 will explore ways to accomplish this while still staying under the radar.

Will Baumann is a recruiter specializing in difficult to fill technical and leadership positions.


LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/willbaumann


Company site: http://www.anrgroupinc.com/

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