Shortage of skilled workers: Headhunter Kaan Bludau on the fight for skilled workers with the help of artificial intelligence

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Headhunter: Kaan Bludau is looking for talent for companies

Photo: BludauPartners

Headhunter Kaan Bludau (46) specialises in finding and evaluating top managers and bringing them to the right positions in national and international companies. The founder of Bludau Partners with 40 employees supports large companies and corporations in filling specialist and management positions, as well as in the strategic realignment of human resources areas. In order to adapt to the market, he bought the competitor Gemini Executive Search, which he focused on the use of artificial intelligence for HR professionals.

manager magazin: Mr. Bludau, in the wake of the shortage of skilled workers and managers, people in Germany often talk about a "war for talent". It is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to find suitable personnel. Are you overflowing with orders right now?

Kaan Bludau: We are very busy and hire two to three new employees every month to cope with the increasing number of projects. The change is clearly noticeable – and that also makes my work more difficult. Of course, the search for specialists and managers can be intensified and improved, but it is not possible to create new specialists and managers from scratch. In addition, today's employees, especially Generation Z, have a completely different understanding of work compared to previous generations. This runs through all levels.

How does this manifest itself?

Above all, I am observing a change in values. In the past, young people showed a high level of humility towards their work and were ready to carry it out conscientiously and on a long-term basis. Nowadays, they are more likely to ask employers the question: What can you offer me that others cannot? At the same time, salary expectations have risen significantly, as has the desire for flexible working options. Often, people are also looking for an activity that brings fulfillment or enables self-realization. This was much less the case in the past.

That can hardly apply to top executives.

Nevertheless. I observe this attitude not only at the lower management levels, but now also more and more frequently at top management level.

What are the criteria that companies want from new managers and that are no longer up to date?

A good knowledge of German is actually still an issue. In the wake of the shortage of skilled workers, this is becoming increasingly difficult to comply with and often does not make sense in order to put the best candidate on the job. Medium-sized companies in particular are still very different from the new tech companies, for whom this is no longer quite as relevant as it used to be, even at the second and third management level.

And in terms of content?

Many companies also have an outdated image of the desired type of leadership. A top-down approach, which is still in demand, in which managers provide the solution to the currently pressing questions and monitor their implementation, is simply no longer in keeping with the times. Today, leaders need to be authentic, adaptable, and empathetic. A few years ago, many companies didn't even have this on their radar. But a change is taking place here.

As a headhunter, how do you proceed with a search assignment? What distinguishes bad talent scouts from good ones?

Bad headhunters do not establish a personal connection to the talents, but litter them with e-mails or LinkedIn messages. They make the contacted person feel that they have not informed themselves about them at all. And often the people contacted do not even fit into the profile they are looking for for the respective management position. Good headhunters create trust and orientation through personal contact and professional dialogues. Although this is more time-consuming than simply contacting them via the message function in a career network, it pays off for both sides.

Don't you use LinkedIn for search at all?

Yes, but I don't address candidates there "coldly". I prepare well for a conversation. Those who have been contacted must feel that they are being taken care of.

At the same time, other recruitment consultants are also trying their luck, many on behalf of clients from abroad. How far do you currently have to extend your elbows?

The market for headhunters is highly fragmented. There is extreme cut-throat competition. There are international competitors who are currently trying to cannibalize the market. They take advantage of the fact that Germany is becoming less attractive as a business location, as high bonuses, less bureaucracy and more modern technology are advertised abroad, especially in the management sector. Since we are very well positioned ourselves, we don't have to extend our elbows yet, but you can feel that there is intensified competition in the industry at the moment.

With the acquisition of Gemini, you are now trying to gain a competitive advantage with the help of artificial intelligence. How does it work?

With collected data and a scoring system developed by us, a ranking of potentially suitable candidates is created. To do this, the AI takes into account important influencing factors, such as previous experience, competencies, leadership styles, values and willingness to change. This data is then validated in personal interviews between the consultants and compared with the requirement profile. This approach enables faster and high-quality assessments and recommendations.

And does it pay off? At Gemini, the expensive construction of an internationally compatible database, which is said to have blown up the budget, was once often cited as a reason for insolvency.

I'll see. It can also be a cost grave, as I don't have a private equity investor, but finance everything myself. The project is not low-risk and could also break my neck. But I am confident because we are currently aware of the diverse developments and optimizations in the AI environment.

Can AI evolve to the point where you make yourself superfluous?

No. In a personnel consultancy, especially in the top management area, you can't replace people. We always need well-trained employees who can interact on a social level. In my view, therefore, in the future, much more should be taught at universities, especially in business administration courses, how to build trust. In addition to the know-how about the company and the work of supervisory boards, you also need the psychological component as a headhunter.

And AI can't replace that?

No. You can only personally find out the values that a person stands for. What motivation drives him in life and why he wants to take a position that may be far away from the family or what the person did before. An AI is also not good at assessing whether the person can be sustainably successful in a company – for example, if he or she has previously done something else.

How do you find out? A new appointment is always a risk.

But we humans can estimate this much better than an AI. For example, through role-playing games or in-depth interviews. For this purpose, we have hired psychologists who audit potential new managers. Artificial intelligence cannot replace a good headhunter. And even if the technology advances much further in the future, a candidate will always rely on a human counterpart for something so sensitive and decisive for the rest of his life and career.