Recruiters and talent partners focus on A talent. They only want candidates who they are confident will resonate with clients / hiring managers. If candidates don’t present well, it will reflect badly on the recruiter so they rarely take chances.
We love helping candidates present better
Whispered works with A level executives but we also love helping executives with strong skills/background who need a little help in how they present themselves. It adds diversity to the candidate pool and gives a helping hand to those who can quickly leverage the coaching to create new career possibilities.
Areas where we’ve found we can successfully “polish” a candidate include:
Guiding them on career clarity
Focusing them on a specific role
Ensuring their focus aligns with their background
Guiding them on how to be positive
Helping them nail their talk track
Helping them understand how to collaborate with recruiters
Teaching them how to ask the right questions
Recruiters also recognize that candidates can stand out with a little tactical coaching. We’ve shared this “polishing B candidate” approach with recruiters and it deeply resonates with them too.
You only get one chance to impress recruiters and companies so make sure they see you as top talent right away. Check out the articles linked above to see where you can improve. And, if you think you can be an A (or Polishable B candidate), we invite you to submit your career thesis to Whispered. We will give you direct feedback on where you can improve and share how Whispered can help.
Candidates We’ve Found Our Model Doesn’t Work For
On the flip side, there are certain traits that Whispered has found aren’t quickly coachable. These include:
Lots of short stints at companies
"(A number of <1 year roles) tells you everything about someone. If you are smart... you should know how to vet a founder.... If you have a succession of 1 year roles, I don't want to see your bio. You need to go prove you can stay somewhere and make a contribution first." Andy Price, Artisanal Talent (see 52:33 in this podcast for the candid recruiter take)
No experience at recognizable companies
Lack of demonstrated growth (in level and scope)
Not articulate
Not open to feedback
Not intellectually curious
Seeking a career transition (you can definitely leverage Whispered's tactics to make a career transition)
"It's very hard for these candidates to break through - and often times requires a reference from someone notable or who has strong experience at recognizable companies. In other words, you'll need people vouching for you to stand out if you have any of the above limiting you." Top VC Talent Partner
Need more personalized coaching?
For these candidates, we often recommend more engaged career coaching (see the differences between Whispered and career coaches) to help you have the best chances of landing that great next executive career.
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