How to Get Noticed by Executive Recruiters When You’re Not Actively Job Searching

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You may be successful in your currentrole, not actively applying anywhere, and still want to know what opportunitiesare available.

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That is common at the executive level.

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The challenge is making sure the rightrecruiters can understand your value before you decide you need a newposition.

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For senior professionals in finance,accounting, commercial real estate and property management, getting noticed byexecutive recruiters is less about announcing that you are looking for a joband more about making your experience, leadership scope and career directioneasy to identify.

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So, how do you get on an executiverecruiter’s radar when you are not actively job searching?

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Start with five things: professionalpositioning, searchable expertise, measurable impact, market visibility andrecruiter relationships.

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How DoExecutive Recruiters Find Candidates Who Aren’t Actively Applying?

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Executive recruiters do not rely only onapplications.

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They identify professionals whoseexperience matches the needs of a specific search. That may involve LinkedIn,professional networks, referrals, previous candidate relationships and industryresearch.

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For a senior-level search, a recruitermay be looking for a particular combination of:

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●      Leadership level

●      Functional expertise

●      Industry experience

●      Career progression

●      Geographic market

●      Team or organizational scope

●      Technical expertise

●      Relevant business accomplishments

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That is why simply having an executivetitle is not enough.

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A CFO at a privately held company, forexample, may have a very different background from a CFO overseeing complexreal estate portfolios, capital markets, acquisitions or investorrelationships. Likewise, an Asset Manager may specialize in multifamily, office,industrial or another asset class.

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Your profile should give a recruiterenough context to understand where your experience fits.

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1. Make YourExecutive Positioning Clear

When a recruiter reaches your profile,your professional positioning should be understandable quickly.

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Ask yourself:

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Could someone who does not know metell what I lead, what I specialize in and what level of responsibility I hold?

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Your headline, About section and recentexperience should clearly communicate your:

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●      Current function

●      Leadership level

●      Industry expertise

●      Areas of specialization

●      Scope of responsibility

●      Relevant business impact

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Avoid descriptions that could apply tohundreds of professionals at the same level.

Instead of:

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Finance executive with extensiveleadership experience

give enough information to establishcontext:

CFO | Commercial Real Estate |Financial Strategy, Capital Markets, FP&A and Portfolio Growth

The goal is not to pack your profile withkeywords. It is to describe your actual expertise using the terminologyemployers and recruiters use when searching for that expertise.

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GLC Executive Recruiter Brian Boomsma haspreviously advised executives to make their profiles searchable withindustry-relevant terminology while emphasizing achievements and measurableimpact—not simply job descriptions.

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3. Use theLanguage Recruiters Search For

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If an expertise area is important to yourcareer, make sure it is actually represented in your profile.

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For finance and accounting executives,relevant terminology may include:

CFO, Controller, VP Finance, FP&A,treasury, financial reporting, M&A, capital markets, investor relations,private equity and strategic finance.

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For real estate professionals, that mayinclude:

commercial real estate, assetmanagement, property management, acquisitions, development, portfoliomanagement, multifamily, industrial, office, retail and capital raising.

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Only use terms that accurately describeyour experience.

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A sophisticated recruiter will quicklyrecognize keyword stuffing. Clear professional positioning is far more usefulthan trying to appear in every possible search.

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4. Make Your Accomplishments Easy to Understand

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An executive profile should answer aquestion that a résumé full of responsibilities often does not:

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What changed because you were there?

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Depending on the role, that couldinvolve:

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●      Growing revenue

●      Improving profitability

●      Reducing costs

●      Leading an acquisition

●      Raising capital

●      Building a finance function

●      Expanding a portfolio

●      Improving occupancy or operatingperformance

●      Developing a team

●      Leading a transformation

●      Entering a new market

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Use measurable results when they areaccurate and appropriate to disclose.

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Brian’s existing guidance to executivecandidates makes the same distinction: showcase achievements with data ratherthan relying only on job descriptions.

That gives a recruiter something muchmore useful than a list of duties: evidence of the level at which you operate.

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5. Keep Your LinkedIn Profile Current Before You Need It

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Do not wait until you urgently wantanother job to update your professional presence.

New responsibilities, promotions andaccomplishments should be reflected while they are still current.

LinkedIn itself recommends keepingprofile information such as headline, experience and education updated becausethose elements contribute to how it matches professionals with opportunities.

This does not mean constantly signalingthat you want to leave.

It means keeping an accurate professionalrecord of where your career is today.

For an executive who is approachedunexpectedly about the right opportunity, that preparation matters.

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Should You Use LinkedIn Open to Work If You’re AlreadyEmployed?

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You do not need a public #OpenToWorkframe to become visible to recruiters.

LinkedIn provides a Recruiters onlyoption that allows members to share career interests with users of LinkedInRecruiter without displaying the public #OpenToWork frame.

LinkedIn says it takes steps to preventrecruiters associated with your current company from seeing those careerinterests, although it explicitly states that complete privacy cannot beguaranteed.

For an executive conducting a discreetsearch, that distinction matters.

Whether you activate the feature or not,your profile can still communicate your expertise, accomplishments andexecutive scope.

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6. Stay Visible in Your Professional Market

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You do not need to become a dailyLinkedIn content creator.

But disappearing completely can make itharder for people outside your immediate organization to understand what youknow and where you are active professionally.

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Useful visibility can include:

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●      Commenting thoughtfully onindustry developments

●      Sharing relevant professionalinsights

●      Participating in industryassociations

●      Speaking at events

●      Maintaining relationships withformer colleagues and industry peers

●      Updating significant careeraccomplishments

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Brian has advised executive candidates tostay engaged with industry discussions and maintain an active professionalpresence as part of remaining visible to recruiters.

For senior professionals, quality mattersmore than posting frequency.

One thoughtful perspective on a marketissue can communicate more expertise than frequent generic content.

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7. Build Recruiter Relationships Before You Need a Job

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One of the biggest mistakes executivescan make is waiting until they urgently need a new role before contactingrecruiters.

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A recruiter relationship can begin whileyou are perfectly comfortable where you are.

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The conversation can simply establish:

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●      What you do today

●      What you have accomplished

●      Which markets or industries youknow

●      What type of opportunity mightinterest you eventually

●      What would make a future moveworthwhile

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You are not asking the recruiter to findyou a job.

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You are giving a specialist enoughcontext to recognize when a future search might make sense for you.

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Brian describes this approach clearly:

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“Start building that relationship now,not when you need a new role.”

That is particularly relevant at theexecutive level, where the right opportunity may emerge months after an initialconversation.

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Should You Contact an Executive Recruiter If You’re NotLooking for a Job?

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Yes—if the recruiter specializes in yourmarket or function and you are genuinely open to hearing about the rightopportunity.

Keep the outreach concise.

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Explain:

●      Your current role

●      Your specialization

●      The type of opportunity you mightconsider

●      Whether your interest isconfidential

You do not need to say, “I’m looking fora job.”

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A more useful message would be:

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I currently lead finance for a commercialreal estate organization. I’m not actively searching, but I’m open to hearingabout CFO opportunities where my real estate and capital markets backgroundcould be relevant.

That tells the recruiter exactly whatthey need to know.

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8. Know What Would Actually Make You Move

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Being open to opportunities is not thesame as being willing to take any opportunity.

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Before speaking with recruiters, thinkabout what would represent a meaningful next step.

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Consider:

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●      Scope of responsibility

●      Reporting structure

●      Leadership authority

●      Company size and stage

●      Industry or asset class

●      Geographic market

●      Compensation

●      Equity or incentives

●      Team structure

●      Strategic influence

●      Career trajectory

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That clarity helps recruiters bring yourelevant opportunities rather than simply more opportunities.

It also helps you evaluate an unexpectedapproach objectively.

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9. Respond When the Right Recruiter Reaches Out

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You may receive recruiter messages thatare irrelevant.

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But when someone approaches you about arole that aligns with your experience, responding can be worthwhile even if youultimately decide not to pursue it.

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A short conversation can give you insightinto:

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●      How the market currently valuesyour experience

●      Which skills employers areprioritizing

●      Compensation expectations

●      How your background compares withcurrent demand

●      Potential future opportunities

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You can decline a position and stillbuild a valuable professional relationship.

Brian’s guidance to executive candidatesemphasizes treating recruiters as long-term market relationships rather thancontacting them only when a job search becomes urgent.

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10. Stay Market-Ready Even When You’re Happy Where You Are

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Being market-ready does not mean planningyour exit.

It means knowing your professional value,maintaining your network and being prepared to evaluate an opportunity when oneappears.

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A strong executive career strategyincludes:

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●      An accurate, current LinkedInprofile

●      A current executive résumé

●      Clear professional positioning

●      Documented accomplishments

●      Awareness of your market

●      Relationships with relevantexecutive recruiters

●      A clear understanding of whatwould make another opportunity worthwhile

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You may decide to stay exactly where youare.

But when the right opportunity comesalong, you will be in a much better position to evaluate it.

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How Do You Get Noticed by Executive Recruiters? The ShortAnswer

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If you are not actively job searching,focus on making your experience discoverable and your value understandable.

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Clearly communicate what you lead, yourindustry expertise, the scale of your responsibilities and the results you havedelivered.

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Keep your professional presence current.Stay connected to your market. Build relationships with recruiters whospecialize in your field before you need them.

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You do not need to advertise that youwant a new job.

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You need to make it easy for the rightrecruiter to recognize when the right opportunity matches you.

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Connect With GLC Executive Search

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GLC Executive Search connects experiencedprofessionals with leadership opportunities across Finance, Accounting, RealEstate and Property Management.

Not actively searching but open to theright opportunity?

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Connect with GLC Executive Search for a confidential conversation or explore current executive opportunities.

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