How To Deal With Head Hunters

For many individuals a call from a head hunter can be a daunting and uncomfortable experience. Without any prior knowledge or indexicology of such a situation, receiving a phone call from a head hunter can be an alien experience and hard to react to; most people’s experience in the job market comes either from agency work or through direct application to advertised jobs. Due to this there are a number of aspects and protocols that should be taken into consideration when a head hunter calls.

Knowing what they want

Many people presume that a call from a head hunter is as good as a direct job offer. This is not the case and, thusly, an individual should not act as if it were. Head hunters more often than not call a number of individuals from a list they have compiled in order to “feel out” a few of them – to see if they are happy in their current job and if they would consider a move elsewhere. Treating an initial interaction prematurely as a solid job offer can result in an awkward situation later on for all parties.

Treat Every Interaction Like An Interview

Just because a head hunter’s phone call is not a direct job offer or, indeed, even a formal interview it does not mean that every interaction with a head hunter should not be treated with the utmost professionalism, courtesy and respect. A head hunter’s call is used to “feel out” candidates to see if they have the appropriate qualities to be put forward for a potential job and, as such, individual’s receiving these calls should try their best to impress them. Any lack of manners or show of unprofessionalism removes from the head hunter an incentive to nominate that individual as a candidate for a job position.

Remember who the head hunter is working for

Many people forget who the head hunter is working for during periods of on-going correspondence. It is important to remember that they are working for a client who has employed them to return the best possible candidates to fill a role within their company. Head hunters have no requirement to find the people they have contacted positions in any other jobs; in this respect they work in quite the opposite fashion to employment agencies.

Don’t panic when they call

Another major mistake many people make is being too hung up on where the head hunter got the individual’s contact details from. The answer to this is usually rather innocuous – a mutual acquaintance is often the answer although it is also possible to get contact details from industry directories. A third possibility is that the head hunter will have tracked down the number or details through a social profile, such as Linked In, if they have become particularly impressed with the potential candidate’s reputation within the industry. Many individuals get too hung up on the panic of where head hunters got their details from to actually listen to their suggestions.

Recommend a colleague if you are not interested

Finally, if a head hunter calls be certain to listen to their pitch even if it is not an interesting one. Suggest other clients to them as, if circumstances change in the future, a powerful or useful contact could be made. In short, remember to deal with them in a courteous manner at all times.