Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of executive search firm Korn/Ferry International (NYSE: KFY) popped 8.5% today after it announced quarterly earnings that beat average expectations by a significant margin. Wall Street analysts expected earnings of $0.24 per share, but the company delivered $0.33 per share.

So what: Korn/Ferry's second-quarter fee revenues were up 32% compared with last year and were up sequentially as well, gaining 6% compared with its first quarter. This growth in fees was driven by a 28% increase in the volume of executive recruitment engagements as well as a 4% increase in average fee per engagement. Finally, Korn/Ferry's third-quarter earnings guidance exceeded analysts' current estimates. 

Now what: Korn/Ferry's CEO reports that clients most dependent on Western economies continued to be cautious about hiring, while more global organizations were recruiting more aggressively. This suggests that recruitment firms can thrive even if U.S. labor markets remain weak. 

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