Author: TheHeadhunter

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The story of Elton Ilirjani and his impact on the employment industry and LGTBQ rights

Elton Ilirjani is a well-known influential advocate for the LGBTQ community rights and the founder of one of the greatest HR organizations, known by the name of The Headhunter.

With offices in 20 different countries around the world, Elton Ilirjani embarked on his journey to building an all-inclusive, non-discriminative system of employment and fight against workplace discrimination.

His story was shared and broadcasted in NHK WORLD JAPAN, the international broadcast service of NHK, Japan’s sole and one of the biggest public broadcasters in the world.

Elton began this mission in the year of 2009, as he shared his own negative experience with employment and being part of the LGBTQ community in his homeland, Albania. He expresses his understanding towards both his countryʼs past and struggles with being under the communist oppression, and the struggles of the LGBTQ community with being accepted, respected and employed in equal terms as everyone else.

His negative experience pushed him to found an organization that would later on change the game of employment and provide better working conditions for the LGBTQ community and everyone else. At the age of 29, Elton founded The Headhunter, and entered a new phase in his journey that would later on reach renowned success and transform the industry into what it claims to be today; fair, inclusive and diverse.

Eltonʼs appreciation towards diversity and his own experience with discrimination, urged him to create a tool known as LGBTQ Employment Equality Index. This index was designed to measure inclusivity and evaluate businesses based on the working conditions, policies and terms they offered their employees. This index brought to light the issues of many businesses, organizations and companies that had practiced discrimination on members of the LGBTQ community during their employment procedures.

The LGBTQ Employment Equality Index attracted the attention of many, including the UN Women Council, who deeply appreciated this movement and its positive effect on the employment market.

Elton expressed how he had always been differentiated from the rest of his friends, and how him being considered as more feminine had affected his perspective in understanding the discrimination of women and their value in society, so this index was a powerful tool that positively served women and their evolvement in the employment industry as well.

However, The LGBTQ Employment Equality Index was not his only movement.

Understanding the discrimination practiced upon the transgender community, Elton started a new movement known as The Lipstick Movement. Knowing he wanted to make an impact through setting an example, he decided to wear lipstick of different, bright colors to highlight the importance of diversity and show his support to transgender people and raise awareness.

Through this impactful movement, Elton made his debut into the fashion industry, where he is today known for promoting genderless fashion and inspiring his followers with his fearless, expressive and influential character.

Elton Ilirjani serves as a powerful example of fearless action, as he states that love kills all fears. His impact on raising awareness regarding inclusivity and the importance of it in the employment market has marked a significant and positive

change in the employment industry. Now and 15 years later, his movement, The Headhunter and his contribution to the LGBTQ Community are deeply appreciated by people all over the world.

The Headhunter Group (THH) is thrilled to announce that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and Government of Kosova (GoK) have selected its subsidiary, The Headhunter Karriera LLC in Prishtina, Kosovo, to support the recruitment process for the MCA Kosovo Key Staff. The awarded amount for the Human Recourses Recruitment Services is 234,000.00 Euro.

For over twelve years THH has supported a number of significant international organisations in Kosovo, the region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro) and internationally to recruit and implement a number of strategic and complex human resources projects.  



The MCC works collaboratively with countries to reduce poverty through economic growth. In this particular project, the MCC and The Government of the Republic of Kosovo signed a grant aimed at poverty reduction through economic growth in Kosovo, and have agreed to implement a Compact Program in Kosovo.

To aid the MCC’s and the Government of Kosovo Compact Program implementation, the THH Team will support the MCC and the Government of Kosovo to quickly and efficiently establish the MCA-Kosovo, an entity that will act as an autonomous agency accountable for implementing a Compact Program in Kosovo.

This will involve: Selection of the whole team of MCA-Kosovo entity, including the Chief Executive Officer and other Senior Positions (in total 21 positions). In line with our main focus “equal opportunities for everyone around the world no matter who they are, where they come from, what they believe in” THH will manage the whole recruitment process for these 21 positions, aligning to all MCC and Government of Kosovo principles and standards.

About MCC

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is an innovative and independent U.S. foreign assistance agency that is helping to lead the fight against global poverty. Created by the U.S. Congress in January 2004 with strong bipartisan support, MCC has changed the conversation on how best to deliver smart U.S. foreign assistance by focusing on good policies, country ownership, and results.

About THH

The Headhunter (https://www.theheadhunter.com) aims to “have a positive impact on the people every day. Helping people to “better job, better life” is our common purpose and the way in which we contribute to society. This is what we do, this is what we know about, this is what we care about, and this is what we are all about”. In addition, The Headhunter is the Founder of Dignity Global, a non- government organization that focuses on equal opportunities for everyone around the world, with the purpose to unite everyone with the belief that we all deserve to live a life of dignity.

Elton ILIRJANI, the founder of The Headhunter, Karriera.al, Employment Equality Index, and People First, has been chosen as the first NFT Icon for the LGBTQ+ Community. His values, support, and work toward the LGBTQ+ community have been acknowledged and made him the face of the first NFT for the LGBTQ+ community.

Pride icon is the largest and the first NFT for the LGBTQ+ community! For years, the LGBTQ+ community has fought for their rights for equality and visibility in the civic space. The NFT industry is no different, and the LGBTQ community deserves representation. Pride Icons isn’t “just another NFT project”:
Its art pays tribute to legendary LGBTQ+ icons (like Elton ILIRJANI)
And they are committed to donating at least $1M USD to non-profit organizations that promote equality.

“We choose Elton to be one of our icons because he is fighting for the same values as we do in the project: equality!”

Elton created the Employment Equality Index for the LGBTQ+, pushing public and private sectors to adopt equal rights policies at the workplace in the Western Balkans.

A non-fungible token (NFT) is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain that can be sold and traded. Types of NFT data units may be associated with digital files such as photos, videos, audio, and/or utilities and benefits.

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“Pride Icon” është NFT më e madhe dhe e para në botë për komunitetin LGBTQ+! Për vite tëra komuniteti LGBTQ+ ka luftuar për të drejtat e tyre, baraza dhe vizibilitet në hapësirën njerëzore. Industria NFT nuk bën përjashtim, dhe komuniteti LGBTQ+ meriton përfaqësim edhe në këtë platformë! “Pride Icons” nuk është thjesht “një tjetër projekt NFT”! Arti i tij nderon dhe lartëson Ikonat Legjendare të komunitetit LGBTQ+ (si Elton ILIRJANI) dhe ky projekt është i dedikuar që të bëjo donacione me një minimum prej 1 milionë dollar amerikanë për organizatat jo fitimprurëse që promovojnë barazinë!

“Ne kemi zgjedhur Eltonin të jetë një nga ikonat tona sepse ai lufton për të njëjtat vlera që ka edhe ky projekt: Barazinë!”

Eltoni ka krijuar Indeksin e Barazisë në Punësim për personat LGBTQ+, duke motivuar sektorin privat dhe atë publik të adoptojnë politika të barazisë në vendin e punës në Ballkanin Perëndimor.

Një token jo i këmbyeshëm (NFT) është një njësi jo e këmbyeshme e të dhënave të ruajtura
në një zinxhir që mund të shitet dhe tregtohet. Llojet e njësive të të dhënave NFT mund të shoqërohen me skedarë dixhitalë si foto, video, audio dhe/ose shërbime dhe përfitime.

As new job opportunities continue to come your way, it might become difficult for you to decide which opportunity is worth chasing and which is not. Potentially, any decision you make will probably have a direct impact on your career and even your life. But often, you might regret a missed opportunity, the one that you decided not to chase. Or even you decided to chase the wrong opportunity in the first place, and you end up paying the price for it.

If you are an experienced professional, surely you have realized that the employer, any employer that you might choose is an equal partner in the hiring process.

Yes, you are maybe looking for a new opportunity, but on the other hand, the company (companies) are also trying to identify and attract potential talents such as you. Therefore, why do you not evaluate the employer in the same critical manner that they would evaluate you (this is usually done through online interviews, face-to-face interviews, social media profile evaluations, and several other small evaluation methods)?

Employers should be evaluated before you accept an offer from them. This is an unwritten rule since you are about to enter in a long-term commitment and you give a part of your precious time and talent to this company.

Wouldn’t you regret it if it wasn’t the best choice for you? Of course, you would!

1. Go online, and explore

The company that has offered you the job, or interviewed you should be closely assessed before you accept their offer, or move forward with the next hiring steps. You need to check whether the employer is as true as they represent themselves online. 

And how do you do that? You go online and explore. Firstly, you check the company, their stats in terms of how long they are in the business, how big they are, their achievements, partners, etc. You can evaluate potential employers just by looking at their social media accounts. Their social media profiles are the first impression not only for a potential client but also for a potential employee. Go on their website, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, wherever they are present, and try to get to know the company through their online presence.

2. Ask them regarding their performance management system

The company you want to join may even be new or a start-up, however, it is important to know their approach to an employee’s performance. It is crucial to know how they rate their employees’ performance and how do employees get rewarded for their outstanding performance.

3. Ask about their training and development programs

Accepting a job offer, or starting a new job is should not be determined only by the fact that you might get a better financial reward. As an employee, you should look for companies that are willing to help you grow and develop, companies that offer training and development programs (these may be conferences, training, coaching, mentoring, workshops, etc.). When a company invests in its people, it shows a commitment to your success. Asking the employer about the benefits (apart from the usual ones) is not wrong, on the contrary, it is very positive because it shows that you are also willing to learn, grow, and develop further. Most candidates tend not to ask for training and development programs even though they want to, and we are here to tell you that it is alright to ask these questions.

Lastly, ask yourself, does the company/employer match your career path? Every one of us has a career path plan or aspirations, and when switching jobs, you should always keep in mind that every decision you make along the way affects your career plan. Some jobs may push you forward towards your career path, some jobs won’t. 

So, when it comes to deciding whether you want to join a company or not it is really important to have your career plan in mind and have clear objectives for your future. Considering the fact that this will not be beneficial only for you (career-wise) but will be beneficial for you and the employer (time-wise). As Benjamin Franklin once said “Time is money”- so spend it wisely.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and changes in online behavior, including easier access to information, have made the Internet a perfect place for job seekers to meet recruiters. If you are in the process of job hunting, you must nurture strong relationships with recruiters. Recruiters are responsible for filling open positions for a variety of companies. However, a very important part of their job is also the support they can offer to you, the job seeker:

• You can prepare for the recruitment process with the help of recruiters;
• Recruiters provide practical tips and guidance for the interviewing process;
• Recruiters advise you for the potential negotiations about the financial package;
• They give you exclusive insight about the new potential company;
• Overall, recruiters strive to find the perfect match between the job seeker and the company;

Thus, a strong relationship with recruiters is fundamental for your career progression and aspirations. 

But where do you find recruiters and how do you reach out to them? The answer is LinkedIn. According to Jobvite’s 2020 Recruiter Nation Survey, 72% of recruiters use LinkedIn for their recruiting efforts. Employers are increasingly using LinkedIn for recruiting.

To contact recruiters, two strategies are used: the passive strategy and the proactive strategy. On one hand, the passive strategy relies on keywords, and recruiters are driven by keywords. On the other hand, the proactive strategy relies on identifying recruiters who specialize in your area of expertise. You then create a clear message and reach out to them. This way you get the recruiter’s attention and can start the process of building a relationship with the recruiter.

Nevertheless, contacting the recruiter is not enough if your profile on LinkedIn needs changes. We have created a few steps you should follow before reaching out to recruiters.

First and foremost, invest in your LinkedIn profile: 

• Have a professional profile picture (an appropriate profile picture gets your profile noticed in the LinkedIn community); 
• Enhance your headline (try to provide the right information on your headline, such as what you do, the industry you are currently working in, your expertise, etc. You can be creative here);
• Provide a clear and articulate summary (there is a summary section on your LinkedIn profile). Writing a good summary is essential because it is a significant opportunity to not only showcase your professional work but your personality as well; 
• You can also activate the “Open to Work” option and set the job title, type, location, and so on. “Open to Work” helps recruiters notice you.

Another ‘investment’ you can make on your profile is to publish content. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean publishing anything you see out there, the content should be relevant to your expertise and the industry you are working in. Publishing content is a great way to engage with existing connections and expand your network. 

Next, you find the recruiters on LinkedIn, they are the ones that have access to job openings or listings that may not always be available on platforms such as job boards. However, recruiters are often of great value to you because they have connections that could benefit your job search. You can look up “recruiter” on LinkedIn’s search button, however, not all recruiters have the same job title, some go by “Headhunter”, “Talent Specialist”, “Recruitment Specialist” etc.

By using all of LinkedIn’s features, you can search for recruiters and specify the company they work for, in our case “The HeadHunter”. Our recruiters reside in Albania, Kosovo, the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Cyprus, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, and Texas (USA). They can be extremely helpful to find the perfect opportunity for you, wherever you reside. After finding the recruiters, the next step is to connect and reach out to them. You can easily send a personalized connection request by letting them know what you are looking for.

Meet our recruiters:

• Doruntina, which also likes to be called shortly Dori, has been a recruiter and talent sourcing for more than 7 years. She is a very good career adviser when it comes to helping you what are the next big career moves to make. With The Headhunter, she has helped more than 400 people get their dream jobs. She is located in Sofia and is working Remotely and yes, she can be available for any call at +38349716161 or email her at d.jakupi@theheadhunter.com, or at Doruntina’s LinkedIn Account.
• Julijana has been recruitment and headhunting professional for more than 12 years now. She is a trusted career advisor for hundreds of candidates and a credible employment and recruitment partner for many clients from the government and business sectors.
• Julijana says: There’s nothing like the thrill of a candidate’s enthusiastic “Yes!” to an offer, and an equally pleased hiring manager who just landed a top performer. Perhaps even more satisfying is successfully recruiting a superstar and then seeing her develop a billion-dollar product. Knowing my efforts impact the bottom line keeps me going every day. She is located in Skopje and you can reach her up at + 389 71 370 151 or email her at: j.minovska@theheadhunter.com, or at Julijana’s LinkedIn Account .
• Emin holds a Master’s degree in Business and Marketing Management from Oxford Brookes University and is a member of the Certified Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD) and the John Maxwell Leadership Academy. He is highly skilled in recruitment with extensive experience across several industries, including Leisure and Tourism, Manufacturing, Engineering, and FMCG. With an extensive professional network, he can help you achieve your next career goals and aspirations. He is located in Tirana and would love to get in touch with you on +355 68 60 29 691 and/or at e.shini@theheadhunter.com, or at Emin’s LinkedIn Account.
• Ergesta has been attracting and evaluating candidates for more than 8 years and has a natural talent for finding, evaluating, and hiring them. She has experience in human resources, training, and competency framework, as well as sourcing candidates from multiple sources. Excellent interpersonal skills, confident and poised in interaction with individuals at all levels readily developing rapport with clients and colleagues. She is located in Tirana and is available for any call at+355682033430 or email her at e.stermasi@theheadhunter.com, or at Ergesta’s LinkedIn Account
• Milic is our IT Recruiter and Recruitment trainer for technical roles. He has a background in IT during his studies at the University of Montenegro, Electrotechnical Faculty. In his free time, he likes to “catch the wind” while kitesurfing, which is his passion during the summer. In winter he enjoys snowboarding. He is our representative for the Montenegro and Serbia office. Feel free to contact him for more information regarding IT roles at m.popovic@theheadhunter.com, or at Milic’s LinkedIn Account.
• Olta is based in our office in Tirana is very passionate about serving jobseekers and possesses outstanding communication skills. Since joining the HeadHunter Group three years ago, she has developed strong relationships with several companies. She has been an integral member of the team, successfully recruiting for several partners and sourcing candidates adeptly. Olta absolutely loves what she does, which is why she is always eager to match the right company and candidate. She could be the person you need to land the job of your dreams. Do not hesitate to contact her on +355 68 607 7430 or/and o.qarri@theheadhunter.com. You can also contact Olta through Olta’s LinkedIn Account.
• Kreshnik has 12+ years experience in Management, Human Resources, Recruitment, Marketing, and Accounting, with renowned companies and nonprofits in Albania and Kosovo. At the HeadHunter, Kreshnik is focused on recruiting and talent sourcing in different industries. Kreshnik analyses recruitment data provided by companies to improve hiring, increase revenue, and reduce costs by analyzing recruiting data. His currently located in Prishtina, and you can reach him at: k.qorraj@theheadhunter.com, or mob. +383 44 224 466, or at Kreshnik’s LinkedIn Account.
• Albin is one of our most experienced headhunters, experienced at finding the right people for even the toughest positions. His background in HR and politics allows him to gain insight into a variety of profiles and judge candidates with such accuracy. Albin is based in Sarajevo, where he runs the Headhunter office, but he works actively in international recruitments also. He can be reached at +38761 146 212 or at a.zuhric@theheadhunter.com or at Albin’s LinkedIn Account.