Headhunters: Matchmaking in the Labor Market (Ilr Press Books) [Hardcover]

William Finlay (Author), James E. Coverdill (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ilr Press Books | Publication Date: April 2002

...reveals the economic & political reasons clients use headhunters, demonstrating how headhunters manipulate clients & candidates, & assessing the impact of headhunters' actions on hiring decisions

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Headhunters are playing an increasingly prominent role in the social process of matching workers to jobs. In their penetrating, multi-method case study of headhunters, William Finlay and James Coverdill begin to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of this front-line service occupation."--Arne L. Kalleberg, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"Headhunters is a must read for anyone in the employee acquisition or talent transfusion professions. In my 40 years of participation in and publishing for the headhunter community, this is the only complete and realistic A to Z academic analysis of this previously mysterious group I've found. Headhunters can only hope it isn't read by employers or candidates."--Paul Hawkinson, Publisher , The Fordyce Letter

"In Headhunters Finlay and Coverdill tell a fine story about the complex dimensions of headhunting. Their account uncovers the hidden skills and accomplishments embedded in how headhunters manage their relationships with the managers who use headhunters to find candidates and with job candidates themselves."--Vicki Smith, University of California, Davis --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

William Finlay is Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Georgia and the author of Work on the Waterfront: Worker Power and Technological Change in a West Coast Port. James E. Coverdill is also Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Georgia. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: ILR Press; illustrated edition edition (April 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801439272
• ISBN-13: 978-0801439278
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #871,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For All Headhunters, March 7, 2002

By 

Michael Bloch (Penfield, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Headhunters: Matchmaking in the Labor Market (Ilr Press Books) (Hardcover)

This book is really excellent. The authors have captured the essence of what it is to be a headhunter. Absolutely accurate. A must read for all headhunters, corporate recruiters, employers and employment professionals. This book is filled with perceptive insights, analysis and conclusions that accurately portray how and why headhunters do what they do. Headhunters, as well as people who use headhunters, will benefit greatly from this information. After reading this book you will know more about headhunting than many headhunters themselves.

14 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of how headhunters work, but in mind 90's, September 30, 2002

By 

D. Hinduja "Tirthdas" (Ahmedabad, Gujarat) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Headhunters: Matchmaking in the Labor Market (Ilr Press Books) (Hardcover)

As a novice in the recruiting/headhunting industry doing research for a business plan, I found this book to be very informative. It has input from a lot of real time headhunters, so you get to understand how they work on an industry level and on a day to day basis. However, in spite of vast research the authors have put into this book, most of the research was carried out in mid nineties (although the book was published in 2002) so the word "internet" comes up only twice (or a few times) in the book. One gets an impression that the resume/candidate database is one of the most important assets for a headhunter, but I wonder to what extent that is relevant given that a few resume databases such as monster, careerbuilder, hotjobs (some of these sites are mentioned only once or not at all) will give anyone access to a greater number of resumes' than someone who has been in this business for a long time and relies on the resume's in their own database.
But, is in any industry, certain things always remain the same, even with the influence of the internet, and this book does a great job of shedding light on how headhunters work in the marketplace.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best comprehensive headhunting book for headhunters, May 12, 2005

By 

Michael Jay Sullivan (Cambridge, Ma) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Headhunters: Matchmaking in the Labor Market (Ilr Press Books) (Hardcover)

I have been working in this field for 25 years, and read most of the major books. Although I am a big fan of Bill Radin, this
book blew me away. Perhaps it's social science orientation rather than "war stories" that you find in other books of this ilk. True, as another reviewer says it does not have a major web focus, but the web is a tool and more for HR than headhunters. Companies don't pay 5, and occasionally, 6 figure fees for what they can get off of a $500 ad on Careerbuilder or Monster.com. The data doesn't lie. Anyone that wants to start, improve, or reach their peak in this often misunderstood profession should definitely read this book. It's a fairly quick read, but it tells you what you need to do to be a successful headhunter via in depth surveys of successful practitioners.