If a headhunter calls, I promise you: it is not a prank.
Any given day at the office for me means catching potential candidates off guard. That makes sense if you consider the textbook definition of a headhunter: “a person who identifies and approaches suitable candidates employed elsewhere to fill business positions.” Most people don’t go to work everyday thinking: “I wonder if someone is going to call to recruit me today!”
On one particular day, while knee deep into a search for a favourite client of mine, I started making calls to real estate offices, speaking directly to the front office receptionists and asking them if they were interested in new employment opportunities. I got bounced around from one receptionist to another, all giggling and laughing hysterically. They all thought I was pranking them.
I laughed and assured them that I wasn’t working for Ashton Kutcher and this wasn’t a prank. I gave them my website address and explained that I was a recruiter. The call ended well albeit noncommittally. Ultimately, I got a resume from one of them, in application for the position I was recruiting for at the time. Though we had all been laughing on the phone, as if being recruited was a wild and crazy idea, one of them had been ready to jump ship and my call was timely.
Headhunting is both challenging and fascinating. I create a profile in my head of the ideal candidate for my client, then I begin hunting office to office to see where I can find this individual. It takes many long hours of research, time spent mostly in smiling and dialing.
The question I get asked most often about what I do is: “aren’t you stealing employees?” The short answer is: no. Employees that are happy, well paid and appreciated in their current jobs have no interest in leaving. The ones who do make the move are often secretly wanting to leave but don’t know where to look to land the next opportunity.
My job as a headhunter is really nothing more than a verbal marketing campaign. Instead of advertising on a job board, where I don’t have control over the quality of candidates that are applying, I call people directly who are qualified for the position. I shift the control from being passive about whom I interview to being proactive about whom I recruit.
Most candidates will tell you that it is very flattering to get a call from a recruiter. It means that he (or in this case: she) recognizes that your skills and experience are in demand and valuable. It also keeps employers on their “A” game: they understand that the market is forever seeking the talent their staff have and so it’s part of their job to keep their team happy.
Interestingly, not everyone is friendly and welcoming to a stranger calling with talk of a new job. Some will be rude, some will laugh, and some will just hang up. But the gems we uncover, those that see the value in what we do, make our job as recruiters worthwhile and fulfilling.
Our philosophy is simple: Treasure has to be discovered. It never washes up on the shore just because you have a sign up that says “Treasure Wanted!”
