If you’re a leader or rising new talent accelerating in your career, chances are you've been approached by an executive recruiter. In our era of transparency, and with the rise of LinkedIn and other online professional networks, business leaders are more visible and more accessible than ever. While these platforms can be great for building your network and identifying new business ventures, they can also create confusion when you’re approached by someone you don’t know regarding a new opportunity.

As executive director of BlueSteps Executive Career Services, and with more than 20 years of experience in coaching executives worldwide on their careers, I am able to share with you inside information on what you need to know about executive-level recruiters, what to do when they approach you and how you can best approach them. 

1. They’re not all the same. Executive search, contingency or in-house recruiters? Before connecting or continuing a conversation with a recruiter, you should ask if they’re working for the particular company with the specific opening (in-house recruitment) or if they're from an outside firm (executive search or contingency firm). If they’re from an outside firm, it’s important to find out if they’re from a retained executive search firm or a contingent recruiting firm.

As a candidate, you should only connect with legitimate executive recruiters working on an exclusive basis for their clients. This will ensure that your career information will be held in the strictest confidence and will only be disclosed to a hiring organization with your consent and not divulged to third parties.

2. They work for their clients (the hiring organizations). When hiring senior executive-level talent (C-suite, VP, etc.), a client (hiring organization) may retain an executive search firm to help them find the very best talent to fill the position. Search firms are specialized management consulting firms that deliver extensive benefits beyond finding and attracting candidates -- from assessing an organization and its culture and assimilating a new leader for optimum success, to advising executive leadership and boards.

Search firms work for their clients to find top executive candidates who fill gaps in their leadership teams. Search consultants offer industry-specific knowledge and expertise to ensure the most qualified and appropriate candidate is selected. Executive search involves in-depth research, private networking, exhaustive screening and a methodically thought-out selection process to gain a prosperous outcome for the hiring organization.

The most critical thing to remember as a candidate is that a search firm does not represent you, the individual executive (at least not until you are a serious contender for the position), but instead works for their client (the hiring organization) to deliver the best possible individual for a company’s particular management role.

3. Building relationships with executive recruiters is a two-way street. Since the types of searches handled by executive search firms are not usually advertised on job boards, executives must ensure that they are visible to be considered for these opportunities. A few ways jobseekers can ensure their executive jobs search leads to a good outcome is by increasing their visibility in the following ways

• Speaking at relevant industry events or participating in conference panels.
• Presenting at key industry events or being a part of conference panels are effective ways to gain visibility. But seizing speaking opportunities also offers several other benefits. It’s a great way to expand your network, as it can help you build connections. Plus, participating in such events can get you introduced to executive recruiters who may be looking for promising candidates to fill important roles. It can also help you connect with senior executives who have decision-making powers. Who knows, you may even secure interviews for dream job opportunities. It’s not uncommon for hiring companies to be on the lookout for talent at industry events.
• Publishing thought leadership on online platforms to showcase your industry expertise.
• Do you enjoy writing? Another medium to reach the right executive recruiters is online content. Publish articles, videos or blogs pertaining to the most buzz-worthy topics in your industry. Answer commonly asked questions to reach a wide audience. In the digital age, there’s no better way to showcase subject matter expertise than educational or informative content.
• Actively participating in your industry or professional association.
• While industry or professional associations seem like an obvious choice for finding promising job opportunities, they may be the most underutilized sources. As professionals network and collaborate with each other to gain insights and keep themselves updated with upcoming trends in the market, industry or professional associations remain a top-notch destination for making new contacts and reaching executive recruiters. However, it’s important to not just join the association but also actively participate in its associated events.
• Ensuring the right fit with executive recruiters

Before you start reaching out to individual search consultants, though, it’s important to research what you both have in common. Always look for the specific areas of specialization for each search consultant. If you’re a sales and marketing executive with deep experience in technology products and services, you would want to make note of any search professionals who specialize in any of these areas: sales, marketing, technology.

The search consultants who are the best match with your background should be at the top of your networking list. It’s critical to remember that for the executive search consultant, you are “unsolicited” if you approach them. You may or may not fit a particular need that one of their clients has right now, but that doesn’t mean that something might not turn up in the future.

All executive search consultants must maintain contact with the marketplace, understand what is happening in major companies and be aware of shifts in executive trends. One way to do this is to talk to executives like yourself. When talking to a search consultant about your career, remember that they may find useful your commentary on the market, developments within particular organizations, or referrals you may be able to make concerning their current searches.

Share your knowledge and the search consultant will share theirs, and hopefully make suggestions or provide you with information that will assist your networking and career management. And, should a search come up for them that aligns with your background and expertise, you will be top of mind. For more information on how to find your next C-suite position, subscribe to BlueSteps here!

This article was originally published on the Forbes website.