I’m a headhunter.

This is how my friend Georges introduces himself at conferences and events. As a recovering IT Consultant, the very mention of a headhunter elicits memories of awkward phone calls, impersonal emails, and generally unsavory humans.

I got to know more about what Georges actually does over lunch last week and, it became apparent that he was selling himself short in the way he introduces himself. Georges helps technology professionals live better lives by connecting them with the opportunities they desire and deserve.

He told me the story of a developer whose salary almost doubled when taking a new offer, resulting in the young man being able to move out of his tiny apartment and plan a better honeymoon following his upcoming wedding.

Georges also clarified a lot of the issues I experienced with headhunters, and shed some light on the things to which I was oblivious when interacting with his kind (smile) before I quit my job last April. It was an illuminating discussion.

There’s a stigma attached to being a headhunter, just like there’s a stigma attached to being a marketer and salesman. The challenge is to communicate the art of what we do to others in a way that’s both honest and resonant.

So tell me.

What do you do?