Regina Angeles is CEO of Talent2050, an executive search firm that provides multicultural recruiting solutions for online and traditional media companies. Regina recruits for Director to C-level positions in ad sales, marketing, business development, strategy, licensing and general management. Clients include Univision, TED Conferences, BBC Worldwide, MTV, Take-Two Interactive, and Skyrockit.
1 What do you know about the job search process as a recruiter that you wish more jobseekers knew?
There are two things that jobseekers should keep in mind
I – a job search has many similarities to creating and executing a successful marketing strategy. You must have a plan that includes target contacts, target companies and action items.
- What is your brand and how do you position yourself vis-à-vis other candidates?
- Who are your audiences (i.e. hiring manager, recruiter, 3rd party recruiter, networking contact, your personal networks)? Your communications should be tailored to each audience and contain an action item. But, your communications, whether it is email or phone or personal introduction, should be clear and concise.
II – Your interview style should demonstrate board-level presentation skills which means you should synthesize the big ideas upfront then go into the details.
For example, I ask everyone to walk me through the transitions in their career and highlight the experiences and skills most relevant to the search I am currently recruiting for. Most candidates will sometimes start at their college graduation and talk about every excruciating move – I want the broad strokes – what ties together all these moves? What are the overarching themes in your career arc – are there a set of skills that serve you well regardless of the circumstances – those are your areas of expertise.
Whenever you are interviewing, act like you already have the job and think of the things you would for the first 90 days, six months etc? Have ideas and a point of view of the business and interesting trends that may impact it.
2 What is an example of something a strong candidate did very well or that impressed you?
I recently recruited a Branding Manager + Community Builder for TEDx and the successful candidate created a video describing her interest and experience in the format of a TED talk. She connected the dots for the hiring manager in such a way that it was clear she “got it” – she understood the platform that TED used and tied it to the role she was being hired for.
3 What is a pet peeve or dealbreaker that candidates may unwittingly or carelessly do?
Candidates who don’t spend any time researching the client company before our first interview.
4 Many jobseekers spend a lot of time fretting about the resume. Is this a good idea? What is another area (interviewing, networking, follow-up, online profile, company research, etc) that you recommend jobseekers spend significant time on?
Candidates should invest time in building a robust online profile, especially on LinkedIn. Third-party and corporate recruiters continue to rely on LinkedIn as a sourcing and referencing tool. Make sure your profile contains keywords that will make you searchable.
5 What is one favorite piece of advice you’d like to share with jobseekers to make them more effective in their searches (and better candidates for yours)?
Conducting a job search requires you to be proactive, especially in times of high unemployment. Your networking strategy should be very targeted. Instead of categorizing your contacts as friends, family, former co-workers, alumni, etc take it a step further and categorize them as potential hiring managers, corporate HR, 3rd party recruiters, board members/C-level, references, super-connectors, influencers, mentors. Who are the contacts that will jumpstart your introductions into target companies?
Next week’s Recruiter Interview features Toni Thompson, McCann Erickson NY (advertising).
About Caroline Ceniza-Levine
