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THE LONGEST DAY
Some time ago I was briefed on an assignment by an international meat trading company to recruit an Operations Manager for a three year contract. The objective was for the appointee to act as an agent of change and take the Company’s Irish-based processing meat works into the 21st century (similar to what had been done in some of the more progressive meat processing and trading companies in New Zealand). The position was duly advertised with significant response. Because of the time pressures imposed by our client, plus the fact that I had some 15 simultaneous active assignments at or beyond the same stage – I found it necessary (and it was logistically possible) to interview six different candidates in five New Zealand cities in the one day. I caught the 6.45am flight out of Invercargill, interviewed the first candidate in what was then the Ansett Golden Wing Lounge in Dunedin, flew to Wellington, interviewed candidate two in the interview room at the Airport, flew across to Blenheim, interviewed candidate three, returned to Wellington, interviewed candidate four, flew to New Plymouth and interviewed candidate five, caught the evening flight to Auckland and completed the final interview for the day at my hotel at 9.45 pm that evening. This was the first time that I have ever felt jet lagged on domestic flights.
To top it all off, only two days later the assignment was subsequently withdrawn due to “internal company politics”!
Whilst this situation was something out of the ordinary, it is quite common for us to catch a flight in the morning to say Wellington, go on to Wanganui, Palmerston North or any of the provincial cities/towns, fly to Auckland and return to Christchurch on the same day – that is the nature of recruiting.
Another example of the air miles one can put up in a short space of time happened a couple of years ago when I visited nine cities in Australia and New Zealand over eight days to interview for a Chief Executive role – only to recommend the appointment of a Christchurch-based candidate – this on Xmas week!
With the executive recruitment market being absolutely global (and certainly the Australian and New Zealand market is now one) it is not uncommon when travelling to meet two or three fellow executive search consultants on any one day or flight!
Barry T Knight
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