Use a specialist headhunter: when you select a headhunter, ensure that you find a person who specializes in your field of choice. For instance, if you are a litigator, go to a headhunter whose niche is litigation jobs. This will ensure that the two of you speak the same language and have a good understanding of what you are setting out to accomplish together.
Know the headhunter: Before you start relating the story of your work life to the headhunter, meet up with him/her and get some information on who he/she works for and the style of work he/she follows. You may want to think twice if the headhunter says that he/she will send out your resume to potential employers without first discussing with you these employers or the open positions that they may have.
Be prepared: Some candidates come to the interview late, badly dressed or with an outdated résumé, with the excuse of, "Yeah, but that is only because you are the headhunter. I would never do that for the real interview." This is not how you will motivate a headhunter to find you a job. Prepare for the headhunter meeting as you would for an interview.
Be truthful: It pays to be honest not just with your prospective employer but even with your headhunter. In fact, most headhunters are known to blacklist candidates when they find out that these candidates lied to them about either their personal or their professional life. You definitely would not want to be on such a blacklist. Also, the headhunter can help you explain some tricky aspects about your past employment to a prospective employer if your have been honest with the headhunter.
Stay in touch: Even if the headhunter could not get you the first job that you applied through him/her, don't lose faith and give up on the headhunter. For all you know, he/she may just help you get the next one. Also, appreciate the fact that in all probability you are not your headhunter's only client and hence make a proactive effort to stay in touch with your headhunter throughout your job search and maybe even after that.
