To give yourself more options and build your network in the professional world, it is important to have the right contacts.

Here are some tips on how to get in touch with headhunters professionally:

Email them. Feel free to contact a headhunter by email — this will give him or her ample time to respond and potentially add your resume to his or her database. If you’re a viable candidate, the right headhunter connected with the right companies could find a job opening at any time.

Help them out. You may think that headhunters will directly help you find a job. But the fact is that headhunters work for the employers that hired them —and not for you.

With this in mind, if you want an ally, it is important to help by keeping your eyes and ears open. If you know of individuals who could be a good fit for certain openings, let the headhunter know. The more you can stay in contact by offering assistance, the more updates you’ll likely receive regarding your search.

At the same time, you will be gaining new contacts and building a stronger network.

Know what you want and be clear about it. Headhunters receive about a hundred resumes in a day, so make sure your resume stands out to avoid prompt rejection. Be clear and concise in your resume and cover letter.

Think of an effective email subject line. If you’re applying through email, write an informative subject heading. Don’t just leave the subject field blank when reaching out to headhunters. Write something compelling in order to make them click your message among the thousand emails they receive on a daily basis.

Write a strong introductory email. You have to get this right the first time. A good intro email will grab headhunters’ attention and maximize responses to your resume.

Address your salary questions. It’s important to let a headhunter know the salary you are expecting. It’s a key factor in deciding whether or not they’ll contact you about any jobs available.

Only attach your resume. Once you’ve decided to email a headhunter, make sure to only attach your resume. Headhunters don’t need copies of work samples, performance reviews, etc.

Don’t save your resume in PDF format; keeping it in Word will allow the applicant tracking computer system to scan your resume for keywords.

Knowing how to contact headhunters effectively can open up your job search and lead to new career possibilities.