An internal candidate's guide to surviving the head-hunter

Your Director resigns and you begin covering their role. You feel you’ve been performing well in the job. You are ambitious and start to think ‘this could be my opportunity for permanent promotion’.

A few days later, out of the blue – it happens. You get the call from the Chief Exec ‘You’re doing a sterling job covering but we’ve decided to use a head-hunter to find x’s replacement’. Your heart sinks. 

Whilst your initial disappointment is understandable (you are correct in feeling that this isn’t good news) it may not necessarily be the terminal blow you imagine. The first thing to understand is that, unlike agencies, search firms are genuinely objective about the source of candidates for the role. We earn our fee in return for exercising our judgement across all the candidates in the process, regardless of how they come in to it. 

That said, the fact your organisation has decided to take an expensive look at the market is telling. It means someone, whose opinion is valued, is not sure you’re the best candidate for the role.