Let’s face it…the profession of a headhunter is still
surrounded with some sort of mystery.
Exactly one year ago, I started writing this blog to give
you an insight into my wonder world.
To a lot of people, a headhunter remains a scary
intermediate, a gatekeeper that may prevent them from getting the job they
always wanted.
I want to use this one-year anniversary of my blog to talk
about some myths and the reality of working with a headhunter.
Myth #1: A headhunter
is not an agent for candidates
To a certain extent this is true. Clients hire me to
complete specific assignments and I’ll spend my time trying to identify the
matching candidates. In 90% of all cases I will be the one who will identify
and approach you.
Does this mean that I won’t be able to help you out when you
approach me yourself. Not necessarily…your profile may be a fit to one the
positions I have in my portfolio or your background and personality could be so
interesting I will pro-actively present you to one of my clients.
However, there is always the possibility that your
experience or aspirations do not match. At that moment, I will probably not
take the time to meet with you or to have a screening call. It would be
impossible to talk to everyone who contacts me, it would mean that I wouldn’t
have time to complete any assignment and I’d be out of business in no time. So
don’t take it personally but send me an invite through linked in and your
profile will pop up when I have a position that matches your skillset.
Myth#2: A headhunter only
cares about making a placement
It’s true that part of my fee will only be paid when a
candidate has accepted an offer. But being successful in headhunting is all
about matching the right person with the right position in the right company.
It does not serve anybody to force you to accept a position that you don’t feel
comfortable about or to impose a candidate on a client simply because I cannot
find anybody else.
The trill is still in finding the right person for the job,
not in sending the invoice.
Myth#3: A headhunter
does not care about creating long-term relationships
My success is to a large extent based on trusted
relationships. You may be a great fit for a future position, you may be able to
refer me to an excellent potential candidate or you may even become a client.
In a 1-hour interview, there is little room to really get to
know you. Trust and really knowing your unique qualities only comes in time. So
I will invest in building that trust and in creating a long-lasting
relationship.
Truth be said, I cannot build those relationships with
everybody. So make me curious about who you are and why I would need to get to
know you better.
Reality is that
headhunting is a people business. You are looking for the right opportunity and
I am looking for a perfect candidate.
There are a few ground rules that can facilitate the way we
work together.
I am happy that Els Deboutte from Make me fly invited me for
a webinar on September 21st to reveal my 5 secrets on how you can
successfully get past a headhunter. I hope that I’ll welcome you there as well.
You can register through the following link: http://makemefly.be/webinar_september/.
All that remains is to thank you for reading this blog and
for sending me your comments, remarks and cheers. They lighten up my day!
To the people that I added to the mailing list today: I got
to know you during the last year. I hope that you enjoy what I have to tell and
that I am able to put a smile on your face and to give you some food for
thought.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Isabel
Through a personalized and tailor-made approach,
Ingenium Executive Search aspires to assist you in attracting the right talent
that matches the DNA of your company
Follow me on Twitter @IngeniumSearch
