“wiz.ard (wizərd) n. A person of exceptional or extraordinary abilities. A person who seems to perform magic."

-New Webster’s Dictionary

Wouldn’t it be grand if you had a wizard to pull off magical recruiting tricks in a hurry? I’m afraid there is no Recruiting Master on the faculty of Hogwarts. But there is an entire alliance of wizards, dedicated not to magic, but to best practices, ready to help you win the war for talent. They are ready to introduce you to blue ribbon performers in every field you can imagine. This article tells you who they are, how they can help, and how to contact them.

The best job seekers know how hard it is to find good help
You’re not the only one who knows how hard it can be to match the perfect applicant to your corporate needs. Top-shelf job seekers share your pain. These star performers are driven, even defined, by what they do. In every field, these are the best in the business.

And, like the best in any business, they are always looking for greater opportunities. But they find it hard to perform very well on the job and master the complexities of managing their careers.

New partners help top performers find and serve great organizations
That pressing need has driven the growing career coach industry for years. Career coaches help top-performers find, win, and excel in fields that are right for them—and right for the lucky firm that attracts, hires, and retains them.

Top performers embrace the idea of coaching to give them a decided edge. Coaches also take the challenge seriously. Their clients learn how to transform career accomplishments, driven by character, into value that benefits you, the next employer. Coaches and their clients work hard to present and support the applicants’ true “brands,” their authentic value in the marketplace. Both know the best match happens when hiring decision makers have compelling proof the person they hire will make the company a lot more money that it costs to recruit them. That’s why our clients have no need to inflate their résumés, no need to brag in an interview.

What’s in it for your company?
Simply put, everything you need to know about some of the best candidates in every field. That valuable information can come to you in two ways: in writing and in conversations with the coach. Let’s take them one at a time.

The first avenue is a research document. You might call it a résumé, a portfolio, a leadership addendum, a CV, or a proposal. But no matter what its name, please don’t confuse it with ineffective, unfocused résumés, the product of that sea of pernicious folklore that misleads most people when they write their own documents. Coaches and clients know there’s no need for glittering generalities, no reliance on tiresome lists of responsibilities, no tedious roster of every job ever held. They know you deserve key information to help you meet your hiring decision makers’ most challenging needs. Coaches and client have documents giving you powerful proof the applicant has mastered the problems you’ll ask him or her to solve and provide “living, breathing” evidence of performance.

After you get the résumé, you may want to speak with the coach personally. Excellent coaching takes time. In the process, the coach knows each client’s career goals, personally, their record of achievement, who can speak honestly and well for them.

An important caveat: career coaches are not independent recruiters. While they remind their clients to provide accurate information, coaches do not do background, criminal, or credit checks.

How can you tap into the Alliance?
The Career Management Alliance is tailor made for your purpose. The Alliance is the leading professional organization for career coaches, résumé writers, outplacement professionals, university career development center directors, military transition specialists…in short, nearly 700 of the best practitioners in our industry.

Alliance members are in constant touch with their colleagues through a user list. Members post questions on the list and usually get solid answers in less than 24 hours.

Now Kennedy can give you entrée to that same, powerful, resource. The first, and only, step is easy. Point your browser to www.careermanagementalliance.com. There you’ll see the link that allows you to post your requirements.

The wizards at the Alliance are eager to perform the magic of a three-way win: we want you to get a top-notch team member, we want to extend our brand as the providers of choice in career management, and we want our clients in positions worthy of their value.

Don Orlando was a career coach before the industry had a name for what he does. He helps senior and very senior professionals win the careers they have always deserved and get paid what they are worth. Published in more than 43 collections of the best résumés in the United States, Canada, and Australia, Don is dedicated to giving back to the industry he loves. He is a charter member of the Board of Directors of Career Masters Institute, writing its Code of Ethics, authoring a certification examination, writing professional articles, speaking, and mentoring others in this field. You may reach him at 334.264.2020 or yourcareercoach@charterinternet.com