The Headhunter

Freedom and control
Our organisation is relatively flat in structure. I work for two directors who have overall responsibility for the searches on which we all work. However, I look after the day-to-day running of specific searches and spend much of my time investigating potential candidates while maintaining close links to the client. Ultimately, we work as a team and therefore, whilst we all have autonomy to be able to get on with our day-to-day role, we work very closely together.

The hours
I normally work about 10 to 12 hours a day. It depends on the time of the year. For instance, July and August are generally quieter.

The cash
Overall I think I’m reasonably well paid.

Gender split
In my office there are about three women to every man. But I suspect that elsewhere in the profession the gender breakdown is about even.

Men and women have very different qualities. In my job I think investigative skills combined with the softer skills of women are very useful. Women tend to have greater attention to detail and are generally more conscientious than men. These are all very useful skills in headhunting.

The perks
There is a huge buzz when completing a deal. We also work with some pretty influential people and have excellent relationships with senior investment bankers in the city.

The pits
It’s very frustrating when a deal falls through at the last moment.

Coping with stress
I do quite a bit of exercise, which relieves stress, and I have a good group of friends who I can chat to if things get tough.

Seeking inspiration
I chat to some of my work colleagues and hope they can help me out of a non-inspired moment.

Life and work
I would love to say that I work to live, but unfortunately I have to say, at the moment I’m living to work, so my work does affect my personal life. One bad habit I’ve picked up because of work is that I don’t call friends in the evening because I’m on the phone all day. I end up emailing them instead, which just isn’t as good.

The nature of our business is that we have very, very busy periods between September and June. We are generally encouraged to take it a little easier in the summer, ready for the onslaught of the rest of the year.