Headhunter agencies are unique in their job of recruitment. Experienced recruiters who specialize in headhunting specific candidates as per the client’s requirements. The activity of identifying and approaching suitable people employed elsewhere to fill business positions.
There are so many different business firms billing themselves as headhunter agencies. Thus, you will feel bewildered on picking carefully and getting an exceptional headhunter on board. How do you identify the genuinely great headhunter agencies from the crowd? How do you make contacts with the best one? Fret not. This blog will uncover all your doubts.
How to identify the genuinely great headhunter agencies?
- Know Who You’re Dealing With
Not all recruitment agencies advertising ‘headhunting’ indeed are headhunters. You need to be aware of this when considering contacting headhunter agencies to fill your executive vacancy. So your first task is to recognise whether you have shortlisted a recruitment agency or one of a selected number of right headhunter agencies. To do this, you can ask a few direct questions (which you may be able to answer yourself from their website).
While a recruiter will typically pitch equally to both candidates and employers, a headhunter centres more precisely on the requirements of the employer alone. A recruiter will proffer a generalist service, whatever the level and type of roles get sought. They operate a database system of matching candidate to the employer. On the other hand, a headhunter specialises in executive-level search and does so by researching the niche carefully. They use appropriate intelligence to attract the ideal candidate for your organisation.
- What to Look For
Once you have recognised one of the top headhunter agencies from the plethora of recruitment agencies who offer headhunting services, then you need to know what to look for specifically. If you get it right, you’ll find your top-level recruitment actively and accurately meets the objectives of your organisation. And if you get it wrong, you’ll be paying over the odds for a labour-intensive, and poor service.
We believe that there are certain non-negotiables you should look for when selecting a headhunter agency. And that is:
Reputation: The reputation of the headhunter agency is exceedingly essential. It is their contacts, network, experience, and intelligence that will lead to success in filling your executive position. You should be ready to ask for references and be supplied these with ease. You should also look at the collective talents and knowledge of the headhunter agency. Opting an agency over an individual consultant brings you a range of different skill-sets and expertise to draw on.
Clarity of Tasks: You should have a clear idea of the process. Get all the details on how headhunting recruitment works, and who is responsible for what. Therefore, the headhunter should certainly lay out their expectations of you (which will include a preliminary discussion regarding the job role, and the corporate environment, and your role in interviews). They should also clearly draw out their commitment to your position through research, networking, and short-listing.
Timescales: while it is impossible to guarantee exact deadlines in recruitment, a right headhunter agency will be able to give you a fair idea of how long the process should take. At Bangalore Secretary, we are proud to be able to solve your executive search problem in a short time from the very first contact.
Online Presence: By its very nature, headhunting requires excellent networking skills. You should be able to see the proof of this by going through the online presence of your chosen headhunter agency. Take a glance at their website and the information provided there. You can also have a look on LinkedIn, and other online platforms.
The Contract: Ensure you discuss all the terms and conditions regarding the executive placement before you sign on the dotted line. A good headhunter company will have a fair and transparent contract which should give you peace of mind about the process. The agency should be willing to open up about the contract and process with you.
Accountability: You should ask the potential headhunter agency about how they keep you notified throughout the process. Headhunting is not the same as straight-forward hiring with easily quantifiable targets to meet. Instead, you need to keep personally informed about how the research is going on, and about the nurturing of relationships with various job seekers, which will hopefully lead to the right-fit candidate.
Openness and Knowledge: A successful headhunted placement depends on clear and open communication with you regarding the role and the organisation. They combine your requirements with pre-existing knowledge regarding your business niche. Therefore, an excellent headhunter can explain clearly how they get the information needed from you, and how these couples with their existing knowledge about the market. They will surely spend time actively to know more about your needs.
By considering these different characteristics, you can shortlist the best headhunter agency to fill your vacant positions. From here, until your chosen agency satisfies all of the above, you should pick out based on whom you feel comfortable communicating with.
Mail us at team@bssrecruit.com or call us at +91 7795547089 for a better change in career.
