Headhunting Strategies

Here are 5 ways to land your next job on LinkedIn (without applying to job postings) There's a hidden job market most job seekers miss. Here's how to tap into it: 𝟭. 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 Recruiters search LinkedIn like a candidate database. If your profile isn't optimized, you're invisible. → Headline: target job title + 3 hard skills + branding statement → Add up to 100 skills matching your target roles → Fill out 2+ roles with accomplishments (not just titles) → Add education and relevant certifications When my husband did this, his views increased 8500% and a recruiter contacted him within 24 hours. 𝟮. 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 Type your target job title in the search bar → filter by "Posts" → sort by "Latest." You'll find recruiters and hiring managers announcing roles that never hit the Jobs tab. Fewer people see these. Fewer people apply. 𝟯. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 Search: Company name + "HR" or "Talent Acquisition" or the title above your target role. During my husband's job search, I found the VP of HR this way. She referred him to the hiring manager. He got the interview. Start engaging with their content. It takes about 7 interactions to build familiarity. 𝟰. 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗸 "𝗜'𝗺 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱" 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 Go to a company's About section and click "I'm interested." Your profile is privately shared with their recruiters. Members who do this are 2X more likely to get a recruiter message. 𝟱. 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗔𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗻𝗶 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Alumni are 3x more likely to help than any other cold connection. It's called Similarity-Based Altruism—we help people like us. Go to your university's page → Alumni tab → filter by where they work, live, and what they studied. When you reach out, mention all your common points. The more you share, the more likely they'll respond. Which strategy will you try first? #LITrendingTopics #LinkedInTopVoices

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗔𝗺𝗟𝗮𝘄 𝟭𝟬 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝘆 𝗚𝗖. Harvard law grad. Technically sharp. Fifteen months later, that lawyer was gone. Not because they weren’t smart. Not because they lacked legal skill. They just didn’t fit. I watched it happen. Slow sidelining. Lost influence. Quiet exit. The issue wasn’t competence. It was cultural misalignment. I’ve seen it play out dozens of times—silent breakdowns no résumé could have predicted. It shows up in small but telling ways: • A lawyer who overanalyzes inside a business that makes decisions fast • A cautious advisor in a company that’s comfortable in legal gray zones • A blunt communicator in an environment where nuanced messaging matters Even great in-house lawyers miss the mark when their instincts don’t match how the business really works. After two decades recruiting GCs and senior legal leaders, I’ve noticed what separates strong hiring teams from struggling ones. The best dig deeper than legal skills. They look for alignment. Here are four areas they focus on: 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 Do you reward speed or depth? 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 Do you want edge-pushers or play-it-safe advisors? 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 Do your execs value directness or diplomacy? 𝗨𝗻𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 What behaviors actually earn trust, influence, and advancement? You won’t find those answers on a résumé. Try asking: "𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘹 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰?" The answer shows how a candidate thinks, communicates, and operates under pressure. Also, get your business leaders involved early. When there’s a shared understanding of what success looks like, hiring becomes a lot less risky. 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗖𝘀: What’s one cultural cue you wish you had picked up before making or accepting a key legal hire for your organization? — 𝘔𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘵. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴, 𝘭𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵.

Refresh your LinkedIn profile. Toggle Open to Work on and off. The algorithm rewards recent activity, apparently. I get why it spreads. It sounds actionable. It takes 30 seconds. And when you’ve been job searching for three months with almost no responses, you will try anything. But here’s what that tip is missing. The part you’d only know if you actually use LinkedIn Recruiter. I run candidate searches for a living. Part of that workflow is saving promising profiles into what LinkedIn calls a Project. Think of it as a holding list for a role that’s open or coming. You save someone because the timing isn’t right yet, or you want to track them for a future position. Here’s what happens when those saved candidates turn on Open to Work. LinkedIn sends the recruiter a notification. You just moved back to the top of their mind, for a role they were already considering you for. That’s the part of the “toggle” tip that’s actually real. Not the algorithm hack. The recruiter notification. But it only fires if a recruiter has already saved you. Which means they had to find you first. And that’s where most people’s search actually breaks. When I run a search, I’m typing a job title, a seniority level, maybe a stack. Then scanning the profiles that come up and asking one question: can I confirm this person is the right fit without clicking through? The profiles I contact aren’t the most recently active. They’re the ones where I can pattern match to what im looking for. Level. Function. Relevant scope. All of it visible in the headline and the first two lines of the About section or their recent one to two roles. Activity signals do give you a small edge when two profiles are otherwise matched. But they don’t get you into the match in the first place. Keywords do that. And if I have to decipher your seniority and stack. I’ll move on. So here’s the order of operations. First open a job description for a role you want. Find the three terms that appear most in the responsibilities and skills section. Check whether those exact terms appear in your LinkedIn headline and first two lines of your About section or your Experience section . Not paraphrased. Verbatim. Then turn on Open to Work. Because once your profile is actually surfacing in searches, the notification does the rest.

My husband works in recruitment, so I asked him how he’s been finding the candidates who actually get placed into jobs. His answers might surprise you! Out of the last 11 placements… 7 were headhunted through LinkedIn following in-depth searches. 4 were sourced through his network. And how many applied through job adverts? Zero. Despite receiving hundreds, or thousands, of applicants for each job advert (see below). So, what does this mean if you’re looking for a job? 1.    DON’T apply for a role unless you meet all the essential requirements and most of the non-essential requirements. Even if you do have the right skill set, your application might get missed in the sheer volume of CVs. So, if you think you’re a great fit for the role, apply and then reach out directly (this might require you do some research to find the right person). 2.    DO optimise your LinkedIn profile so that you get found for your ideal role. Include your target job title and key search terms for your industry. Use the 2600 characters in your About section to include more keywords and add at least 30 skills. All this will increase your chances of being headhunted. 3.    DO have conversations with recruiters even when you’re not looking for a job. Get on their radar and keep in touch so that you’re first to know about new opportunities. 4.    DO let your network know when you’re looking for a job. Be specific about what you’re looking for and ask for referrals to useful contacts. Relying on job boards alone can kill your job search.

Here's how you can leverage LinkedIn to find companies & product or design opportunities that are most relevant to you through referrals of people you're connect to on LinkedIn. Getting a referral for a position is going to increase your chances of getting an interview exponentially. Especially in the market that we're in now where there is a flood of applications for every new position. LinkedIn doesn't make it super clear how to find companies where you have connections. So in some recent conversations with others I gave this advice on how to get to a short list of higher potential jobs where there were people they knew who worked at companies with openings in hopes they could refer them. 1. Put cursor in search bar and hit enter. (This will do a blank search) 2. Select "Companies" 3. Filter by your location 4. Filter by "Software Development" 5. Through "All Filters" select "Job Listings on LinkedIn" and "1st Connections" 6. Select a company 7. Select jobs (They surface the most relevant jobs to you first) 8. Select "[#] connections work here" 9. Select "Message" and it will auto write a message to your connection asking for a referral. (Send or edit to your desire) If you have a particular size company, that will also narrow down the results to the size of company you'd prefer where to work. This will narrow down a short list of companies you can look into so see if there are jobs at companies in your city with people you know that work there. One benefit to doing this way is you can remove the "Job Listings on LinkedIn" filter and there may still be companies that have openings that are just not on LinkedIn since not every company posts there job openings on LinkedIn. So it will still give you a list of companies with people in your network that you can reach out to. This seemed very helpful to the people that I shared it with so I thought I'd share it here for others. Adding a screen recording of how it works for me. Do you have any tips and tricks you use for job hunting?

𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭: 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 Did you know that over 80% of senior roles are never advertised publicly? That's right. The biggest opportunities in executive hiring happen behind closed doors. Companies often work with search firms long before they post a single job online. They're building a shortlist of ideal candidates without ever announcing a vacancy. For example, I've seen CFO roles filled by candidates identified through discreet network research rather than job ads. This silent market is a shadow world that most professionals never even realise exists. And yet, these roles are filled every day, quietly, effectively. A CEO I worked with was approached directly by a headhunter for a confidential CEO position at a major firm, no ad, no application. As someone who's been on the inside of executive searches, I've seen how recruiters research and identify top talent. They're not just browsing job boards. They're analysing data, mapping networks, and engaging with candidates off the record. For instance, recruiters may review your activity on LinkedIn, see who you're connected with, and use that to gauge your influence and reach. That's where your LinkedIn profile comes in. It's more than just a resume. It's your personal billboard to those recruiters and decision-makers. And if it's not optimised, you're invisible to the very people who can unlock your next leadership role. A senior leader I advised revamped their profile, highlighting measurable results such as increasing revenue by 30% in a single year, which caught headhunters' attention. A great profile does more than boost visibility. It tells your story in a way that resonates with strategic searches. It highlights your achievements, aligns with what recruiters are looking for, and includes the keywords they're searching for. For example, using phrases like "led successful digital transformation projects" or "grew market share by 15%" helps your profile get found. Many professionals think their online presence is enough. It's not. The right profile can open doors to opportunities you've never seen advertised. It puts you into the mix for the 80% of roles that fill quietly, behind the scenes. One client's profile optimisation led to a recruiter reaching out to interview for a board-level role that was never advertised. Don't leave your career to chance. Step confidently into the opportunities waiting for you, the ones most executives will never even hear about. If you want in this hidden market, I can help. Message CLARITY to learn how to optimise your LinkedIn profile for maximum impact.

My work is done here… 🙄 What are the best ways to engage with recruiters and industry leaders on LinkedIn to build strong career connections? Engaging effectively with recruiters and industry leaders on LinkedIn can open doors to job opportunities, mentorships, and long-term professional relationships. Here are some of the best strategies: 1. Optimize Your Profile First Before reaching out: • Professional photo and compelling headline (beyond just your job title) • Well-written summary showcasing your strengths and goals • Highlight key skills, achievements, and experience • Get endorsements and recommendations ⸻ 2. Engage with Their Content • Like, comment, or share their posts meaningfully • Ask insightful questions or add value to discussions • This gets you noticed before you even reach out directly ⸻ 3. Send a Personalized Connection Request Keep it brief and specific: “Hi [Name], I admire your work in [industry/topic] and would love to connect to learn more about your insights in [shared interest or goal].” ⸻ 4. Follow Up with a Message Once connected, send a message like: “Thanks for connecting! I’ve been following your work on [topic]—really impressed. I’m exploring opportunities in [area], and would love any advice you might have.” Make it clear you value their expertise—not just trying to get a job. ⸻ 5. Add Value Before Asking • Share articles, insights, or reports they might find useful • Tag them (respectfully) in relevant posts if it fits organically ⸻ 6. Join and Participate in Industry Groups Engage in LinkedIn Groups where recruiters and leaders hang out. This shows your interest and gives more opportunities to connect meaningfully. ⸻ 7. Post Thoughtfully • Share your own content—insights, learnings, project highlights • It helps position you as someone active and engaged in your field ⸻ 8. Be Consistent, Not Pushy • Don’t bombard them with messages • Follow up after a week or two if appropriate • Be patient and persistent, not aggressive ⸻ Would you like help drafting a custom message for a recruiter or leader in your field?

Was recently chatting with a founder of a successful Series B company who is looking to hire their first lawyer. Having done it three times and advised many founders on what to look for, thought I would share my general thinking on it: 1. Do it earlier than you might initially think you should. Don't wait until your outside counsel spend exceeds what you would pay an in-house lawyer, that's the wrong way to think about it. When you find the right lawyer to join you, they will immediately add tremendous value. By accelerating contracting cycles, eliminating or reducing white hot risks, and generally adding smart, capable bandwidth to your team. 2. Hire for risk tolerance and business sense, not specific subject matter expertise. You'll never find a lawyer who can do all of the areas that you may need help on well (contracting, commercial, privacy, product counseling, regulatory, employment, IP, etc.). Whoever you hire will need to have great judgment about what risks are really worth spending time on, and how to address those. They'll build a bench of outside counsel with appropriate expertise in the various subject matter areas you care about, and will eventually build a team with the right level of specialization. But if you get it wrong on risk tolerance and business sense, it's hard to recover from that. 3. Source from your networks first. There are a lot of bad lawyers out there. And also many lawyers who are good or even great in the law firm, government, or big company setting that simply won't translate to a startup. Get trusted recommendations. 4. Find someone you trust to help you vet candidates. Most founders (especially first-time founders) and startup teams don't have a ton of experience hiring or even working with in-house lawyers. Find someone who does who can help you review profiles and screen candidates. (For any founders who are in this process, I'm always happy to help with this.) 5. In terms of where to hire folks from, the highest likelihood of success is finding someone who has been in-house at a tech startup before, ideally the first or second lawyer. Law firm lawyers are a huge gamble for this first role, and it's very hard to screen for how someone will adapt to the startup setting. If you are going with a law firm lawyer, look for strong signal in the interview process that the person has an entrepreneurial bent, high risk tolerance, and comfort with ambiguity and volatility. Lawyers from the really big tech cos can bring useful insight from having seen scale, but they are likely similar to law firm lawyers (they are used to working on established teams with thousands of lawyers and clear, narrow roles), so screen carefully. And the most important rule, despite having written all of the above, find someone that you will deeply enjoy working with and trust your gut.

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of working with a CHRO from a large public company who faced a significant challenge. The CEO and board were searching for a new GC but had already rejected several candidates who, despite their impressive legal expertise, simply did not align with the business-focused vision the leadership team desired. Recognizing the need for a fresh perspective, the CHRO brought me on board to help identify the attributes of the ideal candidate. Together, we explored what it truly means to find a GC who can transform the legal department from a traditional cost center into a strategic asset capable of creating a competitive moat around the business and driving outsized returns for shareholders. As we dove into the discussion, it became clear that the ideal GC would need to embody several key qualities: 1. Strategic Insight: This leader must connect legal strategies directly to the company’s overarching goals, ensuring that every legal decision supports business growth and innovation. 2. Business Acumen: A deep understanding of the industry landscape is essential. The GC should be able to identify opportunities and risks that can enhance the company’s competitive positioning. 3. Innovative Mindset: Embracing technology and innovative practices is vital for streamlining processes and improving efficiency within the legal function. 4. Collaborative Spirit: The ideal candidate must be a relationship builder, promoting collaboration across departments to ensure legal considerations are integrated into every business decision. 5. Change Agent: Finally, the GC should possess the skills needed to drive cultural shifts within the organization, advocating for the legal department's role in creating value and supporting growth. By the end of our conversation, we had crafted a compelling profile for the new GC—one that went beyond traditional qualifications and emphasized the critical intersection of legal and business strategy. I left the meeting feeling energized, confident that the right candidate could redefine the legal department’s role and contribute significantly to the company’s success. This experience underscored the importance of understanding the evolving expectations of legal leadership and the transformative potential that comes with it.

"I need to network more." She told me this after 47 coffee meetings. Three months. Zero interviews. She was doing everything the internet told her to do. And it was not working. I hear this all the time. Executives in transition who believe one statistic above all others: "70 to 80 percent of jobs come from networking." You read it everywhere. CNBC. HubSpot. LinkedIn posts. Career coaches. It is not real. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺. A LinkedIn survey found 80% of professionals said networking is "important for career success." Important. Not "how I got hired." Perception. Not proof. Then articles made the leap: "70 to 85% of jobs are never posted publicly. So they must be filled through networking." They are not. That hidden market includes: → Retained executive search → Internal promotions → Succession plans → Referral programs Four different systems. Four different rules. Lumping them under "networking" is like calling every meal "cooking." A microwave dinner is not a five-course restaurant. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻. Last month I searched for a VP Commercial, Medical Devices, EMEA. LinkedIn Recruiter returned 2,800 profiles. I reviewed the first 100 to 150. My shortlist came from those 150. Not one came from someone's coffee meeting. The woman with 47 coffees? Her LinkedIn profile sat on page 14 of my results. I never saw her. She was networking hard. But she was invisible to every recruiter searching for her exact background. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱: → Optimize your LinkedIn profile for recruiter search. Standard titles. Clear headline. 100 keyword-driven skills. → Identify 30 to 50 headhunters who specialize in your industry, function, and region. → Reply to every recruiter InMail. Even to decline. This boosts your ranking. → Use networking to support the system, not replace it. Talk to people close to decision makers. Signal the roles you want. Networking is not your strategy. It is a supporting channel. You do not need more random coffees. You need to show up on page 1 when a headhunter searches for your profile. 👇🏻 What networking advice have you been given that never led anywhere? Drop it below. PS. 💾 Save this post for later. Even if you are not actively looking now. #networking