Can executive search be conducted without intermediaries?

Recently, the first tentative thoughts about whether direct selection will replace the top-level executive search, also known as headhunts, in the near future have appeared in the foreign media. These reports implied that the process might eventually move away from certain intermediaries such as the social network LinkedIn. Whether these doubts will remain doubts or whether they will come true remains to be seen, but already some opinions of labour market experts are making us think about the hunt for the best heads in the world and their fate in a few years’ time, both in the world and in Lithuania.

As in other areas of business, the executive search has recently undergone significant changes. The current phase of the labour market is closely linked to online job portals and the popular social network LinkedIn. However, if you look on the latter platform, it is easy to see that a large proportion of its members are qualified, educated, young people who are applying for mid- to top-level positions.

It is as if the ordinary worker is being eliminated here, while the very essence of LinkedIn is to help build business connections and for companies, employees and employers to collaborate more smoothly. It is important to note that this network rarely hunts for the most professional employees capable of taking on a managerial position. The best heads are usually targeted directly: when a new manager is needed, he or she is found through professional contacts, working groups, and in some cases even through acquaintances or by hearing about a leader in a competitor’s company.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a key element in the headhunting of top executives, including the fact that really experienced heads of projects, departments or companies avoid making themselves publicly known or loudly escalating their business achievements. The role of LinkedIn is therefore far from a priority. The rhetorical question naturally arises: if the best managers are to be hunted for directly, should online intermediaries such as job portals, LinkedIn, etc. be abandoned altogether? After all, this would allow for a more focused, direct search and selection of leaders, thus saving time or money.

Even if such predictions are later confirmed, company directors are unlikely to do without recruitment companies for some time. By specialising in this field, such organisations would know exactly how best to make direct contact with the right manager and how to check his or her potential for the job. So, no matter which way the headhunting goes in a few years’ time, entrepreneurs and managers need not worry – labour market consultancies will help to achieve a mutually satisfying result.