1. ERE Spring Expo 2010
The Evolution of the
Corporate Headhunter
- Lou Adler
Getting Ready for the Hiring Tsunami
New hiring
Replacement
The hiring
“Sideliners”

2. Evolution of the Corporate Headhunter

3. Agenda and Objectives
• Are you a corporate recruiter or corporate
headhunter?
• You need to be a headhunter to maximize
quality of hire: “reach out” vs. “post and pray”
• Job-hunting psychology of the top performer
• Making the conversion to headhunter
– Know the job
– Maintain applicant control
– Tame your hiring managers
• Testing it out

4. The Employee Market
• Corporate recruiters focus on
those now looking - farmers
• Corporate headhunters focus
on those getting ready to
look and those open to talk
• Requires different process
• Where are the best people?
• Hiring tsunami coming
• Key: first, fast & with best
career offer

5. Improving Quality of Hire Mix
Least Average Most
-5% Best Best Best +5%
Your current hiring process – these are
the people you now are hiring
Mistakes! Rock Stars!
It’s what you do with the other 90% than
counts – implementing a “raising the bar”
strategy

6. Improving Quality of Hire Mix
Least Average Most
-5% Best Best Best +5%
Observations
• Everyone looks good when they’re hired. What happened?
• Discerning the “most best” is difficult during interview
• Top-third uses different criteria to find positions and apply
• Top-third uses different criteria to compare and select
• Top-third will not follow traditional approaches
• Break some rules to maximize quality of hire

7. Improving Quality of Hire Mix
Least Average Most
-5% Best Best Best +5%
Converting Observations into Tactics
• What are the “most best” looking for – lateral transfers, better
jobs or better careers?
• What are the prime sourcing channels for the top group?
• When is the best time to source the top group?
• What criteria does top group use to compare opportunities and
select one over the other?

8. Career Focused Early-bird Sourcing
Early‐birds Le;overs
Explorers
Tiptoers
Googlers
Networkers
Hunters
Key Points
Target Early-birds – plan rather than react
Prospect
Focus on careers – not jobs
Talent Pool
Ask: “How long have you been looking?”
Be called first – Be found first – Day “-1”
Allow for “just talking” – Don’t force “apply”
Know the job – not the job description!

9. Formalize the Candidate Decision
SelecAon Factor New Other Current
Opportunity OpportuniAes PosiAon
The job itself
Learning opportunity
Growth opportunity
Poten8al impact
Job stretch What criteria do the top
The hiring manager
The team group of candidates use
Compensa8on and
benefits when comparing jobs and
selecting one over the
Work/life balance
Loca8on
Company other?
Culture
Environment
Security
Long‐term
compensa8on
Other

10. A Retrospective

11. Eliminate Traditional Job Descriptions
Performance
Profile
Reduce costs The Difference
Grow sales
Build the team Maker: It’s what
Plan w/Marketing
Improve process
you DO with what
Design circuit you HAVE, not
what you HAVE
that counts!
Job Description
Skills
Experience
Academics
Industry
Responsibilities
Competencies

12. Eliminate Traditional Job Descriptions
Performance
Profile
Reduce costs The Difference
Grow sales
Build the team Maker: It’s what
Plan w/Marketing
Improve process
you DO with what
Design circuit you HAVE, not
what you HAVE
that counts!

13. Eliminate Traditional Job Descriptions
Performance
Profile
Reduce costs The Difference
Grow sales
Build the team Maker: It’s what
Plan w/Marketing
Improve process
you DO with what
Design circuit you HAVE, not
what you HAVE
that counts!

14. Taking the Assignment: Taming Gorillas
Engaging with Managers
Typical Examples
• What does the person need
to do to ace the performance Major: Complete system design for
review? the ____ project by March.
• What (and when) are you Major: Consistently meet quota
going to tell the person the within six months.
big projects & tasks are
during interview? Team: Complete product spec
w/ Marketing by March.
• Use a timeline – what does
person need to do 1st, 2nd ..? Do First: Analyze problem & plan.
• Ask about deal breaker Do Next: Upgrade the team.
• Convert HAVING to DOING Sub-task: Learn the product line.
and then get agreement to
“just meet” the candidate

15. Why Performance Profiles?
Hiring Top
Performance
Manager Prospect
Profile
Reduce costs
Grow sales
Build the team
Plan w/Marketing
Improve process
Design circuit Hiring
Recruiter
Team
Attracting – Assessing – Closing
Onboarding – Performance Management

16. Why Performance Profiles?
Hiring Top
Manager Focus on Prospect
the
DOING
not the Hiring
Recruiter
HAVING Team
Attracting – Assessing – Closing
Onboarding – Performance Management

17. Headhunter’s Favorite Weapon
Use this question to assess, recruit & defend
Most Significant Accomplishment Question
• Dig into accomplishments
Please describe a
• See combo of behaviors,
major accomplishment skills & competencies
or tell me about • Develop trend lines
something you’ve
• Assess consistency
accomplished that
• Create opportunity gap
you’re very proud of.
• Get candidate to sell you

18. Repeat the Question!
Ask MSA question & fact-finding
IMPACT for different team, individual tasks
& job-related tasks
Individual Clarify job: describe performance
objective and ask about most
comparable accomplishment
Team
Have candidate prepare a 360°
work chart describing work
relationships
TIME Use evidence to rank
Observe the Trend of Growth over Time
and defend your
candidate!

19. Target the 48mm people
on LinkedIn who aren’t
looking – the Cherry
Picker Networking
Technique
Use for ERP and Close
Connections

20. Maslow’s Headhunter Tips
• Stay the buyer!
• No “NOs” Self-
• Don’t sell the job, sell Actualization
the next step! Intellectual
Needs
• $$$ vs. Satisfaction Achievement
– Ask: what drives personal Needs
satisfaction? Social Needs
• “Not interested!” vs. a Security and
short career discussion Safety Needs
– That’s why we should talk Physiological Needs
– Long vs. short term

21. Becoming a Corporate Headhunter
• Reach out vs. post and pray
• Convert job descriptions into
performance profiles
• Convert performance profiles into
career moves
• Implement early-bird “engage first”
sourcing strategy
• Maintain applicant control
• Use the interview/screen to assess,
recruit and defend
• Persist – No “NOs” Maximize Quality of Hire

22. Becoming a Corporate Headhunter
• Audit Recruiter Boot Camp Online -
April 2nd – we’ll walk you through the
performance profile process.
– info@adlerconcepts.com
• Go to our table to obtain:
– Hire With Your Head raffle
– Audit pass to Mod 1 of Recruiter Boot
Camp Online
– Hot tip cards
– Opportunity to attend full Recruiter
Boot Camp Online raffle
Maximize Quality of Hire