I have been contacted by an Head Hunter

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Hello,

This does happen from time to time - it just means that your profile looks like it could be a good fit for them! This first call is usually just informational/screening, to allow you to learn more about the opportunity and allow them to learn more about you and your background. If this is something you may be interested in, I think there is little downside to taking the initial call!

Yes, this happens all the time. Consulting firms actively use headhunters to source talent, particularly in times like these when there is a talent shortage.

It should be a friendly call, to understand your motivations, explain you the role, get your updated CV, validate you want the job and, of course, confirm that you are suitable to be presented to their client.

Please understand that there is no guarantee at all that you'll even interview.

Hi there,

Please confirm that this head hunter is legit. Do not give out personal information unless you can verify who they are.

If the person is legitimate, then yes this happens! This is particularly true if you have industry expertise.

Here's some reading to get you ready for the case portion of the interview: https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-to-shift-your-mindset-to-ace-the-case

And some for the fit portion of your interview: https://www.preplounge.com/en/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question

MBBs do use headhunters to recruit for specific profiles.  They are often industry/functional practice roles where the recruiting is done regionally but the role doesn't necessarily need to be based in a specific country.  If you are interested, I would definitely explore!

Hi there,

1) Somebody has a similar experience? 

Totally possible. I heard similar cases. They may run searches in Europe rather than in the local country only.

2) Usually what is the content of this kind of first interview?

With the headhunter it is usually a simple initial screening to see if there is alignment on motivation/salaries/position. If everything works well, they will move you to the interview stage with the MBB.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there

Congrats on having your profile deemed worthy by an MBB recruiter :)! 

This can definitely happen if you have a niche expertise that the MBBs are looking for a particular practice. It can also happen, while less likely, if they are looking to expand their hiring into generalist roles. 

A couple of points:

1. As Ian rightly pointed out, do make sure the headhunter is legit (their own LinkedIn profile? Connections they have? Digital presence beyond LinkedIn?). Do ask for the role specifics and the job description. Make sure that appears legit as well - professionally documented, appropriate usage of industry- or function-specific lingo. If there is no reasonable match with your job experience, I would be quite wary.

2. If this is legit, this would likely be a fairly classic MBB-style selection process, with the caveat that you should expect some interviews and possibly cases in the area of expertise that they are hiring you for, including fairly technical aspects.

Hope this is a legit opportunity and good luck to you!