How to be Headhunted

The process, according to the authors, is becoming much more transparent and accepted as part of routine business life. However, headhunters tend to seek out individuals for positions worth more than £50,000 a year, so if you’re earning a lot less than that, you may first need to earn a promotion or two the hard way.

Be the best

Honing your skills and reaching the top of the tree will get you noticed and improve your chances of being headhunted. Alternatively, having a rare but in-demand skill will also get you on the radar.

Get out there

You need to make headhunters aware of you. Getting yourself published, talking to the media and speaking at conferences will all get you noticed, and any recommendations from industry experts will all go a long way.

A bit of discreet advertising can also go far. There’s no harm in promoting yourself, but you need to be careful about which companies you give your details to. It’s important to be convinced of a headhunter’s confidentiality and integrity and their expertise in your sector. You can find a free directory of headhunters online or by talking discretely to your colleagues and contacts.

Plan ahead

If you're just starting out, make sure you plan your career. “Highly respected universities and business schools count for a lot, especially for younger candidates in the early stages of their career,” says Nancy Garrison Jenn in her book Headhunters and How to Use Them. Join a company that will further your career prospects with a good training scheme so that you can develop your expertise.

Use your EI

Emotional intelligence is very important and can set you apart from competitors, according to Jenn. “Many search firms believe that high emotional intelligence is the biggest differentiator of attractiveness in a candidate,” she says.

Use the net

Make sure that you're easy to find online. If your company has a biography section on its website, make sure you're featured on it. If that’s not possible, use a networking website like Linkedin to make yourself available online.

Refresh your CV

Have a hard think about how you are going to present yourself and how you will compile your CV. Focus on your unique attributes. Forget vague generalisations, such as “I’m a good team player”, and concentrate on your achievements: “I manage a team of 12 software developers” or “I increased revenue in my department by 10 per cent in one year”.

Your CV should include a one-page summary and two or three more pages detailing your career to date.

For more information see UK Net Guide’s feature on writing the perfect CV.

Hunt them down

Once your CV has been perfected, you can then approach headhunters directly, and they can clearly see what you have to offer.

Another way of catching the attention of headhunters is to approach them through a third party known to both of you. This makes you harder to be ignored and more likely to be done a favour.

In the end, however, the best way to come to a headhunter’s attention is to be good at your current job. Always think about how you can become more visible. Speak at conferences and join any relevant bodies or organisations and always be polite and civil to people you meet through your job – you never know who you might be talking to.

Seek out ways to hone and enhance your current skills. Good headhunters make it their business to identify potential stars of the future years before they make an approach. If you are good at your job, headhunters are far more likely to come calling on you.

If you are not good enough to be headhunted now why not use our job search to find a new job with better career prospects.