Unlike recruitments that are conducted passively and wait for the candidates’ inquiries, here there is an active search based on personal connections and familiarity with what is happening in the market. This is the recruitment method used to fill senior positions in high-tech. But is there anything that can be done to make talent hunters discover you?
How to be discovered by Head Hunters
Maybe one of the first things you think about is opening a profile on LinkedIn. That’s right, this is an important step. But everyone has a LinkedIn profile. You need to know how to leverage it, and you also need to find more creative ways to attract attention beyond your activities on this social network.
When a head hunter is asked to identify a candidate for a certain job, he starts investigating to discover individuals who are knowledgeable about the topic. When seeking a cyber specialist, for example, the head hunter may check for articles on related websites and see who signed the post, look at who is speaking at professional conferences, etc. As a result, it is critical that you establish a presence on the Internet in your field of expertise.
You do not have to wait for your article to be published in a reputable magazine. You can be active and publish content in different places. If you spoke at a major conference, post it online.
One crucial aspect is to distinguish yourself from the competition by stressing your unique advantages. In many circumstances, businesses resort to headhunters to locate people with unique abilities that meet their niches and are not widely available in the market. For example, if you have agricultural experience, you should emphasize it so that when bounty hunters are looking for a candidate for this limited speciality, they will contact you.
Management experience
It is important to understand what the bounty hunters are looking for. When it comes to senior positions, they are looking for an expert in the field, but the managerial experience is no less important. It is therefore important that you also highlight this aspect and not just your technical knowledge.
That is why it is important to emphasize the managerial side in every publication. For example, what is the scope of the projects in which you were involved, the number of employees you managed, etc.? Emphasize the processes you have led and your achievements. For example, a talent hunter does not necessarily understand technical issues related to technologies. But he will be happy to know how you managed to make a difference in the organization with the help of your knowledge.
The bottom line is to think about the concept of personal branding. Think about what your skills are and present yourself to the market in this way. Do not forget that this is not just about digital presence, but also about personal relationships. Work on your networking at every business conference. The person in front of you may be a headhunter, or maybe someone who sometimes gets inquiries from headhunters looking for recommendations.
