I hear it often,  “this headhunter emailed and bothered me with a job opportunity.”  I wish they would stop.

STOP, heck no.  Sure there are many jobs you do not want which reinforces that you are at the right job right now.  Yet,  someday you are going to want a new job.  As I say often, every job has an expiration date.  Either you decide it, the company decides it, or the economy decides it.  With that in mind, accept the request to connect, respond to the email, and listen to the pitch because one day there will be a job that is just too good to be true.  And they came to you!

Knowing what kinds of jobs are available in your industry is a critical part of career management.  Don’t let false loyalty to your current employer take your eyes off of managing your life.  Don’t let bruised egos due to headhunters with jobs that are beneath you swear off ever talking to another headhunter.  Spend five minutes once every six months or so when you get such interest and be grateful you get the interest.  Some day there will be no inbound interest and  you will be looking for a job.  Who can you contact then?  Not the people you ignored when you were happily employed.

Even better, you can ask for the moon when they come to you and you like the job you already have.  Everyone of us should experience that at least once.  Here’s one story.