By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Most people think job search means chasing postings, tweaking a resume, and praying someone notices. That’s the slow lane. If you want to be hunted, you have to flip the script and make it stupidly easy for recruiters and hiring managers to see you as the answer to a problem they already have. No fluff. No wishful thinking. Just the moves that make you attractive enough that they come to you.
Decide what you actually want
You cannot be hunted for “something in tech” or “a better opportunity.” That’s noise. People reach out when they can quickly connect your background to a specific need they understand.
Pick a lane: role, level, and general industry focus. Stop worrying about every possible option and decide what you actually want to be known for. If you’re fuzzy, employers get fuzzy and keep scrolling. Clear signal in, targeted outreach out.
Fix your LinkedIn headline and About
LinkedIn is where a lot of the hunting starts, so you can’t look like everyone else. A headline that says “Open to work” or “Looking for new opportunities” tells them nothing. You’ve used the most valuable text on your profile to say you’re unemployed. That doesn’t sell anything.
Your headline needs to sell an outcome, not your state of mind. Think in terms of role plus results: what you do and what happens when you do it well. The About section then backs that up with a short, direct story: who you are, what problems you solve, and a few concrete wins that line up with the roles you expect to be contacted about.
Make your resume and profile easy to skim
No one is reading your life story. Recruiters skim. Hiring managers skim. If they can’t see your value in a few seconds, they move on. That’s the reality.
This means:
Clear job titles that match the market, not internal weirdness.
Bullet points focused on outcomes: numbers, improvements, changes.
Consistent language between your resume and LinkedIn so they tell the same story.
You’re not writing for an academic committee. You’re writing for busy people who might have 60 seconds to decide if you’re worth a call.
Show evidence of recent, relevant activity
You get hunted more when you look current and plugged in, not like someone who woke up after a five‑year nap. Activity matters.
Post short, useful thoughts about your work. Comment intelligently on industry topics. Share a quick lesson from a project, a mistake you corrected, a pattern you’re seeing. You’re teaching the market how to think about you. The more visible you are around a specific set of problems, the more likely it is that someone with that problem decides you’re worth contacting.
Build a real network, not a contact list
Connections aren’t a trophy count. They’re distribution. The bigger and more relevant your network, the more likely your name shows up in searches and mutual connections. But just sending random requests isn’t the play.
Connect with people in your lane: peers, a level or two above you, recruiters who fill the kinds of roles you’d actually accept, and leaders in the companies or sectors you care about. Then stay lightly in touch. React to their updates. Share something useful once in a while. You’re keeping the relationship warm so when they hear of something, your name is already there.
Treat recruiters like partners, not obstacles
A lot of people complain about recruiters and then wonder why recruiters don’t help them. Here’s the truth: good recruiters remember the people who are easy to work with and clearly positioned.
That means you:
Answer messages promptly, even if it’s a “no” for now.
Are clear about what you want and what you don’t.
Follow through when you say you’ll send something or call back.
You’re training them to think, “This person makes me look good when I present them.” Those are the people who get pulled into more searches and hear about roles before they hit the market.
Ask for referrals like an adult
Waiting for the universe to notice you is not a strategy. If you’ve done good work, there are people who can vouch for you. You need to make it easy for them.
Reach out to former managers, peers, clients, and vendors. Be specific: “If you hear about someone needing X, Y, Z, I’d love to be on their short list.” You’re not begging. You’re planting a seed. The more clearly you describe what you want, the easier it is for people to match you with what they see in their world.
Keep your story consistent everywhere
If your resume says one thing, your LinkedIn says another, and your interview answers drift all over the place, you look like a risk. Hunters look for patterns: role, industry, skills, impact. When your story lines up across everything—profile, resume, conversations—you look intentional.
That consistency helps people trust that you know who you are professionally. Trust leads to introductions. Introductions lead to offers. This is how you start hearing, “I thought of you for something” instead of “We went in a different direction.”
Getting hunted isn’t about being the loudest or the most “inspirational.” It’s about sending a strong, clear signal into the market: here’s who I am, here’s what I do, here’s the kind of problem I solve, and here’s proof. Do that well and consistently, and you’ll spend less time chasing jobs and more time deciding which opportunities are actually worth your time.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2026
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
People hire Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter to provide No BS Career Advice globally because he makes many things in peoples’ careers
easier. Those things can involve job search, hiring more effectively, managing and leading better, career transition, as well as advice about resolving workplace issues. He is the producer and former host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 3100 episodes.
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