Barriers to Seeking Employment, Revealed by a Career Advisor and Top Managers, as Identified by Masha Svetlova
In the competitive world of top-management recruitment, securing a vacancy isn't always a straightforward process. Many positions are only accessible through closed formats, requiring a strategic job search and the ability to tailor one's experience to specific business needs.
The competition remains fierce throughout the entire hiring process, with each round of interviews potentially altering the employer's perspective. For a single top-management vacancy, there could be as many as 50 to 300 resumes to sift through.
However, it's essential to remember that offers are extended to the most suitable and convenient candidates for the company, not necessarily the 'perfect' ones. Some top managers even believe that employers should compete for the opportunity to hire them, but this approach can sometimes work against the job seeker.
Instead, it's crucial to demonstrate from the first contact how one's competencies can help solve business tasks. Personal connections, recommendations, and interactions through recruitment agencies often play a decisive role in connecting with employers.
Seeking help from external experts can help overcome the 'familiarity bias' in one's career, transforming routine job search stages into a systematic process. Job searching should be targeted, but if criteria don't match available opportunities, it's important to review and expand the search.
Rejections are a natural part of the active job search process, but after a series of unsuccessful interviews, candidates often lose motivation. It's important to remain persistent and not limit oneself to one source for job opportunities. A wider range of sources and active communication increases the probability of quickly getting a suitable offer.
Masha Svetlova, the founder of the Career Center for top-manager job search support, emphasises the importance of preparation for interviews at all stages of the selection process. Candidates with impressive experience can still struggle in interviews due to unexpected questions, clichΓ©s, or ineffective responses.
Preparation involves understanding the logic of recruiters and hiring managers, and knowing the information they need to hear. Adjusting the resume and changing focus in self-presentation can change the dynamics of the job search process.
One success story is that of our client, a technical platform manager, who joined a leading telecommunications company by using specific arguments after receiving another job offer. This client belongs to a company that moved from their area of expertise to a young project in a different sector and received a million-dollar offer from a market leader in the industry.
Getting a new top-level job rarely happens through a simple, predictable, and universal path. Strategy and the ability to see opportunities beyond conventional approaches can be crucial factors. Limiting oneself to one source for job opportunities can lead to endless waiting, so it's essential to cast a wide net and remain active in the job market.
