There is substantial difference between a hunter and a poacher.

Based on the definition, Head hunters are poachers for they are rarely invited to hunt their candidates in companies!

Next time you meet your favourite head hunter, remember to ask him how he situates himself!

The recruitment is a rather simple process:

-   Understand the assignment specs

-   Identify and select a few profiles

-   Present a short list

-   Make sure the best candidate is chosen

A thorough analysis shows how each step influences the final success of the talents’ recruitment. The quality of your quest will be determined by the weakest step of the whole process.

The answer is rather difficult like it always is when it is question to guess the future!

Actually I see mainly three mains reasons:

- Seize the opportunity of the Pappy boom to increase its activities. Inherent to the process, the more the activity increases the higher the demand for Executive Search.

- Propose a partial answer to the increasing job mobility. Top performers are expected to change employers 5 to 10 times while in the past the average was between 3 and 5

- Induce, in some cases, a new assignment due to the position left vacant by the leaving candidate. The option of the internal promotion will gradually decrease due to the expected shortage of talents caused by the Pappy boom

Based on the above, the demand for search should grow at a higher rate than the economy.

When you need to fill in a new function, there are mainly two very different ways to proceed: either selection or recruitment. There is a huge difference in both approaches.

In the last decades, Supply Chain has started to play a key role in its contribution to stakeholder value. Supply Chain functions have strongly attracted quality talents. This evolution was backed by the academic world launching especially dedicated Supply Chain programs.

The struggle to attract the best in class has started reinforcing the need to use professionals in this particularly difficult process.

The database offered by LinkedIn (and other professional networks like Viadeo, Plaxo, etc…) proposes a selection of approx. 200 millions members. The size of this network combined with the head-hunter talent eases the opportunity for young potential quest.

Profiles databases have gone public with the raise of LinkedIn (and other professional networks like Plaxo, Viadeo, Xing, etc …). Does it mean recruiting has become a kid’s stuff?

Well to the contrary, the profiles’ profusion on LinkedIn has rather complicated the quest for talents. More than ever the basics of every search have to be applied: what type of profile exactly do I need, where shall I find it, how can I best do my selection, are some of the questions LinkedIn is barely giving.

So LinkedIn is a tremendous database (user-friendly, reliable, open …) but can hardly replace the quest for talents.

Profound mutations in the Supply Chain have induced an important change in the profiles of their leaders. Over the last decades, they were expected to combine software knowledge with technology awareness

Today, the focus is more on soft management skills. They have to show their capability to build complex alliances, meet increasing clients’ expectations, convince their colleagues and motivate their own workforce.

Such talents can actually produce shareholder value but are quite rare and rather hard to find. Their recruitment requires more than ever a thorough professional approach.

I see Executive Search playing a positive role essentially in two directions:

- Accelerate the career evolution of the recruited top performers. The candidate is usually not in a mood for changing employer when he is contacted by a head hunter

- Cause some organisational changes for replacing the talent leaving. The Executive Search accelerates some positive changes which would probably have happened later.

Executive Search provides services that induce changes which can sometimes turn out to be decisive in the development of their customers.

When loosing his job, the reaction to turn to Executive Search offices is a normal one. The level of expectation is high from the candidate to meet some recruitment specialists.

Each practice receives a huge amount of CV (100+++ each week). It is impossible for the Head hunter to meet all candidates. He has a company responsibility to develop his practice. He has clients to serve.

As head hunter, he would be pleased if he could find enough time to both manage his assignments and meet all candidates sending their spontaneous CV.

For each candidate, this time constraint generates a frustration and induces a major misunderstanding. To better understand the situation could possibly help candidates to get by.