Ask-A-Recruiter: Where Do You Meet Corporate Decision-makers?

Contributed by Caroline Ceniza-Levine of SixFigureStart

At a recent virtual coaching workshop, an attendee asked about meeting executives.  I answered with advice on how to research decision-makers within a company and how to approach them, using online networking as the example.  But then the follow-up question indicated that she meant something very different:  where do the corporate decision-makers hang out?

First of all, I assume that one is looking for corporate decision-maker hang-outs so they can meet executives in person so that ultimately they can develop a productive, long-term relationship.  If that is the case, then my first advice is not to limit yourself to live gatherings but to remember the value of online networking as well.

That said, if you are looking to do live networking, the best source is a targeted professional group.  There often are several so you need to think about your needs and research the groups accordingly:

Be specific in your target.  The more specific you can be, the more easily you can research and screen for a group that meets your needs.  So financial services is general, investment management is one cut, and a further cut might be alternative investments.  If you know you specifically want alternative investment executives, try to find that specific a group and see if it has a big enough membership to sustain your networking efforts

Check for quantity.  You don’t want to just go for the biggest groups, but networking is a numbers game.  You want to meet many people because you don’t know exactly whom you will click with.  You also want to ensure that the group is active and has enough events that you have the chance to encounter new people and deepen relationships with members you have already met. 

Check for quality.  What level are the members?  Some groups have more junior memberships.  Some groups are exclusive to C-suite, with five- or six-figure membership fees to match.  Figure out what “executive” means to you and find the group that matches that level.  What are the events?  Some groups have very structured workshops and events with meaty content-sharing and/ or systematic networking opportunities.  Other groups are less organized and more social. 

You don’t need to limit yourself to one professional group, but it is better to go narrow and deep rather than flit from group to group.  Networking is best over the long-term so if you spread yourself across groups you may never reap the benefit of more dedicated members. 

Finally, whatever you decide to do (offline versus online, higher-level versus peers, structured versus unstructured) should be based on your personal preferences and your professional goals.  Your preferences reveal where you will be most comfortable and therefore most likely to enjoy and continue the networking.  However your professional goals reveal whether or not you need to stretch out of your comfort zone and pick a group that may feel less natural but is what you need for now.  Remember, it is typically the levels above you that hire you and make purchasing decisions.  So you need to get to these levels, even if you are less comfortable doing so. 

Caroline Ceniza-Levine is co-founder of SixFigureStart, a career coaching firm comprised exclusively of former Fortune 500 recruiters. Prior to launching SixFigureStart, Caroline recruited for Accenture, Booz Allen, Citigroup, Disney ABC, Oliver Wyman, Time Inc, TV Guide and others.  You can reach Caroline at caroline@sixfigurestart.com