There are several reasons why a company may choose to work with a headhunter. Whether it is to find the ideal executive and fill a newly opened position, or to replace an existing executive who no longer fits the roles objectives, working with a specialized recruitment firm makes the hiring process easier and more reliable.
If you are looking to learn more about the executive search profession, this article is for you!
Here are the top 5 reasons to work with a headhunter according to Metivier Groupe Conseil, an executive search firm based in Montreal operating since 1992.
The job market has changed dramatically in recent years, and it is now critical to understand how to get headhunted.
1- Confidentiality
A headhunter has a duty to keep confidential the entrusted mandates. Thus, if an employer is obliged to replace an executive, it is desirable that the person in position is not informed immediately for various reasons or even if the said person is aware their team might not be and shouldn’t be until an official announcement.
In the same vein, this prevents the competition from knowing that a replacement is being sought or that a new key position is being created within the company.
Remember that the process of selecting a new executive can sometimes be long. Doing business with a professional headhunter or executive search firm therefore avoids letting sensitive information percolate at non-strategic moments.
2-To address talent shortages
We are currently in a period of labour shortage for several reasons (market supply and demand, demographic context, etc.). A headhunter can help an entrepreneur deal with this shortage by being more proactive in his or her search for qualified candidates.
Because there is a talent shortage, people who are actively looking for work may not always have the skills required for the position in question. Working with a headhunter provides an opportunity to move beyond a passive stance towards the job market and to be more active in approaching executives who are already elsewhere and have the desired experience.
In this way, one can woo people with the real qualities they are looking for and not waste time (and money!) with less qualified candidates.
3-The seduction vs. attraction game
The selected recruiter will carry out a diagnosis of the target market within the scope of his or her research mandate to have a more global vision of the profiles that may be of interest to a company. This approach gives the opportunity to establish a direct contact with the executives and to be in a seduction process rather than a simple attraction.
This is excellent, especially in a context of talent shortage, as stated in the previous point, because it is really the most relevant candidates who are approached.
Also, as we all know in these recruitment projects there is only one person who ultimately gets the job. However, if the recruiter’s game of seduction has been well conducted, it will not only have attracted your finalist to allow you to integrate him/her into your group, but it will also have seduced and thus retained your other potential candidates to stay on the lookout for openings in your organization and possibly join you in the future.
4-Candidate experience and brand awareness
The headhunter’s approach results in a stronger, more personalized candidate experience and therefore a possible extension of the employer’s brand.
Since the candidate always remains the focus of the recruitment process and the recruiter’s objective is to facilitate his or her hiring or career transition, the candidate’s overall experience is much more enjoyable. The candidate is not left on his or her own and can also be supported by a coaching and development process.
The employer looking for a position also looks better when the hiring process is carried out by a specialized firm with a high sense of professionalism, for several reasons:
- First, in its executive search process, a recruitment firm communicates to candidates the differentiating and unique elements of the company. What are the perks of one organization in comparison to another? What types of personalities and profiles make up the company’s executive team? Etc.
- Then, when a headhunter courts an executive on the market, it is his/her duty to present the advantages and qualities conveyed the organization’s brand. The seduction is always done in the name of the company. A good recruiting firm will therefore know how to promote a company to interesting candidates all the while remaining authentic and true to their specific challenges. Basically, giving a clear picture is what is most often most respected by potential clients, and this goes above and beyond what these candidates can find and read about on the company’s website.
- By adding great talent among its employees, a company also gains a lot in perceived value on the job market. By having a group of serious, respected, innovative and dynamic employees, the company becomes serious, respected, innovative and dynamic.
As a result, the company’s brand radiates more positively.
5-Eliminates significant costs
It is true that hiring a headhunter results in an upfront fee. However, in the long term, this partnership leads to the saving of significant amounts of money and valuable time.
Headhunters ensure that the recruited executive really presents the profile adapted to the employer’s needs, and helps the organisation avoid having to replace the new hire and go through a new recruitment process. It should not be forgotten that for a company, significant amounts of money are invested in the training and onboarding of a new executives. If you can avoid having to go through this process repeatedly thanks to an exhaustive initial search, you can save financially and energetically.
A recruiting firm also generally offers a placement guarantee of several months, giving the employer peace of mind on their investment (Métivier Groupe Conseil’s guarantee is for one full year). If the candidate is unfortunately unable to meet the demands of his or her new employer and does not live up to the expectations, the headhunter will take charge of finding a new person to replace the candidate.