A boutique executive headhunting firm in Melbourne has reported a distinct shift in multinational hiring practices. The representative reports that “In the past, employers created roles and provided the brief to the headhunter to find the talent to fit. In the last six months, employers have been providing an open brief for say, ‘technology executives’ then looking through the candidate pool, and writing the job description to fit that person”.

This is an interesting change which makes it a significant challenge for executive recruiters to hone in on a broad range of people and anticipate the employers’ needs). It also shows a new corporate flexibility to achieve value for money–get the right person and leverage his or her talents to get the best for the company.

Interesting to see how this new model will improve the calibre of candidates.