Though they may be tiny fish in a big sea of
contenders, minority-owned executive recruitment firms continue to play a
major role in helping to diversify the American work-force. In 2002 alone,
the 65 firms listed grossed $82.5 million, up 14.37% from $68 million in
2000. This year, 12 firms have been added to our list.
But it's not all good news. As white-owned recruitment firms continue to
develop their minority-recruitment divisions, black-owned firms could see
revenue gains flatten. As of September 2000, the combined revenues of
black firms--$71.5 million--made up just a fraction of the $4.4 billion
executive recruitment industry, according to Executive Recruiter News.
Many of the firms listed in our directory are working hard to bridge the
gap. It won't be easy and through it all the client (employers) will
ultimately enjoy better results due to these efforts.
Despite this, black firms continue evolving to meet the demands of
corporate America. For example, many have expanded their services beyond
executive recruitment to include temporary placement, diversity consulting
and career counseling. Nonetheless, it's still difficult for them to sell
their services. "The pie has gotten larger, but the piece going to
minority-owned firms is still very small," says Winnie Richardson
Davis, vice president of Joseph Davis Consultants in New York. Unlike
their larger white-owned counterparts, she explains, few black-owned firms
listed can afford to specialize in any one field, and must diversify the
industries they service.
It's important to understand exactly what executive search firms are.
Search firms primarily cater to the needs of the employer, not job
candidates. And they shouldn't be confused with employment agencies or
placement firms, where job candidates pay a fee to be placed. Revenue
sources generally fall under two categories: contingency (C)--the client
company pays a fee to the firm if the candidate is hired; or retained
(R)--the client company pays the firm a fee for the search, whether or not
a candidate is hired.
As a result, don't necessarily expect a response if you send in an
unsolicited resume. Although some firms do respond with a postcard of
receipt, they're not obligated to contact you. The industry norm is apparently
to have them find you rather than you find them. If you are a professional
seeking new opportunities.
David Pailin, Sr. Partner of the Dallas-based Pailin Group Professional
Search Consultants a retainer firm, who receives about 175 resumes
a day, explains why his company previously did not quickly respond to all
resume submissions: (1) Our primary thrust and mission is to scan the marketplace
recruiting for the most qualified candidates per our clients exact requirements. Unfortunately
some candidates may not be fully
qualified for any of our current search assignments, which have to be our
number one priority. Our clock starts as soon as we are engaged by
our clients. Our services are exclusively retained and our clients
expect quick substantive results. Granted we do value all of
the resumes and inquiries we receive and want them to always
continue. However I feel it is probably an industry standard to
respond immediately to those professionals that meet the exact
requirements you have been hired to recruit. (2) The format of
the resume is unacceptable (i.e., handwritten instead of typed, dates of
employment, salary or job titles missing, smears, and even no return
contact information provided, etc. All of these tend to present
concerns or flags to our consultants.
Executive search can sometimes be a
painstaking and time consuming numbers game. Search firms that want
to stay in business must use practical judgment and always strive to
target the most qualified and professional candidates on behalf of our
clients needs. Ideally we must utilize all screening tools available and
the initial review of a candidate's background typically comes in the form
of a resume of their credentials. Unfortunately marginal examples of
personal writing styles or other negatives is the first glimpse or
impression we have of a candidate. Consequently if we are not
impressed then we will not likely rush to contact that individual to share
our client's requirements.
(3) The candidate is seeking a job in an area
in which the firm doesn't usually recruit. Mr. Pailin noted that
although many of the unsolicited resumes his firm receives may be from candidates
unqualified for current active search assignments, he his instructed his
staff to acknowledge every inquiry and or resume within 7 days of receipt. The Pailin Group will maintain the information in their confidential
database for one year at a minimum. At the end of the day our goal
is excellence and frankly we see many more resumes than there are hours in
the day. Our consultants must take the cream off the top and immediately
try to qualify them regarding our current search efforts.
The Pailin Group was established in 1989 and represents
global clients such as American Airlines, IBM, the American Heart
Association, OxyChem, Bank Of America, Siemans Business Communications,
Steak and Ale, ConAgra, Kodak, Wells Fargo, Praxair, Exxon Mobile, Johnson
& Johnson and many others. The firm
conducts executive search in many professional areas
specializing in presenting a diverse qualified pool of candidates
to it's clients. The future looks bright for this company and it
seems that their clients agree judging from the amount of repeat and
referral business it enjoys over their 10 plus years in operation.
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