Yesterday I made a few suggestions as to how to respond should a headhunter call to sound out your interest in jumping ship to work for another company. (Or making an “unsolicited offer of employment”, as an email correspondent put it!)

I also mentioned in yesterday’s discussion that I actually ended up being headhunted into a web design role, despite having little commercial design experience, and having searched - and applied - without luck for a number of positions prior to that.

The prospect of being “headhunted” into a job began to intrigue me after hearing that is what happened to someone else I knew, who was also making a career transition into web design.

A local design studio had found her personal website, and the creative director was so impressed with what he saw, that he contacted her and almost immediately offered her a design job.

I quickly realised that there was little difference in the way she was “pitching” herself, to the way I was.

We both had a reasonably prominent online presence by way of our personal websites, we were both networking with other professional (or established) web designers, and we both also promoting ourselves by way of our involvement in various “sideline” web projects.

In my case this included being a then founder of The Australian INfront, a community that I was involved in establishing, whose aims where to raise the visibility and perception of Australian web designers globally.

While I know not everyone reading this article is looking for web design work, there are still a number of things that anyone can do to raise their visibility and profile, and put themselves on a headhunter’s radar.

Get yourself noticed (somehow, anyhow)
A great way to do this is to start a blog, something I explored in another article recently, which outlined how blogging can be an effective self-promotional tool in the career change, or job search, process.

In fact the article attracted a number of comments from people who mentioned that a blog had boosted their profile and even resulted in job offers.

I also recently read an article at manzkie dot com about recruitment managers who search through the blogosphere looking for potential employees.

Do I need to push this particular point any further?!

Develop a specialist knowledge
Build on your passion for what you want to do. Focus on an aspect of the job that is not as widely recognised as others, become an expert on it, and then make sure you advertise the fact!

In my case this was an interest in web standards. Put briefly web standards are a uniform set of rules web designers should adhere to when developing websites. For various reasons few designers were, ten or so years ago using standards, so by learning to work with them natively from day one, I was able to stand out from other web designers.

Ironically, despite the fact I no longer work as a web designer, I still receive occasional freelance work offers, because one former colleague or another’s clients have stipulated that the design work be standards compliant!

Network!
This goes without saying, and is just about the best way to achieve anything. As always it is a case of who you know, followed closely by what you know.

Look around for networking forums in the industry you are interested in, whether on or off line, and make yourself known!

MeetUp is an increasingly popular way of bringing all sorts of people, with all sorts of interests - both personal and professional - together, and you are bound to find an interest group near where you live.

Even if you don’t, members of the various Meetup groups often place their blog, or website, addresses on their Meetup profiles, so even if a like minded person is at some distance, you can still make contact and network with them.

And you never know, even though someone is in another city, or even country, they may know a former colleague, or associate, who is in your area and looking for staff.

Get involved
Can’t find a networking forum, or association, relevant to your industry or work interests, locally? Then start one! Taking some sort of initiative is exactly the sort of activity headhunters are on the look out for.

And once more thanks to ideas such as Meetup, this can be achieved relatively quickly and at not too great a cost.

Conclusion
While I’m not suggesting that you sit around waiting to be headhunted, you certainly have nothing to lose by boosting your profile, and self promotional activities, to the point that an employer may just spot you, and subsequently make contact.

And if you are making a career change, being headhunted into a job that you really want could be the lucky break you are looking for, as it was for me.

While I was searching for web design work several years ago, it was mainly by way of the targeted job search method, which I wrote about recently.

It was a process that had its ups and downs, as I have referred to before, but was something I was prepared to stick at, as it best suited my circumstances at the time.

You could therefore imagine my surprise when an email arrived, out of the blue, from a company I had not had any dealings with previously, asking if I would be interested in discussing the possibility of working for them.

“You’ve been headhunted!” a friend said to me.

Had I really? To me headhunting always seemed like an activity that was the result of clandestine meetings that followed clandestine telephone calls or letters, between highflying company executives, and specially engaged executive recruiters!

“No, no,” my friend said, “just about anyone, no matter what they do, stands to be headhunted.”

Some people regard it as an honour, while others see a certain prestige in being “hand picked” for a role. It means your work has been noticed by, or your name has been mentioned to, someone who is looking for staff.

While certainly an uplifting experience it is a good idea to rein in your euphoria though, and remember that being headhunted is really just an invitation to apply for a job, and there is no guarantee that you will actually be offered a role.

After all an employer’s first hand impressions of you may differ markedly from the second, or third hand, impressions they have gained of you from others.

Or to use the words of my headhunting-wise friend;

“Consider being headhunted as a free walk to the second interview of a three interview recruiting process.”

That seemed like a good way to put what had happened to me into perspective. Being headhunted is really just another way of applying for a job, and you shouldn’t get too far ahead of yourself as a result.

Headhunters can make contact in a number of ways, and if you already have a close working relationship with the company interested in bringing you on-board, this may even happen in a face-to-face situation, during or after a regular meeting, with the people you normally liaise with.

On other occasions you may be contacted unexpectedly, by a company you have not even heard of.

Assuming you have been contacted by email or letter, the first thing to do before responding to the person, or representative, who made the approach to you, is to find out what you can about the company in question.

While this is a commonsense course of action when looking for work anyway, it is still a good idea to know what you are talking about before you speak to anyone. Find out about the company’s background, and see what you can learn about of some of their current and recent projects, particularly in the area in which you think you may be working.

If it is possible, try to find out how you came to the company’s attention. If someone put in a good word for you, contact them, and ask what they said about you. It can be useful to know exactly how you have been represented, as this can guide your initial communications with the company.

Approach all contact and interviews in a professional manner, and above all do not act as if you are a shoo-in for whatever role is being discussed, and also send thank you emails, or notes, after each meeting or interview.

The fact you are being headhunted may offer you a little more leverage when it comes to discussing salary plus terms and conditions of employment though. To what degree you can bargain here will depend on your skills and abilities, together with exactly how interested the company is in hiring you.

I went on to be offered a role with the web design studio who had contacted me, which I accepted. In my case, I was extremely pleased with the outcome, considering I didn’t actually have a great deal of commercial web design work under my belt at the time.

You may therefore be wondering how I came to be headhunted. It was pretty simple really, I was headhunted because I wanted to be! There’s nothing like a little ambition to get you where you want to go is there?!

Tomorrow, in the second part of this article, I will tell you how I went about getting myself headhunted!

As I said yesterday work experience can be a valuable exercise for anyone who would like to find out more about what a job entails on a day-to-day basis.

And while work experience opportunities aren’t exactly a dime a dozen, you should be able to find something with a little searching around though.

Since such possibilities are not waiting behind every door you knock on, you will need to make the most of the chances that do come along, and with this in mind I’ve prepared a list of some things to think about when looking for, or undertaking, work experience.

Emphasis your skills and knowledge
Before considering a work experience request, an employer will want to know you have something to offer the company and that you will, in return for being granted an opportunity to be part of the workplace, be able to make some sort of contribution.

Therefore think of asking for work experience as being the same as applying for a regular job. Put your best foot forward, and make sure the workplace is aware you have the appropriate skills.

While an employer will obviously understand you don’t have a whole lot of experience, they will still want to know you at least have some sort of understanding of what is happening, and can participate somehow, while you are there.

Rules of engagement
Before commencing the work experience period find out exactly how involved you will be in the process. In some instances you will be quite active, while in other situations you may be expected to sit quietly and purely observe.

I once heard of a commercial photographer who was happy to provide photography students with on-the-job “experience” on the strict proviso they did not actually get involved, or ask him any questions while he was with clients, or working.

This is something that has to be respected, and while it may seem you are not gaining much “hands on” experience, you can still learn a lot from simply being a fly on the wall as it were, so long as you pay close attention to what is happening.

Take notes
Don’t forget to take a notepad and a couple of pens. You will probably spend a lot of time “looking over someone’s shoulder” and watching how they work, so keep notes of what is happening.

Try and write down as much as you can, even if this is just keeping a record of how each day unfolds. Record details of meetings, problems and issues that arise and how they are resolved, plus any other tips, or handy “inside” knowledge, that comes to light while you are present.

Remember you are with someone who knows what they are doing inside out, so this is a great chance to learn a few “tricks of the trade”!

Any questions?
Remember that workloads can fluctuate and deadlines vary on very short notice, especially in creative or publishing environments.

For example the web design studio that last week told you they were a “little quiet”, may have a rush of work on when you arrive. Therefore bear in the mind the person you are sitting with may not have time to stop and explain every last thing they are doing.

Rather than interrupt with questions every few minutes, write them down and see if some time can be set aside later to discuss them.

Network!
While onsite try and get as involved as you are able to. If a problem needs solving, see if you can suggest a solution. Make your presence felt in as helpful a way as possible.

Introduce yourself to as many people as you can, and tell then what it is you are doing, and why. Get to know people and build up some rapport, and see if you can stay in contact with them after you leave.

If you can, go along to the company’s “Friday afternoon” drinks if you are invited, and view it as an opportunity to network.

Remember a lot of jobs are filled through contacts and networks, so it is well worth the effort.

Conclusion
While you are unlikely to be paid for doing work experience, if you make the right impression your efforts could be rewarded in other ways.

The person you were working with may be prepared to offer you a reference, or possibly even recommend you for a vacancy in the company, or even to an associate working elsewhere who is looking to hire.

If nothing else however, you will at least leave your work experience time with a better understanding of the sort of work you one day want to do.

Actually this is NOT the last post being made at The InterChange Desk, at least I hope not, but rather it is what I might say if for some reason it were.

This article is actually part of the Blog Apocalypse, a meme being hosted by Albert Foong aka The Urban Monk, who is inviting participants to imagine that, shock horror, the blogosphere is coming to an end, and they have the opportunity to make one final post before it is all over.

For every person who takes part Albert will put aside one dollar. Once 500 participates have been logged, he will make a $500 donation to a selected charity. He’s even open to suggestions as to which charity as well. So since it’s for a good cause, why not?

And if it were your blog, what last message, or words of wisdom, would you leave your readers, while you still could?

It was something I had to ponder for a short time. The InterChange Desk, being a blog dedicated to all matters career change, and job search, made me wonder what one topic or issue could I elevate above all others, and highlight in a final post?

Then I remembered a comment a reader had made a few days ago. The commenter had said while she always wanted to make a career change, she was too afraid to take the plunge, and make it happen.

Therefore my last post at The InterChange Desk would to be quite simply to say “go for it”.

In fact I would quote the words of Mark Twain, which have always, for me, made a lasting impression.

And his words are exactly spot on. It’s always the things we didn’t try to do that linger in our minds long the opportunity to act has passed. Of all the questions we ask ourselves, it is the “what if” ones that we keep trying to answer.

If you’ve gone out and tried to do something and failed, then at least you have the consolation of telling yourself that you gave it a go, and it didn’t work out.

You however can’t say that if you just sat out the moment, and let the chance pass you by.

And then of course there is the possibility you will succeed, in which case many of us are left wondering, “why didn’t I try doing this far sooner?”

To quote the ancient Roman poet and possibly, motivator, Virgil:

We really are only afraid or fearful when the prospect of the unknown, or uncertainty presents itself, and that fear alone is enough to hinder us.

This is where making plans and doing research can make all the difference. If we know what we are up against then we are far better prepared to deal with it.

As I’ve said when contemplating a career change draw up a road map. While it won’t eliminate every last doubt and unknown, it will supply you with direction and a means of reaching your goal.

So there we go, my last words of advice, plan it, research it, and then go for it. And in parting let me offer one final motivational quote. While the creator’s name eludes me right now, I’m sure you’ve heard it before:

And in true MEME style I’d like to tag the following bloggers, people I either know in person or by reputation: BucketFountain, John Allsopp, Nia, The Bargain Queen, Jen Leheny, Kumiko, Darren Rowse, Eastwood Zhao, Sisi, coolchiq, AustralianBlogs, Uncover Your Bliss, domestika, shokthx, and Cedric Ang.

One enjoyable aspect of maintaining The InterChange Desk is studying the web stats each day. Actually I check them twice daily, first thing in the morning and then again at the end of the day. Yes, just twice per day; I too have learned to control my “stats obsession”!

As any blogger or webmaster knows, web stats offer an array of interesting information. But it’s a couple of search engine look up terms, or strings, along the lines of “how do I explain my career change at a job interview” that have especially caught my eye recently.

Given that we hear or read things like, “most people will change careers several times during their working life”, from recruiters or in the careers sections of newspapers, you would think that aside from acknowledging the fact you decided to make a career change, you wouldn’t really have to “explain” yourself a great deal.

If one experience I had while making the transition from a finance background to web design, several years ago was anything to go by however, I can understand why some career changers are searching the web looking for advice on to deal with such a question.

In this instance I had applied for a job at a local design studio. I had gone in for a first interview with the person who would be, were I to get the job, my line manager. That “interview” actually went very well. We chatted almost like old school friends about this technology, and that compatibility issue.

So well were things going I was even taken into the work area, where we sat with the coders and developers and looked at, and discussed, some of the projects they were working on.

Despite, at that stage, having no commercial or industry experience whatsoever as a web designer, from the way the conversation had been rolling along, I don’t think anyone (amazingly even myself), would have thought that however.

Any doubts I’d had about my decision to become a web designer were pretty much dispelled by the conclusion of the “interview”. A few days later the interviewer called and asked me to return for a second interview, this time with the studio’s general manager.

“It’s just a formality, a chat, the designers here are looking forward to having you on the team,” he said as he ended the phone call. Unfortunately however, his assessment of my prospects was a tad optimistic.

The general manager didn’t seem the least bit impressed with me. “You’re from a corporate background, we work differently in the web creative industry. You just wouldn’t understand the culture here.”

Cultural issues had been no where in sight during my first interview, and I (eloquently) said as much. This didn’t seem to impress him though. “Look, in the corporate sector, if you ask someone to do something, they do it. Try that here and the guys will say, no, I can’t do that now, I’m more interested in my computer.”

Well that was news to me. You can ask someone in the “corporate sector” to do something, and sure they’ll do it, after you’ve asked them another four or five times, that is.

But before I could even begin to (more) eloquently make that point, he threw my CV, which he had been pursuing, down on the desk, and said “why the hell are you doing this?”

This for me though, was the “tipping point“, as they say in the web creative industry. While I understand the point of job interviews, particularly second interviews, is put candidates through their paces, and sort the good apples from the bad, I was definitely detecting some negative personal bias here.

It’s at moments like these career changers need to hold firmly to their faith in themselves, and what they are doing. I replied to his “question” quite simply.

“I am doing this because I want to, and because I can.”

It was also the first time I have ever terminated a job interview (that I wasn’t conducting).

By this point I had decided this particular company was not for me (despite the rapport I had with the people I would have actually been working with), and politely (if a little firmly) made my excuses and left.

Needless to say I was rather surprised to receive an email from the general manager the next day, asking me to consider an “entry level” role, at surprisingly enough, a very “entry level” salary.

While an entry level position was fine, and money was not my prime motivation, I did think I was worth somewhat more than his offer.

The cynic in me couldn’t help thinking that his whole approach had really only been to knock me down, and then “compensate” by making a job offer, at a very low salary, that he thought (and hoped) I would be grateful to receive.

As it happened fate intervened, and another studio I had also been talking to made a more attractive offer, which I accepted.

There are many reasons why people make career changes, and these will vary from one individual to the next. So if you are looking for ways to answer such a question at an interview, you should already know what to say!

And I don’t think there is a “stock standard”, acceptable, or “one size fits all” answer to this sort of question.

If you are changing careers, from say being a hotel concierge to a chemist, because you feel that will offer you more fulfilment and better utilise your talents, then simply say so!

Most mornings I can usually be found around to the local cafe looking for my daily coffee fix. I usually order takeaway, so I can drink it back here while reading emails and planning the day, but the other morning, just for a change, I decided to stay there and read the newspaper instead.

Two people arrived and sat down at the table next to me. In a nutshell Person A, as we shall call him, needed some advice from, shall we call him, Person B.

Person A explained his problem while Person B listened carefully. Without going into too much detail, Person A was having trouble with an employee. Person B, judging by his comments, sounded quite familiar with Person A’s sort of issue.

While Person A had done the right thing in seeking the counsel of someone with the expertise he required, he was unfortunately doing himself a disservice by NOT listening to a single word that Person B was saying.

Person A was almost instantly dismissing every suggestion and idea that Person B was offering. In fact Person A sometimes wasn’t even giving Person B time to finish his sentence before interrupting and saying, “no, that would never work”, or, “no, that couldn’t be done.”

It made me wonder why Person A had bothered asking for Person B’s advice in the first place. It was also, I thought, quite rude of him to waste Person B’s time like this.

Eventually Person B managed to prevail with his initial suggestion, but only because Person A had little choice to do so anyway, due to what employment laws say in regard to his situation.

It almost seems that if the law hadn’t have intervened, as it were, Person B would have completely wasted his time travelling out to the cafe to try and help Person A.

And out of this situation I could see a lesson for us all, including those of us changing careers.

If you’re seeking advice from someone, make sure you listen to them. If you’ve asked someone to give up their time to help you, at least have the courtesy to hear them out. Don’t go rejecting every last word, like Person A in the cafe, did.

Every idea, or suggestion, no matter how apparently outlandish or ridiculous it seems, should be taken on board and considered. Keep an open mind. One quite “extreme” idea may lead to another you consider a little more plausible.

Indeed let one idea lead to another. Consider radical ideas the beginning of the thought and problem solving process, rather than something to be dismissed.

Remember, the person you are asking may know you better than you think, and what they say may be of more value than you initially realise.

Heather Mundell

Heather worked in HR management for eight years, and after five years as a stay at home full-time parent, became a certified professional coach. In 2003 she founded her coaching business Dream Big Coaching Services.

What prompted you to change careers?

I changed careers from HR director to parent-at-home because being the full-time caretaker for my newborn was more important to me than human resources, and because I could financially. After my second daughter turned one, I started thinking about what I wanted in a career and what I was willing to contribute to it.

I didn’t have a passion for HR and felt that another director job wouldn’t allow me to spend the kind of time I wanted to with my kids. I researched different ideas and finally settled on coaching, because it was a perfect match for my talents, skills and values and because as a self-employed coach I could be in charge of my schedule.

What was the biggest challenge of the career change process?

The biggest challenge of the career change process was simply taking a leap into the unknown. I didn’t know when I left HR if I would be miserable at home with my daughter (at times I was!)

When I started my coaching business I had no idea whether I had what it took to get clients and make a go of it. Through both of these transitions I had to get comfortable with feeling uncomfortable, and learn how to ride the inevitable ups and downs.

To what degree were you able to utilise previous skills and experience in your new career? Did you need any new qualifications?

As a coach I rely on many of the skills I developed as an HR director (good listening, critical thinking, creative problem solving) and added a bunch of new ones (all of the coaching competencies as laid out by the International Coach Federation, plus entrepreneurial skills). I spent a year in a coach training program to become a certified professional coach.

What advice would you offer anyone considering a career change?

Decide what’s important to you in your life and then examine whether getting that really requires an entire career change. Do you want to work fewer hours? More challenge? Less stress? In many cases people can achieve the difference they are looking for without embarking on a complete career overhaul.

Sometimes changing jobs within the same company or changing jobs within the same industry can make a huge difference. Even taking on a different project or delegating out an old one can help. Spending more off hours engaged in something you’re passionate about generally improves your outlook at work as well.

If you know you’re interested in a career change, take your time and do your homework. Go back to your list of what you want in your life, make a list of the skills you enjoy using, and research different career options. You can do a lot of this on your own online,or from books, or you can get guidance from your college’s career development office (even if you’re an alumni) or a career coach.

And before you sign up for grad school, be sure it really is the ticket to what you want, rather than something you “hope” will get you the job you want. Too many people incur too much debt attending graduate programs that don’t end up yielding the results they were hoping for.