As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 12, 2012

Registration No. 333-            

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

KORN/FERRY INTERNATIONAL

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

1900 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 2600

Los Angeles, California 90067

(Address, including Zip Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

KORN/FERRY INTERNATIONAL SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED 2008 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

(Full Title of Plan)

Gary D. Burnison

1900 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 2600

Los Angeles, California 90067

(310) 552-1834

(Name, address, zip code, and telephone number,

including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:

Ari Lanin, Esq.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

2029 Century Park East

Los Angeles, CA 90067

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

This Registration Statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) is filed by Korn/Ferry International, a Delaware corporation (the “Registrant”), relating to 5,306,897 shares of its common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), issuable to eligible persons under the Korn/Ferry International Second Amended and Restated 2008 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), which 5,306,897 shares are in addition to the (i) 2,500,000 shares of Common Stock registered on the Registrant’s Form S-8 filed on April 17, 2009, as amended by the Form S-8/A filed on June 5, 2009 (Commission File No. 333-158632), and the (ii) 2,360,000 shares of Common Stock registered on the Registrant’s Form S-8 filed on September 10, 2009 (Commission File No. 333-161844) (collectively, the “Prior Registration Statements”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”). The contents of the Prior Registration Statements are incorporated herein by reference and made a part of this Registration Statement, except as amended hereby.

Pursuant to General Instruction E to Form S-8, because this Registration Statement registers additional securities under the Plan of the same class as those to which the Prior Registration Statements relate and are effective, this Registration Statement consists only of the following: the facing page, the required statement regarding incorporation by reference, information required to be in this Registration Statement that is not in the Prior Registration Statements, the required opinions and consents, and the signature page.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

The following documents, which have previously been filed by the Registrant with the Commission, are incorporated by reference herein and shall be deemed to be a part hereof:

All documents subsequently filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of

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such documents. Any statement contained herein or in a document, all or a portion of which is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or amended, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

Item 8. Exhibits.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant, Korn/Ferry International, certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Los Angeles, State of California, on this 11 day of December, 2012.

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Korn/Ferry International, do hereby constitute and appoint Gary D. Burnison, Peter L. Dunn and Robert P. Rozek, and each of them, our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for each of us and in each of our names, places and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary or desirable to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as each of us might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or his/her substitute, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

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EXHIBIT INDEX

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