Do you love your work and consider yourself to be the best of the best? Have you heard of people within your industry being ‘headhunted’ for a job with better prospects and a higher salary? You’ll often find that headhunting takes place most in niche industries (like SAP or Oracle with www.lhenterprisesolutions.com) where it’s difficult to come by dedicated professionals. I bet you’re wondering why this has never happened to you! Being headhunted isn’t always just down to the headhunter to do their home work. If you want to be headhunted then you’re going to have to put in some ground work. Here’s how:
#1 Be Seen
To be headhunted you can’t just rely on the investigative eye of the headhunter to spot you through the thousands, you have to be visible, don’t make their life too difficult. So, how do you stand out from the crowd? Attend industry events, network with all the right people, and hand out your business card wherever possible. Make sure you make yourself stand out as an expert in your field as well, give talks on your profession, produce whitepapers and host seminars. This will make it difficult for the headhunters to miss you.
#2 Online Persona
Although it may not be completely ethical, headhunters and their clients are always going to be looking at your online profiles to see if you’re the ‘man’ for the job. If you have personal online profiles such as Facebook, make sure the privacy settings are such that only your friends can see. For more public/professional profiles make sure they reflect your professional persona. Keep them up-to-date with your latest experience, skills and education. Your online personas can also be an excellent platform for networking, so make the most of them.
#3 Research
Do your research… The headhunter will have to do their research, so to make sure you’re visible on their radar, do yours. Find out who the key players are within your industry; establish where they work, rest and play, and make sure you’re there to. Give yourself an excuse to introduce yourself to them, whether it’s a social or networking event, make sure you’re there.
#4 Contactable
You may want to play a little hard to get with any headhunter, you always want what you can’t have! But don’t play so hard to get that they can’t get hold of you. If you have a Linkedin profile leave an email or works mobile number for any prospective headhunters to see. If you’ve been doing your job right and handing out your business cards at networking events, it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to find you.
#5 Be the Best
This goes without saying really, if you’re not the best at what you do, you’re not going to get headhunted. Stay ahead of your game; keep your skills, education, and CV up-to-date. Educate others where you can to ensure you are seen as a leader in your field of expertise.
Best of luck! But remember, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side… so when you’re meeting with ‘the headhunter’ try not to get too carried away with all the excitement, question them on the position, the salary and the benefits package. If they can’t match your needs, it may not be your time to be headhunted.
Author Bio: Leah Jarratt is a regular guest writer for Lawrence Harvey, specialist recruitment agency.