BOUNTY HUNTER vs. RECRUITER -- Who Has the More Difficult Search Task?

Post inspired by Francois Francois Guay's blog post on RBC - on September 27, 2011 :

Top 10 Reasons Why HR Hates Recruiters and Vice Versa

Here's a close resemblance of what an OLD WEST (United States) BOUNTY HUNTER would look like...a bit more modernized but it works.

Bounty Hunters of old pursued and captured, or killed, their search targets in agreement with Wanted Posters that decreed: WANTED: Dead or Alive on certain individuals who were crossways with the law of the land.

Today's bounty hunters operate in similar fashion and will apply deadly force if needed to apprehend their subject of a search.

What Bounty Hunters and Recruiters have in common is their mission to locate the right individual(s) for their search focus. Bounty Hunters have one advantage--they know exactly who they're after. Recruiters/Headhunters, on the other hand, don’t have the luxury but they do know what and who they're looking for based on the information they can glean from their client.

Their Recruiter’s search is more of an open-ended challenge--which is to find the right fitting candidate for a very specific job opening with particular client.

Can you think of any other similarities or differences between a Bounty Hunter and a Recruiter? Who Has the More Difficult Search Task?

Comment by Amber on September 27, 2011 at 6:22pm: The search may have similarities, but the Bounty Hunter's get that Dead or Alive delivery option.....

Comment by Tim Spagnola on September 27, 2011 at 8:12pm: Good one Amber! I always saw myself more as........

coming to save (or make) the day for my client, my candidate, and self. Now where did I leave my horse?

Comment by Barbara Goldman on September 28, 2011 at 10:52am: Gosh, I probably would have done much better if I had been armed, and if the candidate could show up dead. Interesting thought.

Recruiters are actually more like attorneys. We are the deal makers. Everyone is alive, and everyone has a different agenda. We put those lively, opinionated, and hard headed people together, and make a deal. We get paid.

Dog has an easier job.

Comment by Valentino Martinez on September 28, 2011 at 12:20pm: @Barbara--there's a dark side to you (considering the option of bringing in a dead candidate as interesting-HA!) but comparing recruiters to lawyers is unacceptable because...

What do you call parachuting lawyers?
. . . Skeet.

How do you greet a lawyer with an IQ of 50?
. . . "Good morning, your honor."

What do lawyers use for birth control?
. . . Their personalities.

Why does California have the most lawyers and New Jersey the most toxic waste dumps?
. . . New Jersey had first choice!

And why do pharmaceutical company laboratories now use lawyers rather than lab rats for testing?
. . . Lawyers breed faster, so there are more of them.
. . . Lab personnel don't get as emotionally attached to them.
. . . Lawyers do things rats won't.
. . . Animal protection groups don't get nearly as excited.
. . . Some people actually LIKE rats.

I rest my case.

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on September 28, 2011 at 2:11pm: Just like recruiters, everybody hates lawyers... until they need one. :)

Comment by Tim Spagnola on September 28, 2011 at 2:12pm: @Amy - great one! I think I see bumper sticker.....

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on September 28, 2011 at 2:19pm: or at least a t-shirt, right Tim??

Comment by Valentino Martinez on September 28, 2011 at 2:25pm: Everyone hates bad recruiters and lawyers...until they get a good one--lawyers not so much.

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