The Head Hunter is Hunted…

Executive Head Hunters Are Now Our Most Wanted

There is a breed of people out there who move mountains, yet remain in the background. They love the anonymous life they lead and wallow in the knowledge that indeed they are the movers and shakers of industry. They are the head-hunters - a profession that has come into its own and gained prominence only in the last decade or so.

Imagine the thoughts that course through your mind when you are about to will a certain position. The job satisfaction in this field is enormous. you are not only able to get a better paying job (most times) for different sets of people but are also able to improve the life of your clients and candidates.

Not very long ago when the head-hunter, and particularly the executive head-hunter, came into existence he did not have to do the multiple tasking that he is expected to perform today. His orbit of work was the town or city he lived in. Today, it is a completely different scenario. He not only hunts for the right candidate but also needs to sift though teams and reams of data to accomplish his job more effectively and efficiently.  

Challenges Executive Head Hunters Face Today

So, what stops today's head-hunter from doing his job effectively? 

One, to spread his net wider he has to use the Internet. That means he was to spend hours on the net posting his requirements on different job sites. Plus he has to check back regularly to see if he has gotten responses. God forbid, if he has two digit emails waiting for him. The implication is he will have to write back to each of them...for he may need any of them in the future.  

Two, sift and print thousands of pre-qualified candidates supplied by other executive head-hunters or recruiters interested in making split placements. Of course, keep a communication channel open with the other recruiters. You can imagine what would happen with splitting placements with only 10 other recruiters.

Three, analyze and send emails to the short listed candidates. Check rack often to see if an interview call could be fixed. Reconfirm the name both with the client and the candidate. Phew...!! But wait, there’s more to follow. 

Four, follow up with client and candidate after the interview is over. Oh yeah, there will be coordinating a minimum of two rounds of interviews, if not three or four, based on the position seniority and other parameters.

Five, the most troublesome tasks of all – reports. A single report is line, but when it comes to multiple reports such as client and candidate satisfaction, failure reports and of course no report is complete without an analysis.  

When spoken to the CEO of a leading head hunting firm stated on condition on anonymity “….True, today the executive head-hunter has more to handle than his counterparts of yesterday. But then the modern head-hunter also has cutting edge online directories to support him in his quest of finding and placing the right candidate effectively.” 

Huh…Online Directories...what are these...!!!???

Well, you are standing in one (figuratively speaking, of course). “An online directory is your answer to a worry free head-hunter...”stated one senior executive. Continuing in the same vein, he flipped his laptop open and demonstrated.

An online directory is actually your answer. You are able to perform multiple functions. You can sift, sort and store data using certain keywords such as position or vocation. Wander around this site, where everyone from executive head hunters to staffing firms and sales recruiters are listed. You will see what the senior executive meant.   

An alternative to using a head hunter is to use is to use specialized online employment tools such as those provided by CruiseJobFinder.com for cruise ship jobs and for other jobs in the travel and hospitality industry.