It’s time for me to address job boards. There are numerous types of job boards that a candidate can look at. There are the paid job boards and the free job boards. There are job boards on specific firms’ websites, then there are job boards on many recruiters’ sites. Depending on your status, length of your career and history as well as experience; you should be taking advantage of these different job boards when you are looking for a new position. Rest assured that most positions are not advertised on a job board when you are talking about a senior level individual. For example, our website has suggested positions yet not necessarily actual jobs. This is due to the fact that we have the ability to create positions for the right candidates.
Paid & Free Job Boards
Let us start off discussing the paid job boards. If you are able to identify a specific niche that you want to go after, a job board may be worthwhile to invest in. That is if you find yourself in the unfortunate position of losing a job and having to replace one immediately. For example, there are numerous paid legal job boards that I am aware of; however, there were less paid job boards dealing with the investment banking professional. Skipping from the paid job boards, there are many job boards such as Indeed, Monster, LinkedIn and others alike that you can upload your resume for free (in hopes to be contacted by recruiters in your area of expertise). You can also search those websites for your specific job function. However, you must remember that most senior level positions are not advertised.
The Job Board Of A Specific Firm
The next location for finding job boards is to identify certain firms that you are interested in and go to their career section. Within their career page, they generally have jobs posted along with the qualifications you must have and the location that you would be working from. Another advantage of the company job board is that you can immediately upload a resume as well as a cover letter emphasizing your experience. Although, what we have found is that most human resource individuals are looking for reasons not to hire a specific candidate rather than to hire one. Sometimes when dealing with a commercial bank, they are required by their charter to post any openings for a specific limited period of time (when indeed they have already filled that position). Barring the above, applying to company websites without a follow up conversation with the hiring manager usually will yield no immediate results.
Specialized Recruiters & Their Job Board Options
The next location is to identify specialized recruiters in your area of expertise. Most recruiters will post their current job openings. Again, they typically will list the requirements to get hired and the location of the position. However, they will not list the firm that is looking to hire. The recruiter is doing this to induce you to submit your resume online. Many times, they are looking to increase their database of potential candidates for positions in the future. Some recruiters, however, do have actual positions they are advertising, and you may be lucky enough to fill one of those. If you should find a position that you are considered qualified for, it is my recommendation rather than submitting a resume and a cover letter to actually call that recruiter and introduce yourself. By not relying on just your resume and/or cover letter, you may be able to entice a recruiter to want to do business with you. You want to open up the opportunity for them to share with you other openings that they may be aware of yet are not sharing on their job board.
For example, our job board at H Friedman Search we only post positions that we have filled in the past and are capable of filling in the future. We clearly state these are not actual positions since everything we do as mentioned above is opportunistic. Whether you are a public finance banker, institutional salesperson, municipal financial advisor, bond counsel, or any other public finance professional; the firms that we represent will open up offices anywhere in the United States for qualified candidates. Depending on your seniority, if you are out of a position, whether RIF’d or terminated, you should take advantage of at least one or two of the above job board options while conducting your employment search. On the other hand, if you are currently employed, the only methodology that we recommend is working with a recruiter that will keep your information and your desire for a new position completely confidential.
Conclusion
If you would like to discuss your options, please reach out for a confidential conversation at 760-477-1284 or email at [email protected]. He can also be reached on LinkedIn. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here, which is a compilation of our weekly blogs so you never miss one.
About Harlan Friedman, JD & Founding Member, H. Friedman Search LLC. Harlan is a thirty-year veteran Public Finance Banker turned recruiter who specializes in the placement of all level Public Finance Bankers, Health Care Bankers, Municipal Financial Advisors, Compliance Officers, Issuers, and Bond Counsels.