Executive search - or, in other terms, headhunting – is the process of recruiting senior managers, typically by persuading them to leave their current employer and accept a position with a competitor
In Romania, the executive search business began taking shape around 1996, its development being closely related to economic growth and the penetration of foreign investors on the local market. Whereas previously top management positions were almost entirely reserved for ex-pats, the foreign investors’ need for valuable local resources led to a gradual increase in the number of Romanian managers.
Even though high-caliber candidates have become more numerous, they are not always accesible to employers. Such valuable individuals are generally already employed and well provided for by the companies they work for.
Faced with the need to fill leadership positions within their organizations, employers are presented with two options: either recruiting the right person by making use of in-house resources, or engaging the services of an executive search company. Leaving high responsibility positions unfilled for too long can lead to catastrophic results for the welfare of the business, so there is no wasting time in such crisis situations.
By using internal resources, organizations are generally forced to limit themselves to those candidates who are actively seeking a new position.
When working with an executive search firm the search area is extended to people who are not necessarily considering changing their jobs and who often represent the right solution for the company's business. Moreover, persuading someone who is perfectly happy with his current job to join the ranks of a competitor is a delicate and complex process that requires the tact only an experienced executive search consultant can provide.
Money well spent
By relying on the help of professional recruiters, hiring companies can save time and money. It may seem paradoxical considering the fact that executive search services do not come cheap, but in organizations with a complex activity, failure to recruit key staff in due time can lead to huge losses. Compared to these, fees charged by executive search companies seem only a small price to pay.
Another essential advantage of outsourcing the recruitment process consists in the fact that the Client Company is thus able to hire a specialist who has already held a similar position in a company with a similar field of activity and who consequently possesses the necessary skills, experience and knowledge to rapidly become efficient at his new job.
Executive search in Romania
The gap between Romania and countries where executive search activities have existed for decades becomes apparent when referring to the mentality of managers whose employees are targeted by recruitment firms. Many of these still think that recruiters are actually stealing their staff and refuse to acknowledge the fact keeping their valuable employees is a question of properly motivating them, not of preventing them from learning about other opportunities and from becoming aware of their value on the market. Nevertheless, this perception is bound to disappear, as recruiting via executive search companies is becoming an ever more common activity for Romanian organizations. It will soon become clear to everybody that on a free market each of us makes his own decisions concerning his career.