Recruiter Day in Russia

Stress resistance and the ability to multitask are the main qualities of any recruiter. On September 20, Russian headhunters celebrate their professional holiday. In 1991, during the atrocities and chaos in the vastness of the former USSR, the Izvestia newspaper published an interesting article “Headhunters.” The author, Vasily Zakharko, colorfully described the life and dogma of one American HR agency, which he was able to visit personally. The article made a strong impression on the minds of Russian businessmen, and V. Zakharko’s materials became the first HR manual in Russia. Russian recruiters declared September 20, the day the article was published, as their professional holiday. In fact, Germany can be considered the birthplace of all recruitment companies. It was there, back in the 19th century, that the world's first organization engaged in personnel selection appeared. The progressive development of industry contributed to the increase in jobs. The professional qualities of the employees came to the fore. The example of Germany inspired the creation of recruitment agencies in France and Britain. After the Second World War, the United States became the undisputed leader in the recruiter market. Having honed their skills in recruiting military personnel, American personnel officers began to master “white collar” workers, making servicing civilian enterprises a priority. Many US recruiting agencies today are the oldest in the world. For example, Heidrick & Struggles, Korn Ferry, MRI Worldwide. In Soviet companies, the person involved in personnel work was not very successful. The main field of activity was paper correspondence related to filling out work books and registering vacations. In essence, exclusively clerical work. Russian recruiting originates from the Ares company, founded in the early 90s in St. Petersburg. From 1995 to 1998, the number of companies providing personnel selection services increased significantly, however, the 1998 crisis thinned them out. The strongest survived. The next test of strength happened in 2008-2009, when another economic collapse came to Russia. After which HR business in the country began to develop confidently and turned into a reliable personnel industry. Among other HR functions, recruitment has a decisive impact on profit and revenue. Which, in general, is logical. After all, personnel decides everything. And choosing the best of the best for the company is the recruiter’s task. In addition to searching for employees, interviews, meetings and negotiations, experienced headhunters regularly conduct various trainings. HR people celebrate their professional holiday in a very intellectual way: they hold seminars and forums, organize thematic meetings where they share their experiences. They organize master classes for young professionals and students preparing to join the ranks of recruiters.