How to get headhunted
By Jane E. Frazer | smh.com.au | 19 January
Image: Andrew Quilty
Once upon a time an encounter with a headhunter was something to be feared, but approaches from the headhunters of today are welcomed - even encouraged - by those looking for their next career moves.
Of course, the new headhunters work in the recruitment industry. They try to link their targets to lucrative executive roles in exchange for healthy commissions from the employers.
Headhunters have been particularly active in recent times, with strong economic growth and a global skills shortage creating demand for experienced executives across just about all industries.
Companies are increasingly turning to headhunters to fill key roles, even middle-management positions that would have previously been deemed unworthy of such resources, and all recruitment firms have had to adopt headhunting practices to some degree.
"Nowadays it's really hard to be a recruiter without doing some sort of headhunting because it's a really tight market," says Chris Le Coic, executive general manager of Chandler Macleod's human resources recruitment.
"You can't just place an advertisement and wait for people to apply."
Nearly half of those who responded to a recent survey by the career and networking website linkme.com.au said they had been headhunted for roles at some stage in their careers, while 76 per cent said they would like to be headhunted for new jobs.
Headhunting and other recruitment activity is expected to heat up after the Australia Day public holiday, when many people start to change jobs or begin looking around for new positions after a summer break or unsatisfactory pay rises. It is a candidates' market, presenting great opportunities for career development and increased rewards.
But if your phone is not ringing, how do you know if you are on the headhunters' radars? If you are determined to make 2008 the year of the "big move", how can you be sure your name will be on the shortlist when your perfect job comes up?
Chris Adams, a director of Derwent Executive, says the best way to ensure you are noticed is to excel in your current job. Derwent and other executive search agencies invest considerable resources in research teams tasked with identifying and watching key players across different industries.
Adams says while 60 per cent of candidates come to his agency via job advertisements and other means, 40 per cent are approached directly after being spotted by the team.
"If you are doing a great job, you will get found," he says. "It is still a candidates' market. If you are someone with a good skill set, you are going to be in demand and people will be making phone calls."
Adams also says those looking for new jobs should not be afraid to send their CVs to agencies as this will not reflect negatively on them.
Daoud Edris, a senior principal recruiter with Hamilton James & Bruce, says how active you are in your job search should depend on your level of seniority. He believes the more senior you are, the more subtle you should be.
"In my experience, it's the passive job seekers who are more desirable because they're usually the high-calibre talent; they're not looking around because they're valued by their current employers."
Edris says an executive looking for a new role should choose one recruitment firm to act as his or her job search "advocate" and should concentrate on raising his or her profile in the industry. This could be through attending networking functions, getting articles published and going to key industry conferences and events. "For executives, it's about making your voice heard in the industry."
Five ways to raise your profile and improve your prospects:
* Be seen at key industry events and conferences.
* Make yourself available for discussion panels.
* Get articles published in industry journals.
* Make yourself available to speak at conferences and seminars.
* Do media interviews on relevant topics.
First published by Smh.com.au on January 19 2008
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