I’m an executive recruiter AMA

[MyCatsRuleTheHouse]

Mostly in the third and public sector spaces.

We generally work on Chief Executive and non-executive board roles (Chair of Board and Trustee/Non-Executive Director), but also Exec Directors and some Heads of.

How much do you earn?

AndIWouldWalk500Yards

Yes they are crap recruiters! There are situations where I might call someone I know is on more than a job is paying though, sometimes people will take pay cuts to do the perfect thing, but I would always approach that sensitively.

NewBallsPlease00 honestly not really at this level across everything, but I’ve not crunched the numbers. Chief exec salaries generally differ because of the size of an organisation rather than the person’s gender, there’s quite a lot of variance you’d have to take into account.

RainbowLaces I love a thank you email personally! But usually they would be at the end of a process when someone is appointed rather than after the first interview, though that’s fine too. I have sent follow up emails myself after being interviewed for jobs.

sepiatonedlover me, not very much. Early £30s. But I’m still pretty junior. I would estimate the top people at my firm are earning between £100,000-£250,000 depending on how busy they are and what clients they’re bringing in. There’s a lot of variation.

Thank mycats, this is a very timely thread for me. I'm seeing a recruiter about a role next week (so have made it through the first sift of the applications) and have a question for you!

I'm genuinely unsure whether this is this new role is the right job for me at this point. I made quite a big career change a few years back and don't feel I've given myself long enough in my new role yet to change direction again (although it is this more recent experience that qualifies me for the new role, which is very interesting. I certainly want to have a chance to find out more before deciding, hence the application.

How would you expect someone to manage this kind of ambivalence at the meeting? Should I be completely up front about my concerns or would not appearing 100% committed count against me in some way? Any thoughts you have would be very welcome. Thank you.

WobblyLondoner be honest, tell them your concerns. I’d much rather someone be open with me and be able to really talk through things and perhaps overcome some of your concerns, rather than someone come in full of pep and then drop out later because they’ve changed their mind. It might not be the right job for you, that’s fine, but if it is at least give them and you a chance to have a proper conversation. Interviews should always be a two way process but I think that’s even more the case the more senior you get. You have to make the right moves for you.

Thank you very much. I had the meeting today and was completely frank about my concerns, which then lead to some useful discussion that I'd probably not have had otherwise. Your advice & this post were very helpful.

How important is LinkedIn then? Really important? I guess you check all social media too?

WobblyLondoner really pleased to hear that! Glad to be of use.

delphguelph LinkedIn is so important. I use it constantly, it’s one of the best ways of finding new people (I’m very adept at using the advanced search function) heaven is when we find someone who’s actually got useful information as well as they’re job titles - like who they report into, size of their team etc. I always tell people to keep their LinkedIn’s up to date, even if you’re not looking someone like me might come to you with the dream job you’d never have known about otherwise. I do Google candidates as well, yes. Mostly looking for anything dodgy in the news. I’ve never looked up someone’s Facebook though.

Slight hijack OP. I am within RPO, we would always look up a potential candidates social media.

Hi MyCatsRuleTheHouse thanks for starting this thread- I've just started working in the third sector so have found it really interesting.

I have a couple of recruiter/ career questions, sorry if they are too trivial compared to what you do and please don't feel obliged to answer!

I've made a sideways move into a charity and at the moment I would like to build my longer term career within the third sector. Ideally how long should I stay in my current role before looking to progress? I enjoy working in my current organisation but realistically I don't think there will be many opportunities to progress internally.

What would you say are the key skills needed to progress within the third sector? Other than management skills. Is there anything you recommend doing outside of work to boost my CV?

I'm currently in my 20s and don't really have any contacts/friends within the sector so any advice would be appreciated!

Are you part of an international firm like Russ Reynolds? I have a friend who worked for them in NY. If not, is that a strategic disadvantage?

Thanks for the thread, btw. Very interesting.