Human resources managers are more hunted than ever. Currently, several dozen companies in Romania have lost their human resources managers, and some of the highly sought after managers turned down offers to the tune of 8-9,000 euros.

One of them is Stelian Marian (32), who has just left his position as head of human resources and organisational management with OTP Bank, in order to focus on his own business - consultancy firm Synergon Consulting. In the two years he spent with OTP Bank, the former manager turned down nine job offers, some of them including salaries of 7,000 to 9,000 euros. Cristian Popescu, the new HR vice-president of outsourcing company Genpact, a spin-off of General Electric, had to choose from four very good offers when he left his human resources manager position with Interbrew. A year before, he says he had received seven or eight offers he describes as "big". "The choice was very difficult to make," Popescu recalls. "It feels good to get offers but not all of them at the same time and very attractive."

Four other human resources managers from Vodafone have recently left, going with the flow on the market. The first of them was Daniel Badarau, who left to go to RomTelecom, where he got a better position. The second was Simona Popovici, who left an organisational development position to become the human resources manager for the Romanian arm of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company. Next was Costica Rosoiu, who was Vodafone's employment relations manager. He resigned and says he will be opening his own consultancy firm. Yet the most recent and most resounding departure is that of the human resources and administration vice-president of Vodafone, Valeria Mihaiescu who, in turn, decided to go into the consultancy business, side by side with one of the best-known head hunters, George Butunoiu.

Other human resources managers have changed employers for various reasons lately. Mihaela Gheorghe left Raiffeisen Bank this month and went to UPC. Carmen Pandelescu, a former human resources manager with Euroline, now has a similar position with Altex. Gabriela Balanescu left IBM for Prima TV. Adina Bigas has recently become Microsoft's human resources manager, after having filled a similar position with Tornado Sistems. Gabriela Micu and Izavel Chivu left CCHBC to join Smithfield, and Domo. The pharmaceutical industry in turn sought its own specialists during this period: Mediplus got Brandusa Fecioru on board from Banca Comerciala Romana as human resources manager. Ileana Vitelaru was taken by Astra Zeneca from Ursus. Adrian Lupulescu is no longer Softwin's human resources manager, having just been recruited by RomTelecom.

"There's a shortage of HR specialists on the market so that there's a lot of overbidding, especially when it comes to salaries," head hunter George Butunoiu explains. At the same time, the growing demand for human resources consultancy is turning more and more specialists from employees into advisors.

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