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If you’re considering a job change, there’s a good chance you’ll work with a recruiter or executive search consultant. These professionals are often gateways to opportunities because they evaluate talent to recommend to their clients (who are the companies with job openings, not individual job seekers), and so they can be vital to your job search.

To ensure you stand out in the talent pool, we asked some leading executive search professionals to share their insights and expertise on what separates strong candidates from the weak ones.

A successful interview depends on how well you prepare for it, including how and what you research. A cursory review of topline information about a company may help you to kick-off a conversation, but it won’t sustain it. Spending time to gain in-depth knowledge not only conveys your degree of interest in the position, but it also influences the types of conversations you’ll have with interviewers.

So what is deep-dive research and how can the information help during an interview?

A strong network is essential throughout your career, whether you’re looking for a new job or board seat, sourcing talent or vendors, seeking new business or speaking engagements – or even helping someone secure an internship. Yet, people regularly admit to us that they’ve let their networks lapse…

Writing a thank you note after a job interview is not optional. This expression of gratitude after an interview is not only good manners, it’s good strategy, keeping you top-of-mind with a potential employer. The thank you note is your opportunity to reinforce why you’re a strong candidate and reiterate your interest in the role you’ve interviewed for.

You know that a strong resume is vital as you market yourself for a new job, but how do you know if yours is the best it can be? In less than half a second, a Google search for “resume writing advice” yields 1.89 million results. Instead of scrolling through a virtually endless list to figure out what to pay most attention to, here are 10 strategic essentials for what you should — and shouldn’t — do to ensure your resume makes the strongest possible first impression.

You benefit from a strong and current professional image whether or not you’re looking for a new job. Don’t wait until you’re considering a professional change to think about your public persona and how you’re perceived by others.

When you take time to assess and enhance your professional image, you’ll gain a competitive advantage, whether you aim to seek new clients, business opportunities, speaking engagements, managing accounts or — of course — consider a new job or board role. Executive and board search firms, who proactively seek out talent, may take notice of your current and consistent presentation, too.

As an executive or experienced professional, you’ve heard that serving on a board benefits your career. Perhaps you’ve been asked to serve in this capacity or are considering a search – be it for a corporate entity, advisory board or nonprofit – and you’re enticed by the potential benefits. However, since pursuing a board position requires a considerable investment of time and effort, you may ask yourself: is the payoff worth it?

Determining when and if it’s time for a job change isn’t easy. Various factors influence timing of a job search, including your level of experience, industry, competitive landscape, market climate and seasonality.

When interviewing for a new job, you’ll likely encounter at least one round over the phone. The key to acing a phone interview is to treat it as if it were an in-person conversation and prepare for it the same way. Since a phone interview can determine whether or not you move forward as a candidate, it’s worth your extra time and attention.

We’re on our phones a lot. We text, email, use apps, take pictures and sometimes even use our phones to call and speak with people. As integral as this device has become to our lives, there’s a time and place to be on it, especially when in professional settings. As our world becomes increasingly digital, opportunities for face-to-face engagement are becoming even more important. If you find yourself choosing a screen over participating in a conversation, you may miss out on potential business, job and professional opportunities.