Just how desperate employees are these days about being headhunted? Does it make you smile wider when it happens to you? Does your ego level shoot rocket high? Would you be doing somersaults and jumping around telling people, “Woohooo! I got headhunted!” ?

Because I didn’t and I wouldn’t. And it irritates my mom that I could just tell the headhunter on the spot through the phone that I am not interested after listening to half of his proposal. Sometimes they would call again to persuade me, sometimes they don’t. In rare times when they catch me on a bad office mood day, then I might actually listen to a word or two and be tempted for that split moment. But all in all, trust me, being headhunted does more harm than blessing. Because you tend to look back and wonder, “What would have happened have I not received that call from the headhunter?”

Some people are ignorant; They don’t ask the What Ifs. They focus on short term such as ‘I need the extra money cause petrol price has increased’ or ‘They pay me higher so I am joining them. After all, same job scope and workload. Why not?’. I have a friend who has switched jobs seven times over a period of two years for only one reason: The higher pay they offer, the more secure I feel. Screw the environment or colleagues or future because we are in Malaysia. What difference does it make to be an Account Executive and Account Manager? They are just titles but salary counts.

There are some truths in that but how many times can you hop in your entire career life? Till you have served in every company in the country? What’s next then? Through experience, here are a few pointers I would like to share with all of you (just in case you got headhunted and could not decide what is best for yourself):

Listen not to the headhunter. Listen to the company that would be hiring you.
Afterall, at the end of the day, it’s between you and the organization that would be hiring you. The headhunter can promise a hundred and one things but the person who decides is the company itself. Meet up with the HR people, find out more about the organization and its culture, check out the working environment and then ask yourself, “Do I see myself here in 5 years’ time?”

Lay out the Versus List.
I call it the Versus List; you can call it whatever you like. Compare your current job and the new offer. Don’t just look at the salary they are offering you. Compare the working environment, culture, colleagues, distance, surroundings, job scope, employment benefits, happiness (very important), etc. May the best one wins!

Decide on Money or Passion.
Most headhunters would offer you a higher pay so that you would be tempted to jump the boat. But it can also mean they expect more from you when you work with them. Sometimes, they offer you a job that is totally different from the one you are having now. So what goes? A higher pay and doing something totally new? Or keep your old job because it is where you passion lies? Bear in mind that living expenses is increasing daily.

Find out what lies ahead in your current job.
Switching jobs is a tough decision to be made, trust me. I even did something that everyone called me foolish in order to make the right decision. I approached my current boss and tell him about my new job offer – not to boast but to at least know what he has in store for me before I start comparing and make a decision. It’s only fair for everyone and it makes comparing so much easier. You don’t want to get back to the decision process when your boss counter offer upon your resignation.

Don’t let them change you.
If headhunters are interested in you, they wouldn’t ask you to be someone else in order to hire you. If they tell you to change the way you present yourself, then you are not the person they are looking for. So be careful of that. Always be yourself when you are being approached. Let them love you for who you are because that is who they are hiring. If you put on a mask and they like that mask, both parties are in for a rough ride when you go on board.

Talk to people but don’t let them get to you.
Everyone has something to say when you go to them for advice or opinions. Five out of ten of them will tell you what is best in the situation (for them, and not for you). So digest all the opinions and advice you get but don’t let them get to you. Use them as reference and not theories because different individuals want different things. It’s your job on the plate, not theirs. So listen to your heart.

Think long term.
Don’t let money blind you. Think long term because this is your career which we are talking about. Screw it up once and you would have to start from scratch again. Think about where you want to go and how would you get there. Would the job you undertake bring you one step closer to the destination of your dreams?

Remember to always put yourself first. You are the one making the decision. You are the one deciding what is best for yourself. You are the one who knows what satisfies you the most. So decide for yourself and don’t let others decide for you. You owe it to yourself!

Originally written by Gina Yap Lai Yoong © 2009

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