The Dos and Don’ts of working with a Career Consultant

How to best utilize a career consultant

A candidate walks into my office, they were let go from their firm in mid-August, and it’s now the end of November. They have reached out to every contact in their phone, applied to every position they can find, and blasted their resume across the internet. “I am not sure if I can help you” I say, “you have applied directly to 10+ clients of mine and are already in the process”. They are frustrated, confused, as to how I can’t help them, why I can’t circle back with my clients and get answers.

Unfortunately this scenario plays out more often than I hope, leaving both of my hands tied and leaving me little room to assist my candidate. I rack my brain for additional opportunities and find one (very close to their house!) and excitedly tell the candidate for them to mull over the opportunity. During a client meeting the same week they notify me that a candidate applied for the position online, they are qualified but seem to have been out of practice for a number of months so they have passed.

Yes, my candidate applied to the position un-intentionally behind my back (insert face palm). And we are back to square one.

Perks of having a career consultant:

• Access to our resources and network
• Guidance on fine-tuning materials and meeting preparation
• ALWAYS receiving feedback post interview – the good, the bad, and the ugly
• A champion in the job market

The best time for me to be able to assist you is before you have initiated the career search process on your own. The majority of opportunities that I am working on aren’t advertised positions, these are exclusive positions where a client has asked us to search the marketplace for the most talented individuals to engage in conversations. Part of our relationship with clients is to be gaining them access to candidates that they wouldn’t have the ability to reach without us.

Back to the candidate from before…we were back to square one and I was running out of options. I told my candidate that for this to work we needed to be on the same page. They shared additional with me that they were considering applying to and we discussed the pros and cons together, none of the firms were exactly what they were looking for. Then I had a client update meeting, they had a valued team member announce they were moving across the country to be with family and the company needed to fill the void fast. I immediately called my candidate, knowing from all of our previous conversations that this was exactly the type of firm they were looking for. They went in for a meeting the same week and had accepted an offer be the end of the following week.

Every individual has a firm that is their home, and I love helping people find that place. Trust in your career consultant, trust that they have your back and always be open. Remember that ultimately your career is up to you and the decisions and steps that you make. Your career consultant can be your biggest advocate if you keep an open dialogue and work together!