Most candidates though active jobseekers may not like to to be available easily hence networking sites like RYZe Zoom, Linkedin etc are active tools as they attract Headhunters who are constantly scouting for talent.

Press advertisements normally attract all the wrong-kind of applicants and are no longer seen as an attractive method of getting ahead unless they are in domain-specific publications.

Linkedin is today by far the most effective sales and networking tool.Social networking is the buzzword today as this is a great tool to advertise your skills to a much larger audience and also provides opportunities for networking yourself into the Company of your choice.By joining social networking sites like a Linkedin or Zoominfo can act as a secret self for those who do not want to be considered as active job seekers.The connections and access through sites like Linkedin help Headhunters with adequate knowledge to identify and approach candidates that are best suited to a particular position whether or not they are in the job market.

The person should update his/her profile regularly on these sites. Being part of different groups (like CFO group for CFOs and CXO groups for CXOs)also helps

Blogging also helps present the capabilities of an individual on these networking sites and headhunters now follow the blogs of potential candidates to checkout the quality of comments and depth of analysis too selectively.They also check who is following whom to verify circles of
influence !

Senior professionals ,whether or not active job-seekers, should never decline to meet credible HeadHunters.A personal meeting does leave an immediate recall in case of an appropriate assignment even at a later date.

How best can candidates ensure being head-hunted is a question I frequently get-Whilst there can never be a precise or mathematical formula to get headhunted, there are a couple of things one can do to ensure a good hit-rate.

• never prematurely close the door on a possible opportunity
• explore other possibilities with the Headhunter
• never dismiss any offer to meet likely employers as you can add to your experience and confidence
• the manner in which you present yourself to the HeadHunter will leave an impression on the latter-brusque,rude shoo-off's can put off a Headhunter easily.

Remember that HeadHunters are responsible for enhancing many professionals careers ,plus their knowledge and opinions are valued by clients and HR professionals.-it therefore pays to actively network with this professional community even if you are not actively looking for a change.They can give you useful tips on how you were observed by their clients which the latter may not do too easily as well as salary and compensation trends.

Professionals must remember that their careers are being tracked by Headhunters who are constantly looking for good talent.

Connect with Head hunters on Linkedin (and similar other sites). When a prospect updates his / her profile on Linked in, it gets highlighted to all the connections. Put your photograph on your profile. If possible meet the Headhunters once in a while,maybe just to chat over a cup of tea!A face to face meeting gives much higher recall than a phone / email communication and helps build a link.Facebook groups are useful connections for references too.

Keeping oneself relevant and in the public domain requires that executives should keep their resumes crisp to outline their key areas of responsibility both quantitatively and qualitatively. Using the right action words /key word does make a difference eg: A CFO with Fund Raising expertise or IPO expertise should highlight that in the first line. Most of the searches on Linked- in are designation, geography, industry and company based so please ensure that your profile has all the four criteria updated

Video Resumes and U-Tube clips professionally shot have gained significant momentum in the West as they not only detail -out the profile but more importantly enable a potential employer to see the person and analyze body language before going ahead with the hiring process. In India it is still a concept rarely used but going forward especially in case of hiring talent from outside of India we would like to encourage the same.

Statistics suggests that less than 45 per cent of professionals update their resume yearly. Young professionals are more frequent than those in the age group of 40-55 years who are much less inclined to update their resumes on a regular basis. Some in the older age group have not gone back to their resumes even once!

One of the key signs that you need to make sure you update your resume is when your responsibilities change in your work profile. This could be anything from your role being multifunctional, additional certifications, increased team size, change in designation/level etc. Today's headhunters and HR's of corporate expect an interested candidate to send in his resume within 48hrs thus its always best to keep it ready rather than sending an old profile which would diminish your chances.

While india continues to see a large scale hiring plan, it is critical your resume is always forward looking. One key point is when you read your own resume it should give you the feeling that you are reading for the next vertical move else if your resume continues to only dwell in your history and not your capabilities its time for updation. One must remember that updating your profile is a 20 minute exercise and if you are not keeping track of whats in and whats out your resume is probably going into the archives