what is head hunting and how to learn it ?

Hi friends,

I am working in a small software development company as an HR executive. My management expects me to handle recruitments and some operational tasks. Currently, I am facing a problem with recruitments because in this company, recruitment is only done through naukari.com. Now, they are asking me to do headhunting, which I don't know how to start as this is my first job. There is an HR manager in this company, but unfortunately, he is not willing to teach me. How should I start? Could you provide me with some guidelines?

Please help me urgently as there are immediate job openings at our company.

Thanks,
Smita

Dear Smita,

I disagree with what has been written about headhunting. It is not a process where you just pick up the phone and talk to anyone and seek references. This should be done in a process.

1. Make a list of competitor companies from where you would like to pick candidates.

2. See if you have any current employees who have worked in those organizations in the past.

3. Ask them about the people who are working in that organization; the culture; general work environment; employee satisfaction there.

4. Call somebody randomly for an interview. Seek information from that candidate about the organization; ask for the organization structure with names. While seeking information, don't let the candidate feel awkward about giving out information about his organization.

5. Once you have probable names for the designated vacancy/profile, look up their resumes/contact numbers through naukri.com or your references in that organization.

6. Talk to them; impress upon them about your organization and the growth they will have in your organization.

7. If they are not willing to come for an interview, just ask them to come for a cup of tea.

8. Once they come for the interview, roll out the best hospitality you have; make them interact with the top bosses; and do all the right things to ensure the candidate joins you.

I believe I have clarified the headhunting process a bit. This process is tested and tried and successful too.

I would ask seniors to put down their suggestions on this if I have missed anything.

Regards,

Ajay

Hi Smita,

Headhunting is normally carried out by executive search firms. It's like calling any company from where you want to pick up a candidate, dialing the board numbers, and informing them that you are calling from a certain bank or that you want to offer credit cards. You express the intention to speak with anyone interested or pretend to be a friend of a manager, even using a fake name, and then engage in a casual conversation with the concerned person. Slowly, you explain the job opening in your company. It's simple yet challenging.

Please find attached some tips for headhunting.

Regards,
Milan

Hi Ajee,

Thanks a ton! I will definitely work on this and try to follow the same. I know I need to interact more on the phone now and with my colleagues as well.

Hi,

Please find attached the PowerPoint presentation for headhunting. This was shared with us during our headhunting training. I hope it can help you.

Regards,
Tanvini Gogri

Headhunting is a softer form of poaching, or rather, it is poaching. When you call someone and tell them you have a credit card to sell, and then reveal your wolf in sheep's clothing, is it not poaching? Headhunting is poaching. It is not just about seeking candidates but about brainwashing candidates and making them think about change, even if they are not interested at that particular time. It involves coaxing them with lucrative offers. Since you are offering them a job that exactly matches their skills, they are more inclined to accept it, rather than considering if the job profile actually fits, as in a normal recruitment process.

Hope you understand the situation and acknowledge that in headhunting, if you are lying to the employee about credit cards, loans, etc., and then confront them, you are deceiving the employee just to secure your commission as a consultant or to fulfill your company's requirements.

I hope I have made my point clear.

Hi Smitha,

Welcome to the club. I would like to help you for free. Just tell me what profile you are looking for.

S.K. Sundararajan
09282103900

"Headhunting is different from Talent Poaching"...we are in a competitive market where supply of talent is less than the demand of talent. We are in “War of Talent” and hence all the ways and modes to acquire the talent is acceptable, legal and ethical. My ethic says that I should get best of people working for my company...I do not care how and from where that talent comes from.

Headhunting is ethical and it is there since long time. I think you question should be, “if talent poaching is ethical or not?” Are you sure that you wanted to ask this question only??

Senior Management and Experienced Professionals (Like Vice Presidents, CEO's, CTO's, CFO's, Directors etc) do not post their profiles on jobsites and they also do not market their resumes through any recruitment consultancy...that doesn't mean that they do not market their resumes or do not look for jobs...they do. They just market it through their trusted professional network...that is called as Headhunting. This is different from Talent Poaching.

If anybody like to debate on this...I am ready for it...

:oops: :( :D

Regards

Hello Smita,

I have read your post and feel that there are a number of requirements you need to keep an eye on for effective employee productivity as well as recruitment. I am a Pune-based trainer in soft skills and behavioral training, and I have a series of modules that can help increase the productivity of employees in any organization. I would love to speak with you to see if there is any way in which I could contribute to the growth of your organization. Please contact me at [Login to view] or reach me at 9860069320.

Love,
Gogo

Hi Sanjeev,

You said Tomorrow, when there is a war for food, (and this day is not very far) are you saying that might is right? In that case, the law of the jungle is applicable both then, and now - so then we humans should all IMMEDIATELY drop all pretense of being a civilised race.

By your statement, robbery is also ethical, and by that extension, murder during robbery becomes ethical. This may be strong, but aren't you also killing or weakening an organization by enticing its best people away? Perhaps for you it is ethical because you work as a recruiter and it is your bread and butter. From the point of view of an HR generalist or OD specialist this doesn't bring smiles to their faces, because attrition control is part of their KRAs.

Speaking for myself, I follow a policy of allowing all my candidates to join after serving at least 50% to 60% of the notice period. That way, when they leave my organization, I can impress them to do the same and thus have an effective handover and knowledge transfer. This is where ethics comes into the topic of headhunting / poaching - nowhere else. Whether you can stand upto your management team and resisting their pressure and allow a prospective candidate to join your organization after serving all or a decent part of their notice period.

You do realise that this is a very vicious circle. I wonder if you would feel it is ethical when your employees are pulled out in 24 hours time because of a better package being offered which you cannot match? By making a practise like this, anarchy is being created.

What do you mean by talent poaching? Sorry, but in my mind, recruitment is done for skills (talents) first, and personalities second. Sectors and industries are immaterial. At first glance, it appears to be a case of semantics - perhaps you can clarify.

What you say about senior management resumes is correct and true. Which is why employee references are considered to be the best source of recruitment.

Thanks to Ajay for a detailed description for the headhunting process.

Regards

Ryan

Impressive views, Ryan!

Every coin has two sides. If someone succeeds in recruitment, someone else may feel attrition.

- Hiten

Dear All,

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