The advent of many social media platforms and networking sites has greatly impacted the way in which organizations and potential employees interact with each other. In this context, one would be entitled to wonder if the traditional method of head-hunting will withstand the onslaught of technology?
Typically, Head-hunters are the ones who work in tandem with the HR department of a client organization to fill out their key positions. Head-hunters step in when organizations need “some extra help” in filling out critical and urgent positions.
Since such positions are often not publicly displayed by the organization, the urgency of filling up the position lies with the head-hunters. Since the head-hunters represent the client organization to the prospective employee, their communication is critical to ensure selection of the candidate that fits best in the position.
Digital recruitment platforms such as on page job portals, professional networking sites and commercial services such as the one offered by Naukri.com, shine.com, monster.com, and others have made it very easy for candidates to reach out to prospective employers and vice-versa. HR teams can thus identify and shortlist candidates very easily these days.
In the light of this ease of access, headhunting seems easy. But recruiting the right resource is not at all easy. If we explore why, the answer will also help us understand that the traditional method of head-hunting is here to stay, at least in the Construction industry.
In the construction industry, the engineering positions usually demand core engineering expertise, which in turn requires a good mix of technical knowledge, hands-on experience, and high-level practical understanding of site implementations. Many of these competencies are not easily discernible from CVs. On top of this, the candidates are getting savvy in window dressing their profile to match the employer’s requirement published on digital recruitment platforms. We have come across many CVs that appear excellent, only to find out during further scrutiny that it was apparently written by a professional CV-writer and the candidate falls much short of the requirements.
The hiring manager who must invest precious time for screening/interviewing the candidates, faces many challenges to make the right decision. These include