Lindsay Olson

Headhunting the Headhunter

The most common complaint among job seekers is not hearing back from companies or recruiters when they send out their resume or make calls. So what can you do to stand out from the rest of the pack when it comes to working with a headhunter?

According to this article in Forbes, Headhunting the Headhunter, you should develop relationships with a headhunters who specialize in your field, use your network to find them, increase your industry visibility, and maintain positive relationships by being nice when bothered and recommending others for positions that might not be a fit for you.

Find a recruiter who specializes in your industry. Ask your industry colleagues who they've worked with in the past.  Take a look at industry job boards, mainstream job sites, or simply Google search to find a specialty firm. It's important to note, not all firms use job boards to recruit. I haven't posted a PR job online on an external job board for years.

Get an introduction. Have a friend or colleague who works with the headhunter make an email introduction. Recruiter's tend to follow up with referrals more often than a generic email. If someone refers someone to me, I always feel obligated to follow up even if I don't have a position right now.

Increase your online visibility and social media savvy. Make sure you have a LinkedIN and Facebook profile and use it to reach out. If you contact me on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. directly and interact with me online, you have my attention.

Don't treat the headhunter like a pest
Maintaining a relationship with a headhunter even in good times is a smart idea. If you get a call and you aren't in the position to make a move or you're receiving a lot of calls from headhunters who don't seem to have a clue, there's a right way and a wrong way to decline the conversation. Accept the call and explain your situation and if you don't want to be contacted at work, leave your cell phone number and personal email address. You most likely won't be at the same job for the rest of your working career and it's better to be remembered as professional than a jerk (we keep detailed notes).

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Recruiting Recruiters

I found this over on Stephen Fowler's Recruitment Views

blog.

I'm not exactly sure what to think. Would you call him if he were a recruiter in your industry?

The Undercover Recruiter

Photo by Christina Campisi

If you have been working in PR long enough, surely you have been on the receiving end of a recruiting call or two. But have you ever been scouted out by a headhunter at your company holiday party posing as waitstaff with a $500 check promised to your preferred charity in return for taking a meeting? Or maybe you've been stalked out during the weekend on a biking trail or the ski slopes by that recruiter whose calls you have managed to ignore for the past four weeks?

No? Well, it happens. The Wall Street Journal recently published an article, Snack Vendor -- or Undercover Recruiter, profiling some of these crazy tactics by executive recruiters.

Personally, I don't subscribe to this method of recruiting. I've found other methods that work best for my business and my style, but it did get me thinking about how easy companies sometimes think we recruiters have it.

My company recently placed a PR Manager with a technology company who I approached for business, knowing there was a position open and I knew the perfect candidate for the job. Within two weeks, the deal was signed and closed. When the client called to give me the final details on the offer, she added "I know this one must have been easy for you, so good for you!"

Easy? It wasn't as easy as it appeared. It was a relationship years in the making and if she only knew the entire history behind finding that candidate and what it took to get there! For the next post...