Advertisement
Goodbye job applications, hello dream career
Seize control of your career and design the future you deserve with LW career
GET STARTED

6 ways to be ‘headhuntable’ during COVID-19

If you want to be noticed by headhunters during these turbulent times, there are half a dozen steps you must take, writes Jason Elias.

user iconJerome Doraisamy • 08 July 2020 • Big Law
Jason Elias
expand image

A few touches to your mobile phone and your groceries, an Uber or a pizza come to you. So why not a job? Many of the best jobs are never advertised so how do you hear about them?

You’re out of free articles for this month
Good employers know that the best lawyers are so busy running their practices that they don’t have time to trawl through job ads. They also like keeping strategic hires out of the public eye so the marketplace doesn’t catch on to what they’re doing and where they’re headed.

That’s why, when it comes to bringing in the big guns, they’ll use third-party headhunters to track down, sound out and snare the best talent for themselves.

Headhunters don’t use a scattergun approach. Once they’ve been briefed, they usually put feelers out via networks, compile a longlist, then research those candidates to see who’s likely to be a good fit. By the time they approach someone, they pretty much know who they are, what they do and what their reputation is like.

So, if you want to be in their sights, there are six things you should be doing:

  1.   Build your personal brand
You’ll never be headhunted if no one has ever heard of you. So, if you’re not already building a profile for yourself, start now. Put yourself forward to present on your areas of expertise wherever possible, especially for industry events or CPD.

Write about important issues and hot topics affecting your work and share these – not just via your firm’s newsletters but directly with contacts by publishing on LinkedIn and other social media channels. Use the LinkedIn Pulse feature as well as standard posts. Images and even video help spread the word.

To ramp things up, join LinkedIn groups of like-minded people such as Australian Legal Community and start contributing to the conversations. Consider publishing in industry journals – or better still, form relationships with journalists to expand opportunities of being quoted in business or mainstream press as an expert in your field.

  1.   Make LinkedIn work for you
Review your LinkedIn profile, make sure it clearly articulates your skills, experience and area of practice. Highlight projects you’ve worked on and the value you contributed (without of course breaching client confidentiality).

Headhunters want to have a good understanding that you’ve worked on similar kinds of matters to those their client has briefed them about. Don’t be shy about blowing your own horn.

  1.   Releasing subtle signals
If you are considering making a move, it’s a good idea to start putting your feelers out there. You can even change your LinkedIn settings to discreetly show that you are open to new opportunities (not viewable to your employer). You can also update your profile on SEEK Talent.

  1.   Share your contact details
While gatekeeping receptionists can be great at shielding you from telemarketing calls, they can act as a block for headhunters who want to share opportunities with you. Make yourself easily contactable by including your mobile number and personal email address on your LinkedIn profile. If a headhunter struggles to reach you, they may bypass you and run the opportunity by the next person on their list.

And, if a headhunter calls and you can’t speak freely, set a time to chat when you’re out of the office. This also gives you a chance to check out their LinkedIn profile to see whether you want to deal with them.

  1.   Remain professional, don’t breach etiquette
Don’t tell anyone in your firm about your plans to move, even once you’ve been approached. If the headhunting process isn’t handled discreetly, you’re likely to jeopardise your current position as well as any new opportunities.

If a headhunter alerts you to an opportunity never approach the employer directly. Not only will your overtures be met with blank stares, you run the risk of being perceived as shifty. Firms engage a headhunter for a reason and it may be a confidential search.

  1.   Partner with the headhunter
If you are approached by a headhunter, you can benefit from their expertise. It never hurts to know the state of the market, current salaries and have a trusted source of intelligence, especially around review time. Besides, even if the specific opportunity they wanted to talk about isn’t right for you at the time, something may hit their desk in the near future.

Finally, if you’ve noticed that they’ve looked at your LinkedIn profile, drop them a line to find out why. Headhunting can be a slow dance of missed calls, profile views and unnoticed messages sitting in your personal email account.

So, if you’re open to a move, make sure you stay alert and responsive to any headhunter approach.

Jason Elias is the CEO of Elias Recruitment.

Jerome Doraisamy

Jerome Doraisamy

Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.

You can email Jerome at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Tags
You need to be a member to post comments. Become a member for free today!