canadian headhunter

What We Said

An Ottawa recruiter has published a book advising job-hunters to stop networking and start marketing themselves.

The book helps technology professionals look for work using target marketing methods, the same strategies used by headhunters. Basically, target marketing means approaching the senior executives who make hiring decisions, instead of networking.

"Typically, most people now network and, if everyone is unemployed or everybody is looking, it is difficult to network in that kind of environment. I'm teaching you how to be your own recruiter," says the jovial Mr. Perry, who runs his own executive search firm, Perry-Martel International Inc.

"It's all about closing the deal. If you can't close, it's just another coffee."


Mike and I have been telling candidates this for years. If you want to get hired you should really be marketing yourself directly to the hiring authority. Of course that is easier said than done because what you are doing is essentially selling yourself and not everyone is a born salesman. But think about it this way: A sales person has to close a deal everyday and once he closes a deal he has to go out and do it again. All you have to do as a job hunter is close one deal and then you are finished. Not everyone can sell but everyone can close at least one deal.


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