Senior professionals who change jobs can apply directly or work with a consultant. Both routes lead to a new employer. A consultant adds information, a stronger negotiating position and a faster process that an application on your own rarely brings.
Applying directly
Applying directly works well when you already know the employer, know someone on the team, or the role is published exactly as you want it. You then go through the employer's standard process: an application form, a first conversation with HR and the interview rounds the employer has set.
What a consultant adds
A consultant speaks with employers and professionals in one market every day. For you as a candidate, that brings the following.
Information up front
You hear what the employer values, how the team works and what the interviews cover before you walk in. You prepare on what matters to them, and you ask the questions that matter to you.
A stronger negotiating position
A consultant knows what roles like yours pay in your market. You prepare the conversation about your offer together, so salary, hours and terms match your experience.
A faster process
A consultant has short lines to the people who decide. Feedback after an interview comes within days, and the next round is planned while the conversation is still fresh. When an interview does not lead to an offer, you hear why, so the next conversation goes better.
Control over your CV
Your CV goes only to employers you say yes to. Before an introduction, the consultant checks where you have already applied, so your details never reach the same employer by a second route.
A role that fits
A job ad describes what an employer thinks it needs. In conversation, a consultant sets your goals next to that need. Sometimes the role shifts with it, in scope, title or team.
What a consultant does not change
A consultant works with the employers in their own market. A role at a company outside that circle is still yours to apply for directly. The interviews stay yours as well, and so does the decision: the employer chooses, and you choose whether to accept.
Which route suits you
- Do you know the employer and the role well? Apply directly.
- Do you want to compare options, prepare with someone who knows the employer, or negotiate from a stronger position? Talk to a consultant.
- Combine both if you like, as long as your consultant knows where you have applied.