October 17, 2013
Wirtualna Polska

Who are the head hunters?

On the website “Praca” of Wirtualna Polska, an interview with the president of Carpenter Consulting was published, in which Monika Ciesielska debunks the myths about the work of a head hunter. What is the difference between a head hunter and a recruiter, how is he remunerated, and how does he recruit the best specialists?

 

Wirtualna Polska: What qualifications must head hunters have?

Monika Ciesielska: Pursuant to the Act on employment promotion and labor market institutions (Art. 19a, point 3a), a head hunter should be a person with higher education whose study program included preparation in the field of personal counseling or career counseling. In practice, the most valued are head hunters who come from business, i.e. before they started working as a head hunter, they had the opportunity to work on the client’s side. For example, our team includes consultants from IT, new technologies, and FMCG (FMCG) who have had the opportunity to manage and build teams.

The experience gained earlier allows us to better understand the client’s expectations, in-depth verification of competencies, and above all, to interview the candidate for the position of president or director, at a level that does not differ from the one represented by the candidate. It is very important to be a partner in the conversation, not just a pollster. We also never forget that we are our client’s showcase and that high quality is expected from us at every point of the recruitment process.

Wirtualna Polska: How is the head hunter remunerated?

Monika Ciesielska: The head hunter’s remuneration depends on the arrangements made with the client. However, we can talk about two settlement formulas: fixed fee – a fixed amount for recruitment or a percentage calculated on the candidate’s gross annual salary. On the occasion of this question, I will dispel the myth in the minds of the candidates that the goal of the head hunter is to negotiate his salary down, and even that we are rewarded for it. In fact, our goal is to present candidates who, apart from the expected knowledge and experience, are within the budget assumed by the client. We very often inform candidates directly that we would like to recommend them, but the maximum remuneration for this position exceeds their financial expectations. As a result, we give the opportunity to make a decision on further participation in the recruitment process, often positive.

The entire interview is available at this LINK.