Just the name “headhunter†sounds exciting. For the right person, it’s a fulfilling career to find candidates for jobs. It’s not your typical 9-to-5 job filled with routine. Adrenaline rushes as you search the pool of job candidates for the perfect one. If you’re good at it, there’s tremendous satisfaction, and it can be a lucrative job in which you’ll make a good living. If you’re wondering if you could be a good human resources headhunter, consider these five tips.
#1 Be a Creative Thinker
You can’t do what everybody else does. If you do, companies have no reason to hire you as an HR headhunter. You need to bring something special to the situation. You need to be creative in your strategies for finding candidates. As a headhunter, you’ll find that your best prospects are people who are not currently looking for a new job.
#2 Get Ready to Network
A good headhunter networks to find job candidates. You can’t wait for people to come to you. Instead, you need to go out to find them. Networking is the best way to find people, especially people who are not looking for a job change.
#3 Develop a Specialty
It’s best if you specialize in a certain career area. The need to network is one reason why specializing is important. You’ll spread yourself too thin if you try to cover too many areas. It’s virtually impossible to be an expert in everything.
#4 Be Comfortable Saying “Noâ€
You’ll need to know when to say “no.†This advice goes for both prospective clients and job hunters. If a client asks you to search for a candidate outside of your area of expertise, it’s best not to take the job. If you don’t find the perfect candidate, it hurts your professional reputation, a risk you don’t want to take. Job candidates may approach you as well. But if they don’t meet the standards you have set, it adversely impacts your career to forward them to clients simply as a favor. Just don’t do it.
#5 Prepare for Ups and Downs
Some days will be good and other days will be disappointing. Sometimes, finding candidates comes easy, and other times there seems to be no good prospects. You can’t let the highs and lows of being a headhunter affect you too much. Keep your emotions in check and stay focused on the task at hand.
Is Being a Headhunter Right for You?
Human resources recruiting agencies are on the lookout for people who could be good headhunters. For people with the right set of skills, it’s a rewarding career. But like any job, it requires a specific type of person.