Curious About Headhunting? Let's Explore Techniques and Recruitment Methods Together

Hi,

Can anyone let me know what headhunting is and what techniques are available in headhunting? Also, enlighten me about recruitment techniques.

Regards,
Vijay.

Read this article published in The Hindu, which helps you understand Head Hunting.

The most valuable resource in today's fast-paced corporate world is people. The present recruitment scenario witnesses the expertise of job consultants, better known as headhunters.

Headhunters have established themselves as an important link in the employment chain. Various companies and firms have chosen to enhance their human resources by utilizing the expertise that headhunters bring to recruitment. The boom in the headhunting industry can be attributed to the headhunter's superior understanding of the industry and market norms, job profiles, people skills, etc. By virtue of their aggressive networking and people skills, headhunters today have created a niche for themselves. Increasing staff turnover rates have propelled the headhunting industry to a high-demand, high-delivery industry. So, to join or start a much-needed service like this, what does one need to be successful? The pointers below will help in better understanding the do's and don'ts of the business.

It is imperative to have an in-depth specialized knowledge of the industry, the job requirements, work culture, HR policies, etc. This is the reason most headhunters work within well-defined niches and offer their services in specialized industries. A good grasp of the various problems and issues that plague the market is essential.

Every new search assignment that a headhunter takes up involves sifting the grain from the chaff. In other words, it calls for pre-screening numerous candidates for a job. This is where the headhunter's ability to probe beyond the superficial comes to the fore. Piloting the right person to the right job calls for specialized screening of the aptitude and skills of the candidates to ensure the selection of high-value performers.

Several factors need to be considered. The headhunter takes into consideration the candidate's values, job preferences, skills, background, family commitments, etc. These are the guiding parameters by which the headhunter analyzes the candidate's suitability to the requirements of the recruiter. The main objective should not be to generate short-term employment but to bridge the demand-supply gap. Ethical headhunting calls for a sense of integrity.

The headhunter should guide the candidates in interview handling skills.

The headhunter plays an important role in negotiations regarding salary and other benefits.

A headhunter stakes his reputation on the competencies of his candidate. A headhunter's responsibility does not merely end once the candidate is hired. Good follow-up with the company is a value-added service that can give a headhunter an edge and help in striking a long-term relationship with the company.

With a clear understanding of the above, a headhunter can be tuned to success in the corporate scenario. The headhunter charges a commission from the company per hire but also owes loyalty to the candidate. Hence, it is vital for him to help the candidate find a fulfilling and rewarding job.

The intense competition in the recruitment procedures has led to several headhunters working round the clock. To sum up, it is not only about skills but also about being in the right place at the right time. In other words, a true headhunter is one who finds the right peg for the right hole.

Regards,

P.V.S. RAVINDRA VARMA

What is the difference between recruitment and headhunting? It seems that the purpose and the process are the same. Then why different names?

Definitely, the purpose for both is the same, "getting people," but there is a considerable difference between their processes. Headhunting is the source of recruitment. Recruitment can be done by two methods: internal recruitment and external recruitment. Now, there are various sources for these methods, and headhunting is one such source for external recruitment.

Recruitment means attracting people, whereas headhunting is one of the methods to do recruitment. There are several other methods for doing recruitments, and these methods vary from each other. So, there is a difference between headhunting and recruitment, but it might be possible that there is very little or no difference between various sources of recruitment like headhunting.

Hi,

Headhunting is the process of working closely with an employer, understanding the strategic hiring and growth needs, defining the parameters of a search, identifying the targets/top talents at mid to top levels of other organizations, making an approach to the selected targets, understanding candidates' personal Pull/Push factors, managing and preparing clients' and candidates' expectations, and brokering an employment contract - covering package/title/KPIs, etc.

Headhunting is a specialized area within recruitment whereby the recruiter understands a particular space/industry well enough to know the key performers and players in the market.

Headhunting does not include Classified Ads, Job Postings, or Campus recruitment. Headhunters look for candidates and not applicants who apply but target people who are gainfully and happily employed. Headhunters often rely on networks and referrals to find the ideal candidates, not through databases or applicant write-ins. Many top-tier firms like Spencer & Stuart, Egon Zehnder, etc., rely on technical experience, a strong network, and a good research team to fulfill clients' needs.

Headhunting can derive from a client's need to fulfill a particular senior position within the organization or an unsolicited candidate whom the headhunter feels is a great fit for his/her clients.

For individuals who would like to consider headhunting/executive recruitment as a career, I would advise you to read up on MRI/Humana search methodologies.

Regards,

Trapti

Mandeep

Meaning of Headhunting

Recruit somebody from another company: to recruit, or attempt to recruit, an executive or highly valued employee from one company to fill a similar position in another enterprise. The agency headhunted her to work for an investment bank.

I am looking for a banking professional. Which methods can I use to do headhunting for that? How can one become a good headhunter?

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I have corrected the spelling and grammar errors in the user's input and adjusted the formatting to ensure proper paragraph structure with a single line break between paragraphs.

[QUOTE=penmetsa;18148]
Read this article published in The Hindu which helps you understand Head Hunting.

Hi Sir, the information you provided on headhunting has given me a clear picture of it. Please give me some more information on how we conduct headhunting in the initial stages as I'm working as a recruiter and am interested in learning new things in HR.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Shiva.

Headhunting refers to tracing manpower through all means when regular portals don't work. For example, social networking sites, advertising in newspapers, or any other methods used to fill a position.