Working with headhunters

I have been a headhunter for almost 11 years. Whenever I introduce myself, the most common response is that people want to send me their CVs and want me to find them better jobs.?

Often, I have to clarify to them that headhunters don’t help people to find jobs.?

People are puzzled by my response. Don’t we need good candidates for our clients? In other words, “Am I not a good candidate that you should pay attention to me?”

Well, I value everyone in my network and I believe every professional brings value to companies.?Please don't take personal offense when headhunters do not reply to your messages, emails, or texts. Most of them simply have too much on their plates.

As jobhunters, you need to understand the role of headhunters.?

Let me elaborate.?

1) Headhunters are paid by their clients to search for the right candidates.?

The assignments are often complex, challenging, and confidential.?

Candidates do not pay headhunters. Therefore, the priority for headhunters is towards their clients.?

Every day, I engage my clients and discuss their business. I learn about their current situation and future plans. I ask them about their challenges and pain points. I share with them ideas and recommendations.?

In short, my primary task is in business development. Over time, I build trust with my clients and they believe that I can help them in solving their leadership challenges.?

Only when my clients ask me to start an executive search process, I will activate my delivery team to start the candidate mapping process.?

Of course, I maintain a wide network and I meet candidates regularly as well. I practice the Pareto principle to build a healthy book of business: 80% focusing on clients, and 20% on candidates.

2) Headhunters operate in functions, sectors/practices, and niches.?

In Singapore, the financial and insurance sector is one of the largest sectors in the country, contributing 20% of the total GDP. Many headhunters and recruiters are serving the sector. But I’m not one of them.?

If I receive a LinkedIn message from a Head of Compliance of a bank, asking for help to search for a job, I often don’t have anything to offer. The same is true for many other sectors like Legal, IT/Tech/Digital, Supply Chain, etc. as I’m not focusing strongly on those functions and sectors.?

The headhunting industry is very large and diverse. It is organized based on Functions (Finance, HR, Sales, Engineering, IT, etc.), Sectors/Practices (Financial Services, IT/Digital, Consumer Goods, Industrial, etc.), and Levels (C-level, Senior Executives, Middle Managers, Specialists).?

Some headhunters carve a strong niche like being an expert in the Reinsurance or Crypto/Defi sector. Clients trust them as they follow the development of these sectors closely.?

In short, if you want to approach a headhunter, do some research before sending any messages or CVs. Otherwise, your message may look like spam.?

3) Headhunters are humans with limited time and energy?

On an average day, I receive not less than 10 messages on LinkedIn and that is not counting the “scam profiles” that are trying to connect with me.?

I need to prioritize my daily actions.?

I reply quickly if there is a potential client who wants to work with me as clients are my top priority.?

If people connecting with me comes from a referral, I’m happy to make a connection.?

But I don’t normally reply quickly if someone asks for a job. People may send me long messages describing their current situations or telling me how good they are.?

That’s all good… but it can also look like spam.?

Instead, approach every headhunter with respect and patience. Don’t sell in the first message and don’t try to close quickly.?

Take time to build a relationship. If you offer something valuable (your network, interesting information, article that you wrote, etc), people have a higher chance of reciprocating.?

In short, give before you take. Bring something to the table before you take something.

Conclusion

Working with headhunters is similar to selling. If you try to aggressively sell in the first call, your chance of closing is low. If you take time to build a relationship over time and understand what the headhunter is doing, what he/she values, and what keeps the person up at night... you will have a higher chance of success.

If you need to quickly land a job, your best chance is through your existing network, not a headhunter.

Let me propose a Pareto-driven approach: 80% on your personal network, 20% on headhunters. You will have a much higher chance of success.

Feel free to share your perspective (what works and what does not) on how you work with headhunters. I'm happy to learn with you!