'Dear Career Coach,

There are no opportunities currently in my company and one of my contacts has suggested contacting an executive recruiter.'

Dear Career Coach

I have been a manager in my firm for five years and I think it is time I found a position that would move me further up the corporate ladder. There are no opportunities currently in my company and one of my contacts has suggested contacting an executive recruiter. I'm not sure how to go about it and would like your advice.

There are several routes to think about when you are job searching and using the services and connections of an experienced recruiter is certainly one of them. A good recruiter is in the business of building strong, long-term relationships with both their candidates and clients and ensuring a good match between the two.

It is important to bear in mind that most recruiters are engaged by companies and are paid only when they produce candidates that meet the criteria of their corporate clients. Therefore, if you have the kind of experience and skills that are sought after by the clients they work for, you are far more likely to generate positive interest from an executive recruiter or headhunter.

As a result, before approaching a recruiter, make sure that you are clear about your experience and your capabilities in applying for a more senior role than your current job. Have you thought about the key competencies needed in the next level up? Will there be technical qualifications that would be required in your line of work and do you have these? What evidence can you offer from your current role that will illustrate your ability to take on more seniority and responsibility?

The main objective for a recruiter is to find the right fit for the company that will be paying them, and not necessarily to find you a job. This means that the clearer you are about what you can offer to a company and the better crafted your CV is, the more you will help a recruiter to find the right opportunity for you.

Like any service, recruiters come in varying shades of quality and it is a good idea to use your network and contacts to get a referral to a good recruiter and, preferably, one who knows your industry and sector very well or has links to companies that you are interested in joining. Social media sites like LinkedIn offer an excellent route to identifying internal and executive recruiters across many sectors.

Be prepared to take ownership and to manage your relationship with your recruiter closely. You should ensure that you are kept informed of any companies that they want to send your details to so that you are not finding multiple copies of your CV going to one company – and perhaps one you are already approaching through your network.

Finding the next right move could take some time so start now and be proactive about establishing good relationships with trusted recruiters, so that you are well positioned for the next big role to come along.

All the best!