There are not many Lean Six Sigma Professionals on the open market or at least not for long before they are snatched up quickly. The skills and leadership of Black Belts, Master Black Belts, and experienced Deployment Champions are in such high demand, that they are usually placed in a new role in less than 2 weeks.

Therefore recruiters need to plan a strategy to target these candidates. Here are some pointers.

1. Build a relationship in advance - since most are working an existing job and are very busy, establish some trust by understanding their goals and timeline.

2. Most Lean Six Sigma Professionals are on a 1-2 year rotation, so find out where they are in their rotation and when they want to begin reviewing job opportunities.

3. Do not bombard them with uninvited calls and e-mails of potential jobs they should consider or if they know any others that could be a good fit. This is a major turnoff. It is better to discuss the kinds of positions they are interested and the specifics that they are interested in, such as if relocation is involved, travel, compensation range, reporting structure, etc... Then if not a fit for them, understand why so you can improve on locating the right fit.

4. Be careful with terminology. It is common that different organizations call the same skill a different name, so check for understanding or clarifications. For example, an employer is seeking a Kaizen Leader - this is also known as a Lean Sensei, TPS Practitioner, and Rapid Improvement Event Facilitator. Review the job descriptions with an experienced Master Black Belt (MBB) to ensure you understand the job description so you can match the right candidate qualities and experience.

There are of course many more tips with working with these high performing individuals, so please add your builds for others to benefit.