When the Headhunters Come Calling

One of the questions I'm asked most often is how to handle the headhunters once you've started a new role.

They will come. Once you're placed and visible again, the calls start, and some of them are for roles that look like a closer fit to what you actually want.

Here is roughly what I say.

Take every call. You are not looking, but you are always listening. That is not disloyalty, it is how senior careers work.

Be honest and be brief. You've taken something on and you want to give it a fair go. That alone tells a headhunter more about you than any polished pitch, because people remember who keeps their word.

Then tell them exactly what would move you. Not "something better." The sector, the scope, the kind of team. Give them the filter, so they bring you the right conversation and not any conversation.

And when a role isn't for you, pass it on. If it's not your fit, tell them who it might suit. The headhunter you help this year is the one who calls you first next year.

Do the job you're in. Fully. The strongest position to be headhunted from is the one where you're visibly doing good work, not the one where you're half out the door.

And keep doing the things that got you here. The networking, the posting, the staying in view. You learned in the search how much it matters, so don't let it slide the moment you're settled. Stay visible when you don't need to be. That is exactly when it pays.

Every role can be a bridge to the next one. It only works if you stand in it properly first.