Head Hunting

There are few things that are better for your professional self esteem than being head hunted. Getting that call out of the blue to discuss a new job opportunity is a wonderful, flattering feeling. Who doesn't like to feel wanted or in demand?

Unfortunately though, there is an extremely low rate of converting that positive first up discussion into landing that same job. Now admittedly a lot of conversations go no further than that first phone call - it's not the right role or the right time. The focus of this article though is to explore those conversations that do go further, and why they don't finish with someone securing a brilliant new role.

It's fair to say head hunting people is much simpler in this day and age. Between networking tools such as LinkedIn and some of the more advanced search functionalities within Google, it's never been easier to track down names, titles, numbers and email addresses. As such, it's very much becoming a more routine means of sourcing people for roles, and that's a significant change. It flips around the whole dynamic of being head hunted - quite simply it's not the big deal used to be. Yet often candidates who have been head hunted will approach the recruitment process in a somewhat cavilier manner not realising head hunting is another tool in the recruitment arsenal, and that's never a quality companies want to see in candidates, regardless of how they have been sourced.

Some specific examples of the cavilier approach may include:

• Asking for a ridiculously large increase in salary
• Failing to do your due diligence around the company
• Not preparing thoroughly for interviews
• Just going through the interview process for the sake of it even though you don't want the role

One could say given you've been approached rather than applying, you've got the luxury of driving a hard bargain and being more relaxed about the process. The problem being that the Australian IT community (and for that matter recruitment community) is a comparatively small one, and you never want to burn any bridges unnecessarily. Always treat the recruitment process and the people it involves with great deal of respect.

The other trap headhunted candidate often fall into is not taking the time to thoroughly think through the logistics of changing jobs. When you actively search for jobs, you tend to search for jobs at a time that suits you, in locations you are comfortable with. You've probably drawn your line in the sand on salary expectations. You've typically discussed changing roles with your partner and possibly your family. All of that can go out the window when you are head hunted - you can get caught on the hop. And these can be the sort of things that can come back to scupper a deal when they are brought up at offer stage.

Here's a bit of a checklist of things you should be considering and factoring in before progressing with a role:

Remuneration: what's your base, when is your bonus due and what is the bonus structure, what benefits do you get beyond base + super + bonus (e.g. car allowances, stock options, subsidised insurances), when is your salary review due, are you walking away from a long serice entitlement
Starting a new role: what's your notice period, do you have any annual leave planned
Travel: are you confortable with the new location, what does that mean for your commute, does it suit your family
Visas: will moving jobs impact on your working rights or those of your family