Steps To Be Headhunted On LinkedIn

The most successful long-term career moves don’t just happen. You may hear tales that your friend was just headhunted, but there’s a lot more action behind the word ‘just’ than they realise. Yes, the most exceptional headhunters have their ear firmly to the ground in your industry. But, they will likely hear about the very best talent through multiple avenues, not least their extraordinary networking skills. One such avenue that can help to raise your profile in to the reach of the networking abilities of a headhunter is your LinkedIn profile. If you want to be headhunted on LinkedIn then read on and take action on the following steps.

Give Your Profile Due Attention

The vast majority of us quickly whipped up our LinkedIn profile late one evening when the number of badgering requests to join got too much. Chances are it has grown and adapted in a rather piecemeal fashion since then.

If you want to be headhunted on LinkedIn then you need to get your profile into concise, clear, and presentable order. You need to take in to considerations some key points:

• Is it factually correct without any errors, time gaps, or ambiguities? Does your LinkedIn profile accurately match your CV? Be honest – further questioning will only serve to weaken your chances if there are inconsistencies in your answers.
• Have you considered peppering it lightly with all potential key words a headhunter may target?
• Is your location set to where you want to work, or states that you are flexible?
• Have you remembered to list all industries you would be happy to work in?
• Consider your profile picture: is it professional, relevant, recent, and enticing? Do make sure you have one. A face to a name is imperative.
• Are your listed ‘skills’ complete? One of the easiest ways to ensure you are appropriately headhunted on LinkedIn is to list your relevant skills, and get others to endorse them for you.
• Become an All Star. Your profile is ranked as to how complete it is.
• Mark your profile as ‘Open to Opportunities’ (under ‘Jobs’) in order to ensure your profile is seen. Do take care though – LinkedIn cannot guarantee that your current employer won’t see this.

Be Contactable

Many people, especially when setting up a new account, get click happy removing an app’s rights to contact you, notify you, send you a nudge or alert. However, this puts you on the back foot when it comes to headhunters. Your communication preferences need to be clearly set so that a headhunter can contact you.

Click on the small profile picture on the top right of your LinkedIn page and click ‘Settings and Privacy’. Here you will find a tab where you can amend your communications settings.

If someone gets in touch, think carefully about your response. So you’re not interested in what they have to say, or they are propositioning you but it’s the wrong field? Don’t cut them off. It’s still a vital link to the right opportunity. Take a few moments to look at the person behind the message, their business, and any potential links you can make. Always reply politely to avoid burning bridges you’re not even aware exist.

Give Your Portfolio Pride of Place

For different roles a portfolio can be easier or harder to create. However, a logical and exceptional showcase of your specific achievements backs up your overall profile. This can include documents you’ve written, PowerPoint presentations, video links, and website links, and images. This all helps to build an accurate picture of your skills and aptitudes. Make sure you give due attention to only uploading portfolio items which are relevant to the role you want.

Use it, Network, or Lose Out

LinkedIn isn’t a static beast. To be found you need to be making regular contributions and continuously building up your network and contacts. The larger your network, the easier it is for headhunters to find you.

Do some hunting yourself – feel free to hunt down your own recruitment links within the industry and start to position yourself on the relevant radars. This also includes following companies and individuals that you are interested in working for or with, as well as being a member of all relevant groups.

Connect With Eagle

At Eagle Headhunters we take a dynamic approach to headhunting. Each role, and each headhunted individual is found in a different way through our intricate networks. Connect with Eagle Headhunters on LinkedIn and take another step towards being headhunted.