At a recent meeting of Northwest Arkansas Recruiting & Staffing Professionals, Cameron Smith addressed some issues surrounding the crucial partnership between human resources professionals and executive recruiters.

Smith told the crowd of corporate recruiters and independent "headhunters" about his background as a recruiter, the beginnings of Cameron Smith & Associates and the unique market in Northwest Arkansas. He also described the uneasy relationship between HR and executive recruiters.

"HR may resent search consultants for over-promising and under-delivering. Some recruiters have a reputation for being aggressive and fast-talking. For the partnership to work, both sides have to cooperate. There must be a commitment for a win / win."

Smith provided a list of reasonable expectations clients might hold. For instance, a company should expect the search firm to show a clear understanding of the position, the company and the goals of the search.

The code of ethics extends to the candidate as well. Hiring professionals owe the candidate the courtesy of confidentiality, full disclosure and timely communication.

Smith also reminded the audience that whether they represent a company, an agency or just themselves in the job market, each individual must address the issue of personal branding. "People do business with people. Not companies, not services - people."