No, not that kind of party, and no, not that kind of scoring either.  I am talking about placements!

No, no, no, not that kind of placement!! – I’m talking about headhunting.  What? Never mind…

Isn’t it interesting that we “executive recruiters” are often referred to as “3^rd party “? In reality, we are the fourth, and yet in my professional experience, the most effective and impactful participant in the recruitment of critical talent for Corporate America.  So, we could correctly be referred to as the 1^st party of this traditionally committee-based process.

For example, this past week I received contact via email and phone from three separate client companies indicating that they required my assistance in filling Software Sales positions.  In all three cases, this was music to my ears because the hiring authorities that reached out to me all recited the same plea.  They all had been searching for anywhere from three to six weeks via the web (LinkedIn, Ladders, their own networks, etc.) and had not come up with a winning pool of candidates that satisfied their specifications.

Alas, perhaps the demand side of the employment fulcrum is finally tilting into balance.  Maybe, as has been my perception, that layer of true “A” player supply, has been absorbed/hired by leading -edge firms to the point of creating real demand for headhunters’ services once again.

Indeed, one of the prospective hirers stated that they had not paid a fee, or contracted with a new search firm for about two (2) years.  Eureka! Hallelujah!  Well, not so fast.

In reality, I am privy to three cooperative parties that are all ready to rumble.  Me, my candidates (which I have already begun to identify) and the hiring authorities.

However, just one problem…and it is a big and real problem.