Understanding the Italian job market is essential to create a winning strategy and increase the chances of finding a job in Italy. In this article I will talk about an important professional figure when you are looking for a job, but first I would like to know: do you know what does the headhunter in Italy?
Many people write to me asking if I know any headhunter in Italy. Of course I know!
However, those who usually ask me this question think that the headhunter in Italy does the same thing as the headhunter in Brazil. I’m sorry, but they do very different things.
In this article, I will clarify this doubt and tell you in detail the differences between the performance of a headhunter in Italy compared to Brazil. At the end of the article there is a super bonus for you.
Headhunter in Italy and headhunter in Brazil
In general, people don’t know what headhunters do, nor their role in the selection process in Italy. Remember: in a competitive market, information is a great competitive advantage.
We will understand the differences in the performance of these professionals in Brazil and Italy.
How Brazilian headhunters work:
Firstly, they act as a meeting point between the company and the candidates. The success of a headhunter in Brazil will depend on the quality of the network he has.
Usually in Brazil a “double game” is played, this does not mean it is negative or positive. It is just a feature of this profession in Brazil.
In other words, it’s like they have two customers:
1. THE COMPANY
- The headhunter will help in the process of building the profile of the ideal candidate for that job offer.
- He will do the recruiting and selection.
- Probably he knows the company and its processes very well.
- He will be responsible for aligning the organization’s needs with regards to the job position.
- Knowing what the company needs, the headhunter searches for the profiles of candidates who fit the job.
2. THE CANDIDATE
- The headhunter will have a preliminary conversation with job seekers.
- It will help the candidate adapt his resume to the workplace.
- It will guide the candidate on how to dress, prepare and behave during the job interview.
- In addition, the headhunter seeks feedback from the interview and, if you receive an offer, will negotiate your salary on your behalf.
- Obviously this service has a cost, for example: 35% of the annual salary of a CEO.
In other words, in Brazil it is possible to hire a headhunter to help you look for a job, but you will pay part of your salary when you get a job. However, the company also pays the headhunter to find the right candidate for that vacancy.
That’s why this professional in Brazil has “two clients”. In Italy it is very different!
How the headhunter in Italy works:
In Italy, headhunters are called “cacciatori di teste” and their goal is to find and select the best candidates available on the market.
The headhunter in Italy have “only one customer” which is the company, so they don’t go out and interview anyone to create a database. In this way, they do an interview only if it is related to active recruiting.
In other words, the company that needs a specific profile hires a headhunter to help them in:
- Creation of a job description (create the candidate profile containing the skills needed to perform the job).
- Recruitment: this is the most important part of the headhunter in Italy work, as he needs to find the best candidates to offer to the company.
- Selection and presentation of the best candidates for the client company.
Who contracts the headhunter in Italy is the company, not the candidate!
If the candidate wants to receive information on: how to behave in the job interview, how to be visible on Linkedin, how to have a resume adapted to the Italian job market, among other things, he will have to hire a professional like me, because the headhunter in Italy does not have this function.
If you want to know more about my work, click on one of the options:
What recruitment channels does the headhunter in Italy use?
The headhunter usually does two types of recruiting:
- Passive – she/he will create an ad and post it on the main recruiting sites in Italy, always considering, of course, the type of profile he is looking for. He will then make a selection and present the best candidates for the client company.
- Active – she/he does not create an ad! He will use search channels like LinkedIn or even his professional network to identify some candidates.
In conclusion, if I could only give you one piece of advice (I would have at least 200 to give you;), but this is just an article), I would tell you to create a very captivating LinkedIn profile, using SEO techniques.
If you want to know more, read the article I wrote: LinkedIn Italy: use it to your advantage!
Last thing!
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The bonus I promised!
Have you ever wondered if you could enter the head of a headhunter in Italy and understand what he thinks or what he expects from you?
Wouldn’t that be great? Now it is possible! I interviewed Martina Palumbo, who is a headhunter in Italy, and I asked all those questions that intrigue you, such as:
- How is the work of headhunters in Italy?
- What recruiting channels do they use?
- What do they expect from candidates?
- How to negotiate the salary at the job interview?
- And more…
In addition, I analysed some cases with Martina (I told the situation of my students and I asked her what she thought).
Click on the image below to see the full interview in Italian: “Come farsi notare dagli Head Hunter”.
I hope this article was useful to you. If you have any questions, concerns or considerations, write a comment below.
A big hug,
Marcela Oliveira
