Port Elizabeth's Headhunters marks 10 years of growth

Matching “great people with great jobs” has proved a winning mantra for the team at hot-shot Port Elizabeth recruitment consultancy Headhunters, which celebrates a decade this year under award-winning owner Shara Cape. 

The boutique consultancy has developed its turnover tenfold since Cape’s first financial year in 2005. She took ownership of the company from the founding owner, who started the business in 1994. Most recently, Headhunters’ capacity has been boosted with the addition of ex-Volpes marketing director Michael Tuohy, who joined the team as general manager and shareholder in August this year.

“This is the perfect example of a great person matched to a great job! Michael brings with him a wealth of management and strategic experience,” Cape said. “Headhunters’ passionate and innovative team of 11 recruitment specialists are the heartbeat of our consultancy, and Michael’s warmth and leadership style has already lifted the lid on their value.”

An expert in the field of human resource stability, Cape said the ‘job hop’ trend amongst younger career-makers, who change jobs on average every 18 months, was not ideal for companies who lost both knowledge and investment value.

“Talent mapping and ensuring a cultural fit is critical in retaining the younger generation. Companies need to learn how to manage with a new style, offering young employees freedom to think and opportunities to develop.

“As recruitment specialists we feel such a sense of responsibility in assuring the best fit, taking into account not just the core skills and responsibilities but also personalities and values. Headhunters prides itself on being a market leader in intelligent recruiting and sustainable placements.”

Just this year, Headhunters has already placed more than 300 job hunters in key positions in the Nelson Mandela Bay region.

The consultancy is proud of its many high profile placements over the years, such as the chief executive officer of the Amatola Water Board, a number of chief financial officers, the CEO of our own Chamber, the personal assistant to Basetsana Khumalo and the personal assistant to Graca Machel Mandela, to name a few. In 2014, the company won the PMR Africa Diamond Arrow award for Personnel Recruitment Agencies.

“In keeping up with international industry leaders, we successfully launched an outsourced recruitment project, which works around Engagement fee recruiting and not Contingency Fee recruiting; a first in the Eastern Cape,” said Cape, who herself has been a Top 40 Under 40 representative, a Businesswomen of the Year finalist as well as a 2010 Herald Citizen of the Year Award nominee.

It is clear that her desire to build a legacy resonates with the vision of her new partner.

“Personally, I have fulfilled a lifelong dream to enjoy ownership of a business like Headhunters, which is values-driven, customer centric and caring. Under the custodianship of Shara, Headhunters enjoys a close-knit family environment and is held in high esteem in the marketplace by clients and candidates alike.

Our mission is not to be the biggest and the best - just the best,” said Tuohy, “and we consistently punch above our weight. We are authentic and our focused, dedicated team is all about making other teams fit perfectly too.”

Image: HOT HEADS: The team at boutique recruitment consultancy Headhunters celebrates a dynamic decade of placing great people in great jobs. From left, newly appointed General Manager and part-owner Michael Tuohy, owner Shara Cape, Carrie Wickens, Hayley Wampath, Nyameka Budaza, Tanya Lilley, Rachael Williams, Siya Nkunkuma, Linda Engelbrecht, Gitte Wiseman and Glenn Weiss.