How to Be a Headhunter
A headhunter, or an executive recruiter, finds candidates for open positions within an organization. For recruiters in the technology and executive search fields, headhunting is a lucrative vocation often offering with six-figure salaries. However, being a successful headhunter is not simple. This inside sales position requires long work hours, a mastery of interviewing skills, knowledge of human resources best practices, marathon networking sessions and shrewd negotiation abilities. While some human resources personnel take offense to the barbaric metaphor of hunting heads for recruiting candidates, headhunting is in fact a cutting edge, competitive and exciting career.
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Instructions
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Define your recruiting niche. The top headhunters specialize. Whether a recruiter staffs administrative, technology, medical or executive-level staff, a headhunter must maintain relationships with industry-specific hiring managers to build relationships and encourage referrals.
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Work for an established headhunting firm. There are periodicals and classes that offer insight to recruiting, but the skills to be a headhunter are found within the offices of the top search companies. Recruiting is a field that does not require a college degree, but human resources and sales training are important to a long career as a headhunter.
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Learn how to screen candidates effectively. Perusing resumes and interviewing candidates is a critical part of a headhunter's job. Companies pay headhunters between 15 and 33 percent of the candidate's first year salary to find the right employee. Develop the ability to review resumes quickly and ask the right questions to determine an exact match between employee and employer.
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Prepare for long work hours. Successful headhunters spend a minimum of four to six hours a day on the phone, negotiating job placements and interviewing candidates. Visiting clients, reviewing resumes and interviewing potential job matches adds another three to five hours to the daily workload. If you include networking events, sales meetings and personal development activities, becoming a headhunter requires effort, planning and the ability to juggle many sales and marketing tasks efficiently.
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Build your list of hiring managers. Without a positive relationship with the hiring manager, you cannot place a candidate into a position effectively. Attend networking events and seminars within your recruiting niche, to develop long-term relationships with key managers who work with headhunters regularly.
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Develop relationships with top talent and jobseekers. Companies want to hire the best employees and rely on recruiters to find these career superstars. Read your local newspaper and industry specific blogs to find thought-leaders and rising stars in your recruiting niche. Also, attend industry events to network with downsized employees.
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Use social media tools to recruit candidates for open positions. In the 21st century, headhunters are using Linked in, Twitter and other social networking tools to find the best candidates.
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