亲爱的安妮：我怎样才能找到猎头来帮我跳槽呢？我在目前这家公司干得不开心有一阵子了，而且我想换一份薪水更高的工作。我有11年的软件开发经验，过去一两年还自学了Scala、Apple Xcode和Ruby on Rails等时下热门的编程语言。

和其他软件开发人员一样，我每天都会从所谓“猎头”那里收到多达50封垃圾邮件，信中都称能为我提供一份工作。可能其中有一部分是真的，但我很难分辨，所以我干脆把它们都删了。我试着联系了一两家猎头公司，但目前为止还没收到任何回复。怎样才能找到一名称职的猎头，让他帮我找到下一份工作？你有什么建议吗？——硅谷猫

亲爱的“硅谷猫”：首先，你选择删掉那些可疑的工作介绍邮件，显然是个正确的选择。科技猎头公司“达芬奇科技”（DaVinciTek）的CEO安东尼•柯尔络指出：“现在有一大批离岸公司，每天都在给全世界的每一个开发者发送群发邮件。”达芬奇科技公司的总部位于新泽西州的莫里斯敦，致力于为迪士尼、埃森哲、EY和强生等客户寻找IT人才。“不过如果这些邮件看起来像是垃圾邮件，那么它就一定是垃圾邮件。”

柯尔络补充道，如果一家猎头公司真正对你有意的话，他们一般会先通过电话联系你，而不是通过电子邮件。“要相信你的直觉，不过你也可以做一些调查。你只需要在谷歌和领英上简单搜索一下，就知道这个人或这家公司是否有良好的声誉。”同时，如果这些猎头没有给你回复的话，就不要再继续指望他们了。里维埃拉合伙公司（Riviera Partners）是硅谷的一家猎头公司，其负责人阿里•本哈姆表示：“如果某人没有回你的电话，往往是因为他觉得他帮不上你的忙。”猎头公司往往有着高度的细分，比如本哈姆本人主要负责为客户寻找高级工程师。因此，如果对方迟迟不回电话，往往意味着你不应该在这一棵歪脖树上吊死。

因此，你不妨在周围找熟人为你介绍工作。这时就凸显出扎实的职业关系网的好处了。柯尔络建议道：“你可以回归自己的圈子，通过聊天室、见面会和GitHub等网络社区，包括行业内你认识的每个人，让他们把你推荐出去。比如说，你可以在领英的一个小组里发帖，说你正在找一个好的科技猎头，那么你就会收到很多留言和建议。”

然后，你可以从你的“圈子”推荐的猎头里选择几个来联系，不要只联系一个人。柯尔络表示：“不妨多试几个，直到你发现某人了解你对下一份工作的需求是什么，或者某人提供了你感兴趣的工作机会。”你最好联系两三个不同的猎头，不过，本哈姆也指出：“不要超过三个。你需要的那名猎头要了解你想要的是什么，包括你想为多大规模的公司工作。而且他必须是一个靠谱的人。”

本哈姆把科技猎头比作房产中介人员，因为有些房产中介喜欢“说得天花乱缀，如果你的房子只值50万，而有个中介却说他能替你卖出100万的价格，那么你肯定会心存芥蒂。找工作也是一样的，要尽力避免做过多承诺的人。

要想知道自己目前在职场上的身价是多少，你也可以自己“做做作业”，看看Salary.com 和 PayScale.com这种求职招聘网站，结合自己的经验和技能，看看自己究竟值多少钱。本哈姆还补充道，另一个小窍门是“一致性。即如果你找到了三名猎头，他们给你开出的条件应该是差不多的。”

当然，任何关系都是双向的，求职招聘也不例外。如果你找到了一两个猎头替你运作，那么你可以做三件事情加大他们成功匹配的机率。首先，确保你的简历简明扼要，而且简历上的资历和经验，要与雇主们通过社交网络能查到的一致。

柯尔络表示：“要把你的简历压缩到最多两张纸。尽管你可以针对不同的雇主对简历进行一些修改，但你要记住，他们也会上领英等社交网络。我曾经见过，有的招聘经历到了最后一步，还是放弃了某个求职者，就因为他的简历与领英的个人资料上有些微小的出入。”很显然，如果一名猎头因为你的这种低级失误而翻了船，那么下次他可能就不会认真替你求职了。

其次，要在简历和网上高调注明你的“软实力”。柯尔络表示：“技术能力当然是很重要的，但是客户也会看你有没有领导能力，包括沟通能力。你的个人品牌不能仅仅局限于IT技术。所以花点时间好好写简历，表明你是个具有出色人际能力的人，还是很重要的。”

第三，本哈姆指出：“与此同时，不管你是在看招聘网站，还是也请了别人替你找工作，也不管你进行到了哪一步，总之要记得把你的进展告诉大家。因为对我们来说，最糟糕的莫过于我们刚联系好了一家公司，正在准备安排面试，结果却在最后一刻得知，这名求职者已经决定到另一家公司工作了。”

祝你好运。（财富中文网）

译者：朴成奎

Dear Annie: How do I go about finding a recruiter who will help me change jobs? I’ve been unhappy with my current company for a while now, and I’d like to negotiate for a better deal than I have here. I have 11 years of experience as a software developer, and for the past year or two I’ve gone out of my way to get familiar with languages — Scala, Apple Xcode, Ruby on Rails — that I know are “hot” right now.

Like every other developer I know, I’m getting 50 spams a day from “recruiters” who claim to have job offers and, while some of them might be legit, it’s hard to tell, so I’m just deleting them. I tried contacting a couple of recruiting firms, but so far no one has gotten back to me. Any suggestions on locating a human being who will work with me on finding my next job? — Silicon Alleycat

Dear Alleycat: First of all, it seems you’re right to hit the “delete” button on those dubious job offers. “There are a myriad of offshore companies sending out broadcast emails to every developer in the world right now,” notes Anthony Curlo, CEO of tech headhunters DaVinciTek. Based in Morristown, N.J., the firm finds IT talent for clients like Disney, Accenture, EY, and Johnson & Johnson. “But if something looks like spam, it is spam.”

A bona fide recruiter is more likely to approach you initially by phone than via email, Curlo adds. If one does, “trust your gut, but do some checking. You can tell pretty quickly with a minimum of research on Google and LinkedIn whether this person, and their firm, has a solid reputation.”

Meanwhile, don’t count on hearing from those recruiters who haven’t gotten back to you. “If someone isn’t returning your calls, it’s because he doesn’t think he can help you,” says Ali Benham, head of Silicon Valley tech recruiters Riviera Partners. Headhunters are often highly specialized — Benham concentrates on clients seeking senior-level engineers, for instance — and it’s likely that, by cold calling, you’ve simply been barking up the wrong tree.

Instead, ask around for referrals. This is one situation where having a strong professional network really matters. “Go to your own ecosystem, including everyone you know in your field through chat rooms, MeetUp groups, and communities like GitHub,” Curlo suggests. “If you put it out there in, say, a LinkedIn group that you’re looking for a good tech recruiter, you’ll get plenty of comments and suggestions.”

Then, speak with more than one of the people your network recommends. “Try several, until you ‘click’ with someone who understands what you’re after in your next job, and who has interesting opportunities to suggest,” says Curlo. Ideally, you can find two or three but, Benham says, “not more than three. You want someone who understands what you’re looking for, including what size company you’d like to work for, and who will be honest with you.”

Benham likens tech recruiters to real estate agents, in that some are inclined to “happy talk. You don’t want someone who says he can sell your house for $1 million if it’s really only worth half that. Finding your next job is similar. Avoid people who over-promise.”

One way to do a reality check is by doing your own homework on what your skills and experience are worth, by looking at online job boards and sites like Salary.com and PayScale.com. Another clue, Benham adds, is “consistency. If you’re working with, say, three recruiters, they should all be telling you approximately the same thing” about your prospects.

Of course, any relationship is a two-way street and, once you’ve got a couple of headhunters in your corner, there are three big ways to make it easier for them to match you with the right job opening. First, make sure your resume is concise and that it matches up precisely with the credentials and experience that employers can find on social media.

“Narrow your resume down to two pages maximum,” says Curlo. “And, while you can certainly customize it for different employers, remember that they will be looking at LinkedIn too. I’ve seen hiring managers walk away from a talented candidate at the eleventh hour because of a slight discrepancy between a resume and a LinkedIn profile.” It should go without saying that a recruiter who loses out that way is a little less likely to bring his or her “A” game on your behalf next time.

In addition, make sure to highlight your “soft skills” on your resume and online. “Technical skills are essential, of course, but clients are looking for evidence of leadership ability too, including communication skills,” Curlo says. “Your personal brand now has to be more than just IT. It’s really important to take the time to write your resume so that it shows you as a well-rounded person.”

And third, remember to keep everyone up to date about “whether you’re also looking at job boards or anywhere else besides what the recruiter is doing for you, and where you are in that process,” Benham says. “There’s nothing worse for us than talking someone up at a company, and scheduling interviews — and then finding out at the last minute that the candidate has already decided to take an offer somewhere else.”

Good luck.