Ms. Weller attributes her success not so much to her search skills as to her client development abilities. She belongs to several professional organizations where she networks with potential clients. I'm much better at keeping clients for the long haul. That's what has kept me going through the tough times. Few entrants earn the million-dollar annual paychecks that search superstars take home.
Most executive recruiters spend their days filling mid-level managerial and professional jobs.
Only a small percentage are assigned boardroom or senior-level searches. These few have cultivated their client base for years and know all the movers, shakers, cultures and personalities in the industry, as well as the types of candidates these companies actually want. They also know the marketplace better than their clients and can uncover candidates in places a hiring authority with tunnel vision wouldn't think to look. That's why recruiters are paid big bucks and the process from neophyte to search celebrity is a long and bumpy ride. Knowing how to communicate means more than being an Elmer Gantry, the evangelist in the Sinclair Lewis novel.