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Getting Noticed By Headhunters

Hamish Davidson, Chairman of Davidson & Partners, exposes the secret world of headhunters.

The telephone rings. A voice at the other end checks if it is convenient to talk, starts to describe the job of your dreams, and enquires if you might be interested.

Well, maybe it doesn’t always go as perfectly as that. The ‘voice’ may forget to ask how convenient it is to chat, or the job they want to discuss is too junior for you. Like so many things in life, when you don’t want to hear from the head-hunters, they seem to phone constantly, yet when you’re looking for something new, the calls never seem to materialise. But putting that aside, how do the head-hunters know about you? Why did they pick you on this occasion?

Head-hunters tend to use two techniques to identify candidates. One of these is desk research where they will use a variety of directories, telephone lists, membership lists, annual reports, etc to identify individuals of an appropriate level within specific industries or sectors. Indeed, if you are at Finance Director or Financial Controller level, then the chances are you can be identified relatively easily and therefore can easily be picked up by a head-hunter.

The other method is sourcing. Here, a head-hunter will talk to a large number of people who will in turn provide ideas and comments on prospective candidates. These people may be in associated or similar fields. For instance in finance, a head-hunter may talk to industry specialists for a general view, bankers and stockbrokers for a City perspective and other accountants for a technical assessment. They may even talk to analysts and journalists for the public perception of an individual. Sourcing may go further than this, where Non Executive Directors and Chairmen may be spoken to, or even people who have recently left a major organisation, since they will be able to comment upon colleagues they have left behind.

There is a common misconception that to be ‘spotted’ by a head-hunter, you should send them your CV. This way they can keep you on file or on their database. While this may have worked when you were relatively junior, in all honesty, it is less likely to work at a senior level. A head-hunter who merely looks at candidates on their ‘database’ and produces a short list via this method is very likely to be challenged by their clients as to how thoroughly the search has been conducted. So even if they have your CV, the chances are that a good head-hunter will do a great deal of further checking and sourcing before deciding whether or not to contact you.

Realistically, not everyone will be head-hunted. If you are at a junior level, or are performing your job in a mediocre way, don’t expect too many calls. Equally, those who keep themselves to themselves, have few outside contacts and don’t do any networking are generally less likely to be on the receiving end of a call from a head-hunter. Seriously effective people who are known to be good in their jobs, on the other hand, are more likely to get noticed and get talked about.

The critical lesson is that to be noticed, you need to network – and network with the right people. Think about the next job you would like to do. Then imagine you are the head-hunter handling that role. Who would you speak to in order to help identify potential candidates? Now see to what extent you can include some of these people in your own personal networking activities.

You don’t necessarily have to announce to your network that you are seeking another job. But the occasional subtle hint such as “My job is beginning to become routine and I will probably need to start thinking about moving on in a year or two,” can often sow a seed that will develop. Just seeming and being approachable and accessible helps. Even think about using your network to ask for advice. People are often flattered to be sought out in this way and if you ask them what sort of job you should be thinking about next, they will remember you as someone who could be susceptible to the head-hunter’s call.

Also, get yourself noticed through raising your profile. Try and get asked to speak at conferences (providing you are a good public speaker and your speeches are not too boring!). Alternatively, writing articles in journals, developing and implementing innovative ideas or taking on external responsibilities such as sitting on a quango, can all help. Remember that there is a risk element associated with this and if you perform badly, it could get you remembered for the wrong reasons. But bear in mind also that many of those who get to the top are prepared to take a calculated risk from time to time. Luck also helps, such as being in the right place at the right time – but remember too that to be lucky, you have to be active. Sitting at your desk, never speaking to anyone and never doing anything does not ‘create’ luck.

Some other hints that are worth remembering are:

• Networking is a two-way process. There will be times when you will be called upon to help others and you should respond to these requests. Networking is for life – not just for job-hunting. Abuse your networks at your peril! So rather than thinking about what other people can do for you, how about thinking about what you can do for other people. Build, in other folk, a sense of why they should ‘want’ and ‘feel obliged’ to try and do something for you.

• Keep your CV up to date. This not only helps focus the mind on your strengths and weaknesses, but you never know when you might need it.

• Take the calls from the head-hunters. The job may not be of interest this time, but developing relationships with two or three head-hunters and being prepared to act as a source for other jobs they are handling will absolutely be of benefit at a later date.

Hamish Davidson, Chairman of Davidson & Partners.

Contact him at mailto:hamishid@googlemail.com or 07932 698 807

January 2010

Posted: January 19th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Headhunters | Tags: , , , , , , | No Comments »