Membership to BlueSteps provides an excellent way to become visible to top-level executive search firms and consultants and is an extremely valuable tool for anyone seeking a senior executive-level role. BlueSteps is the executive career management service of the global Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC). Over 8,000 executive search professionals belong to the AESC from around 300 retained executive search firms in 74 different countries. All AESC affiliated search consultants have free and exclusive access to the BlueSteps database which they use to source suitable candidates when hired by a client firm to fill a vacant executive position.

AESC member search firms work exclusively on a retained basis – this means that hiring organizations pay a retainer fee to the search firm and work exclusively with that firm to fill top leadership positions. The nature of this type of recruitment differentiates BlueSteps from other online job boards and networking sites as it is not necessarily an ‘immediate’ service. Your BlueSteps Career Profile will be in the database for the duration of your career as you never know when your individual qualifications will match up with an active executive search being handled by an AESC member firm. Unlike other services, BlueSteps also offers you a suite of tools and services to help you make connections with search firms and proactively manage your career.

Maximizing Your BlueSteps Membership

In 2011, around 35,000 profiles were viewed by AESC member executive search professionals. To maximize your chances of being seen within BlueSteps, the most important step to take it to log-in and update your profile as frequently as possible –at least once a year. It is important that the information in your profile is relevant and up-to-date and this will also increase your chances of appearing in searches, as recruiters can opt to search for profiles updated in a specific time frame.

Additionally, make sure your profile is complete. When filling out your Career Profile, you will be asked to select the industry and function you currently or previously worked in, and also those that you are interested in exploring in the future. If one industry in the drop-down list does not cover your expertise, select up to 3-5 functions and industries that are relevant to you in the target job section. There is of course a limited number of options that can be included in this list, so in this case it is best to choose the option that most closely matches your industry or function. You should also be sure to list all the countries that you would be willing to work in in the future and all the languages that you speak.

Make sure your resume/CV is full of key words. The vast majority of BlueSteps searches conducted by AESC members are done using our ‘Concept Search’ feature, which not only searches for exact terms but also related terms from your entire profile, which includes your resume/cv. Using this tool, AESC member search professionals can retrieve the maximum number of relevant profiles, so by ensuring that your resume and cover letter are rich in key words, you will be sure to appear in searches for your industry or function.

A clear, effective resume is vital for anyone seeking a new role. This should clearly convey your skills and experience and be up to date. All members of BlueSteps are eligible to receive a complimentary resume review by a member of our dedicated and highly skilled resume writing team – you can find more information about this and our other career coaching services on the following by logging into BlueSteps and clicking here.

Be proactive. As well as making your resume and career details visible to leading executive search firms in our database, you can also take a more proactive approach in getting on the radar of AESC consultants by using the Member Firm Directory that is available to  BlueSteps members. This allows you to search for and filter consultants and search firms by criteria such as industry, function and location to find those most relevant to you, and also provides you with contact details so you can begin networking with recruiters. A guide to effectively communicating with AESC search consultants is available on the BlueSteps member site.

Do Your Research: While BlueSteps is intended to be a holistic Executive Career Management service rather than a job board, we do also have an ‘Opportunities’ page of the BlueSteps site, which contains a sample of current executivesearches being handled AESC member firms. By keeping up to date on active searches, you can become familiar with the search firms who handled executive placements in your industry or region, and you can easily express interest in roles you feel you are suited to.

If you have any questions at any time about how to maximize the benefits that BlueSteps membership provides, please feel free to contact us at info@bluesteps.com.

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This article was written by Chris Storey, of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC).

BlueSteps is the exclusive service of the AESC that puts senior executives on the radar screen of over 8,000 executive search professionals in more than 75 countries. Be visible, and be considered for up to 75,000 opportunities handled by AESC search firms every year. Find out more at www.BlueSteps.com.