The last time I set up a blind date? Everything looked good on paper they did the same things, went to the same clubs, etc.

Yet the whole thing was a disaster. Just seems that some people are better suited at match making than others, they seem to have a natural ability to see how relationships will fit or not, better than others.

Biz-find articles | Blind date

Arranged marriages in the East are a talking point as they now have a better success rate than many chosen marriages in the West, seems now that some parents really know their children better than we know our so called ‘adult selves’

After just returning from my regular mastermind meeting with my head hunter friend, he told me about how the best head hunters are those who can balance experience with their intuition.

The very best head hunters take it very seriously how their candidates will fit into the new roles and personalities they will work with on a daily basis. The experience is about the research into the corporate culture. He told me:

“A couple of meetings are all I need to see how everything is structured, there are usually only two types in my experience:

Manger Heavy (Vertical Structure)

One person often in charge of a few middle managers but really he is a one man show, all decisions go through them, nothing wrong with that, if it’s been successful who are we to judge.

For the Head Hunter though there has to be a specific sort of candidate who can fit in here, so I would probably present somebody who needs the stability , and is consistent with work, a long term career prospector.

It would be very important for me to probe how he would be with quick decisions which are often the hall mark of an entrepreneurial boss. They should be a real people person with high EQ that will be relied on and be happy to be given more responsibility but be closely watched.

Flat Structure

The most common corporate structure, where there is many echelons of power. The ideal person here should be patient and be an out of the box thinker to be noticed and be prepared to shine to get to the top, they will have to be good at dealing with many different power struggles, this role is more about ability to produce more than it is about EQ.

So; two different personalities needed for two similar roles but for two different set ups, even if their basic qualifications are the same.

Conversely:

My “gut feeling” could also tell me  that the EQ vs. productivity v traits could also be the reverse…you could also argue that in a vertical structure, results are more important, because you may have a “socially challenged” draconian boss who just understands the results of the KPI’s (i.e. ‘performance indicators’).

However, in a flat structure, one might need a higher EQ to navigate through all of the multiple personality types, to see through all of the social constructs, manage the various power struggles and just know how to “Play the Game”…

So much intuition is called upon in the recruitment game.

When I finally get to talk to the Horse’s mouth of the corporation looking, so to speak, I rely a lot on body language and experienced questions to find out what sort of person they are ‘really’ looking for, so often they can’t be direct with what they want to say, but the consultant can, for example, pose subtle questions such as:

“What happened to the last person?”

You have to be a good listener and watch the signs to see what they really mean. If the last employee left, the manager will tell you many things about their corporate structure here, even if they don’t mean too! Another good question that will bring out many skeletons is:

“What skill sets are you looking for now, that you didn’t have before?”

All this questioning is experience and intuition that gives the best Head Hunters the finesse they require to be the top of their game. It’s all about making the candidate fit the role, not the role fit the candidate, and that’s the job of a good recruiter!

Sometimes as a head hunter, we can stretch our artistic licence with reverse consultancy. We can help business see a role that perhaps they could not.

One great example is when I was consulting my client who is a leading Interior designer in Hong Kong, she was always asking me to find her a Sales Manager, after getting to know the business, experience told me ‘she was the business’ and she needed herself marketing.

Consequently I helped the designer recognise that a P/A-cum Business Manager would be a much better fit for her, to organise and help with clients and get her to more potentials, I am glad to say that has worked out beautifully, and now the candidate and boss are celebrating a very happy first year together.

All say ahhhhhh!

I recognised the qualities of the candidate for the role so much more than was on paper, they were both interested in fashion and design, they were both artistic, and there were many things about the differences in their personalities that came into play, like; one was reactive and creative (Right brain), the other is proactive and organised, (left brain) so there was that fit.”

There is so much more natural ability that makes a great recruiter as opposed to a recruitment firm who will send a few hopefuls and see what fits”

Everyone should have a Mastermind session with an industry leader once a week it’s vital for your creativity and knowledge. I have learned so much from my Head Hunter friend and I hope he has learned some useful things from me.

For the top executives who want to land the best roles or to have the top Head Hunter in Asia visit your company for consultation on the best talent for your business; contact Smith Goldman.

Just don’t tell fibs…. he’ll know!