Headhunting and Recruitment
Headhunting and recruitment are specialised fields of work with expertise and experience required to scale the best talents in the industry.
“Human Resources aren’t a thing we do. It’s the thing that runs our business.”
– Steve Wynn, Wynn Las Vegas
“Headhunting” and “Recruiting” are two similar titles grown somewhat interchangeable over time.
If you are also feeling unclear about the difference between these two, then you are not the only one.
There are great deals of confusions in the industry about these terms as they both refer to someone who can help you get a job. Even though the ultimate goal of these titles is similar, the doors they use to get there is different.
What is headhunting and recruiting?
How are headhunting and recruitment different? Given below are a few crucial points, which can help you understand both terms and how they are poles apart in services and approaches.
“I hire people brighter than me, and I get out of their way.”
– Lee Iacocca
What is Head Hunting?
“When I propose a candidate for a job I don’t do it because the person in question is the best but because he is the one the client will employ.
I provide them with a head that is good enough, placed on a body they want. The world is full of people who pay serious money for bad pictures by good artists. And mediocre heads on tall bodies.”
Headhunting is a process of conducting a specified search to identify the right candidate for a particular role.
Companies work with corporate head-hunters when the position they need to fill is urgent or difficult to place.
Corporate head-hunters fill multiple job openings while working with numerous companies. They get paid a commission only after the vacancy gets filled.
Pros of Head-hunting
“I hire people brighter than me, and I get out of their way.”
Lee Iacocca
- It frees up time for HR and hiring managers.
- Every candidate gets carefully selected after identifying the perfect-fit candidates.
- They have wide-ranging networks of professionals and potential candidates that they can tap into.
- They waste no time looking through CVs or interviewing unsuitable candidates.
- They personalise their engagement with every potential candidate they encounter.
- They take into account the fact that even though the candidates may not actively apply for jobs, they may be interested when potential opportunities presented to them.
Cons of Head-hunting
- As it is a race to find the best one, your resume might end up diluted.
- You might waste your precious time interviewing for jobs you don’t want.
What is recruitment?
Recruiters usually work for one company. He is an internal recruiter who finds candidates to fill a specific position in his company.
Pros of recruiting
- Recruiters function as an arm of the HR department. Their job is to find qualified candidates fit in the open position within their company.
- They get the opportunity to work with the marketing team to advertise an open position.
- As an employee in a company, get paid every month. So they are not working on commissions.
- Recruiters can answer the questions regarding the job, salary and company better compared to external staffing agents.
- They scan all resumes sent in response to job postings and screen candidates that may be suitable for the job.
Cons of recruiting
- They get a limited number of resumes as they need to advertise jobs and wait for the potential candidates to contact them.
- Attracts job seekers only if they know the company or their website.
Recruiters and head-hunters both play a crucial role in the hiring process on behalf of companies.
Their services are suited to different situations. While head-hunters conduct comprehensive searches for roles with a limited scope of who is qualified, recruiters vet through active job-seekers and make recommendations of qualified candidates.
If you have strong talents and achievements in your industry, you can approach any of them according to your preference. However, hiring a head-hunter or recruiter might relieve some of the stress associated with the job market and help you find the right job faster.
Headhunting and recruitment are two separate verticals in the corporate field.
Only the best placements firms specialising in headhunting and recruitment will be able to provide assistance to clients seeking the best talents.
“The key for us, number one, has always been hiring very smart people.”
Bill Gates, Microsoft
