9 Ways to Make Job Recruiters Come to You

Advertiser Disclosure ▾

This page contains affiliate links from which we receive a compensation. Like many publications Wise Bread is supported by affiliate commission from partner companies whose products appear on our site. This may influence which products we write about and the location and order in which products appear. We aren't able to cover every product in the marketplace.

Wise Bread Picks

• Travel Rewards Credit Cards
• Cash Back Credit Cards
• 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards

If you want a headhunter to notice you, it follows that you have to be noticeable. You have to be the one that everybody is talking about. (See also: How to Get Your LinkedIn Profile Noticed)

Fortune smiles on those who work hard, but to get noticed by a headhunter, it takes a bit of positioning. Here are a few suggestions that could help.

1. Be the Absolute Best at What You Do

Impress a headhunter by being on top of your game — the must-have product of the season. Be current about what's going on in your field. Have facts and figures at your finger tips. Get yourself recognized by your friends and colleagues as the go-to expert in your field, whatever your field is.

2. Be Bold and Confident

We operate in the world of hot shots. While not everyone is a star, it helps if you are positioned for the role. If a headhunter calls, don't say, "Geez." Say, "I'm listening. What have you got?" (See also: Break These Habits to Become More Confident)

3. Establish a Track Record

If you're not at the top of your division's pyramid, you should set a goal of staying with a winner or moving to the winning team. Ivy League degrees, for example, help even if you were in the middle of your class. Don't have one? Then working for brand-name companies or industry leaders that impress people are more likely to work in your favor than being a star at a company that still makes floppies.

4. Network

Networking is like someone constantly fishing — always be on your game. Impress everyone. Be generous with social connections and willing to cash in on who you know. Get to know more people and keep it up. (See also: 15 Easy Networking Tricks)

5. Spread Yourself Around

Do you know anyone who never stays more than a half hour at a party? They work the room, have a drink, and are off to the next bash in a few minutes. At work, you can take on inter-departmental tasks and, even better, sign up for assignments that involve other companies, so you can be noticed outside of the confines of your own employer.

6. Volunteer

When someone mentions they do volunteer work, what does that say about them? We live in the world of the meta-message, the impression that follows the information. Volunteering says, "I care. I'm empathetic. I turn emotion into action. I am social. I make use of my time. I appreciate what I have." Those messages are powerful. What else? You never know who you might meet while volunteering. (See also: Ways to Save Money by Volunteering)

7. Be Different, Current, and Cutting Edge

Stand apart by being different does not always mean playing Icelandic folk songs on the ukulele. It does mean finding a spot on a current or cutting edge project. You don't have to be an inventor or a programmer to be part of something new.

8. Work Social Media

You can bet in this day and age that a headhunter doing cold calls is looking people up on the Internet — checking out website, LinkedIn profiles, and friends lists on Facebook. What does your social media say about you?

9. Get Someone Else to Mention You

Who do you trust? You trust people you know. When someone the job recruiter knows mentions your name, that can be a big help. Recommendations like that are honest and genuine.

Have you ever been contacted by a job recruiter? What got you noticed?