Executive Search Consultant: Robot or Human Being?

That is the question. And it will be the question for the entire century. Everything we’re doing every day is automatic, and our life can be so predictable sometimes that people are making money off of this predictability. 

Really?? Are we only big data? Are we so predictable that on my Facebook account can show me what my next car will be?

And to be honest sometimes we, the Executive Search Consultants, act like this as well. It’s true that we can now view so many App’s or Websites claiming that they can do the job of a recruiter… And yes, it’s true that sometimes we are convinced that I just need to click and then find the perfect candidate. It will only take 5 minutes, which is good, because time is money.

And that’s my question!! Am I a robot or a human being?

We like to think that we are still human and that all the Recruiters are human and not just Robots or an Algorithm. And you know why I am convinced that we are not robots?? Because I can connect with other human beings, and I am able to understand what they want to say without a word or with just a pause, or even silence.

I’m sure you are aware that a lot of Recruiters work with LinkedIn or some other Social Platform or Network. We use keywords, a job title, a specific industry, to find our candidates. But we still have to review hundreds of profiles, one after another.  We try to understand the career path and what the candidate’s next step can be. And we do it, not with an algorithm, but with our brains and our gut instincts and all of our experiences to date.

And for the candidate, it can make all the difference!! You can give everyone a chance to access to a new job because you truly believe that he or she is worth the opportunity!! Because you saw the “Eye of the Tiger” in them! I’m not sure that an Algorithm can see this, at least not yet, not in this world!!

Some people think that we need to go faster, that the Recruiters have to see more people and that perhaps an algorithm could do the job much faster and for less money. But Candidates are not products, they are people with things to share and a story to tell. All of the candidates are not perfect for each job, but they deserve to be heard. We are, both the Recruiter and Candidate, human beings.

For a search, we usually need 6 to 8 weeks to find the good candidate for a client. Our job entails screening hundreds of profiles, qualifying them and meeting the best suited for the role in a face to face interview. We write up a full report for each of the selected candidates and present a short-list of candidates to our client. It takes time and money, but we are almost always sure that at the end of the search process to have found the exceptional candidate for our client. I have to say, in trying to be honest, and because we are only human, sometimes we can get it wrong.

Despite this, you know what? I truly believe that the need for Executive Consultant will not end tomorrow. And Big data will not kill us because we are not robots!!

Olivier and Christophe