Recruiters: The Challenges of Executive Head Hunters
Recruiters: The Challenges of Executive Head Hunters (and how
the Internet is solving them) By David Leonhardt
Once upon a time, head hunters were no more than common
cannibals. Some people still view them that way, but executive
recruiters are a vital link in a chain that keeps major
enterprises functioning well.
The top positions at any organization dictate the fortunes of
the company, the shareholders and the employees ... and often
the communities in which they are located. A good executive head
hunter can ensure that new company executives have the skills
required for the position and the challenges ahead. He can also
ensure that the right executive is chosen, one whose style will
flourish in the specific environment of that company.
However, modern executive recruiters face challenges to be
effective. I caught up with Esther Barzel, co-owner of the
Online Recruiter Directory (
http://www.onlinerecruitersdirectory.com ).
Q: What are the main challenges of executive head hunters in
today's business climate?
A: To start with, the geographic net has become much wider. A
head hunter in , say, New York City or Toronto, can no longer
rely on finding the right candidate right in town. In fact, the
ideal candidate might be just minutes away by Internet, but he
might be located in another country or even on another
continent. We are looking at a new breed of executive recruiter.
Q: The Internet should make his job easier, right?
A: Yes...and no. He has to post requirements in more places and
sift through more potential candidates to find the jewel he
seeks. So his workload has actually increased.
Q: Plus, I presume, he still faces the challenges of yesteryear?
A: That's right. He still has to make contact with potential
candidates, conduct preliminary interviews, set up meetings with
the company, attend to minute details, brief the interviewer,
etc.
Q: What about follow-up?
A: Yes, there is, of course, follow-up required after every
interview, both with the client and with the prospect. It's a
busy job.
Q: So how does the Internet make life easier for an executive
recruiter?
A: Now you have online communities and bulletin boards, such as
Monster.com, where you can place ads for positions. This makes
it somewhat easier to cast one's net. Directories like ours help
head hunters attract clients, so they can spend more recruiting
and less time on business development.
Q: Don't online bulletin boards and directories just mean the
head hunter has to spend more time in more places?
A: Yes and no. Online resources are more easily searched than,
say, paper. Our recruiter directory gives employers the chance
to search by geography or by vocation, or by the type of
position. This means they can find a recruiter that specializes
in pharmaceutical sales, or who specializes in accounting, or
whatever field. The head hunter spends less time answering
questions from people who will never be their clients.
Q: And I assume it works both ways?
A: Yes, the recruiter gets resumes from only those people who
are likely candidates for the types of positions he works on.
The pharmaceutical recruiter, for example will not get a resume
from someone whose background is in aeronautical engineering.
Q: Wow, that's a mouthful. I don't know if I could even repeat
that.
A: Many executive recruiters could not repeat it, either. So the
Internet is making it easier for them to receive resumes
targeted to their field of expertise, saving them time...not to
mention overexertion of their tongues.
On that humorous note, we thank Esther for taking the time to
explain how the Internet is making life both more complex and
easier for executive recruiters and head hunters.