What to do now to get headhunted later

Hiring season is nearly here. Bonus payments are nearly banked. Hiring plans are nearly ready.

What should you do now if you want to make sure you're called with the best of the job offers in the months to come?

We suggest:

1) Make yourself known to three key headhunters

If this is your first job move, you may not yet know the key headhunters in your industry.

Find out who they are now.

Do this by questioning trusted senior friends or colleagues in the same space. You will need the name of the firm and the name of the particular headhunter they work with.

"Don't just jump into a headhunting relationship," says Peter Harwood, an FX specialist at Engage Search. "You will see the best roles in the marketplace if you develop a strong relationship with two or three very, very good people."

2) Get yourself recommended

Better than putting yourself forward, is getting someone else to do it for you.

"People will often refer colleagues to us," says Russell Clarke at fixed income boutique FigTree Search. "If possible, it helps to be referred by someone more senior."

"Get your clients to recommend you," advises Lee Thacker of fixed income-focused Silvermine Partners.

3) Ensure you have a good relationship with clients and colleagues

You are more likely to get headhunted if you're respected by those you work with. Headhunters work off databases and these databases are constructed following conversations with everyone in the market.

"We will understand who the major fee generators are and will have tracked their potential," says Clarke. "Make sure your clients have a good opinion of you and your conduct and that any previous boss has a good relationship with you and will refer you on."

He adds: "The traders will know who the best salespeople are and the salespeople will know who the best traders are. Everyone has an impression of someone and it's our job to track that."

4) Know what you want to do

Financial services headhunters are very busy at this time of year. They do not want to give careers advice, particularly to people with whom they don't have an existing relationship.

"People who call us up need to be specific about what they want to do," says Adrian Ezra, chief executive of equities-focused Execuzen. "We don't have time for generic callers saying they want, 'something in the industry.'

5) Sit back and wait

If you're any good and are in the front office, you will probably be on someone's database already. The nature of headhunting means that headhunters will be more interested in calling you if they have an appropriate role, than in you calling them.

"90% of our conversations involve us calling candidates," says Ezra. "If you're good at what you do, you'll be on our radar screen."