LinkedIn has democratised headhunting. What used to be reserved for top executives now reaches professionals and managers at all levels: direct approaches by headhunters or in-house recruiters.
Direct approach, or direct search, refers to the practice of identifying suitable candidates as part of a search mandate and contacting them directly. In the past, this method was reserved for highly qualified roles, while companies relied on incoming applications for other vacancies. With the growing shortage of skilled talent and the rise of social networks, this has fundamentally changed. Suitable profiles can now be identified and approached with ease – not only by headhunters, but increasingly also by specialised recruiters within companies themselves.
Direct search is likely to continue gaining importance in recruitment. For job seekers, this has two implications: those with a well-maintained and compelling LinkedIn profile increase their chances of being found. And those who reverse the principle – by actively identifying and approaching organisations of interest – are effectively engaging in speculative applications: the counterpart to direct search from the candidate’s perspective.
Articles on direct search (all articles)
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