Secret Job Hunt

Hi. I’m the daughter of a high level executive banker. Right now I am trying to do a little research for him on the possibility of finding a new position in Western New York. Yup, that’s right, Western New York. Hey, I’ve got his new little grand kids hostage out here *smile*…so there is a draw.

The problem here is that my Dad is used to having headhunters call him. He’s never had to contact someone to find employment & we are trying to do this discreetly. Any suggestions? I’ve been reading your blog & you seem pretty savvy (and funny).

I'll do anything for someone who thinks I'm savvy and funny, so send me his resume and I'll personally find him a job! All right, just kidding. As I am not a recruiter, nor a head hunter, I'm not the world's best source. But here are some thoughts.

Where in Western NY? Buffalo? Rochester? North Tonawanda? If you insist on the latter you may be in for a tough search.

But, really, this is not unlike any other job search, it's just targeted geographically. He's used to head hunters contacting him--then he should have a file of head hunters (or at least a stack of business cards). Have him contact them (not you--that gets his resume thrown in the trash) and tell them he's looking for a job in that area.

It won't hurt and it might help.

The number one way to find a job is through networking, so you can't do it too stealthily. If you are already in Western NY, start talking to everyone you know. This includes your neighbors, your friends at church, your dry cleaner. "Oh, we are hoping Dad will move up here soon. He needs to find a job as District Manager in retail sales," you say, "do you know anybody who does anything like that?"

"Oh yes," someone will say. "My brother-in-law works for Bunnies R Us, and since they won their lawsuit against Toys "backwards R" Us (the court said the direction the R faced DID matter) they've been on a hiring spree."

"Oh, excellent, can I give you his resume?"

Honestly and truly, I once got a call from someone who said, "Your real estate agent gave me your phone number. He said you worked for [big company]. My contact at [competing big company] is ending in a month. Would you mind passing on my resume?" I said sure, took his resume, looked at it, sent it on to the recruiter (he was looking for a job in a department I didn't have a personal relationship with) and a few weeks later, he was hired. He went to church with my real estate agent. If he had kept his mouth shut, he wouldn't have gotten in the door.

My company gets over 1,000 resumes a week, so if you apply to our website, a recruiter may never even see it. While I didn't have a personal relationship with the department this guy worked with, I do have a personal relationship with my fellow HR people in staffing.

Now, once you've called the headhunters and started talking to everyone you know, have your father start researching companies in the area. Pick the two he would most like to work for and network yourself inside the door.

Tell him to subscribe to the newsletter at Ask the Headhunter. I think Nick is brilliant and helpful. He'll give you ideas on how to target specific companies.

And if your father is successful, I hope he likes garbage plates and white hots. Yum on the latter, but once you're older than 21 the former become impossible to eat.