5 points to consider when choosing your headhunter

Identifying and actively searching for a suitable candidate is at the core of a headhunter’s service. A specialised and skilled team is required in order to provide this service, a team that is able to scan the target companies. This core activity is often outsourced. However, an important sign of quality for a professional Executive Search company is that this absolute key element is carried out inhouse. This is the only way to guarantee the required level of quality of the direct and immediate exchange between research and consultant.

In order to be able to find the best candidates, an Executive Search company must scan all relevant target companies in the defined industry, while identifying potential candidates for the vacant position. All potential companies must be precisely analysed, and the suitable candidates must be identified and approached in order to ensure the entire market is used.

Many recruitment consultants claim to have an industry-specific network through which they can reach the right candidate using their own database. In reality, this is often limited to the use of the internet. Social networks such as Xing and LinkedIn are certainly interesting portals where employees and employers can present themselves. But these portals nowhere near reflect the entire industry. Researching with a cover story is therefore an indispensable approach for a professional headhunter. Only a handful of Executive Search companies possess this competence, even though it is the key to a successful direct approach.

A personal direct approach is a further core competence that characterises a classic Executive Search company. In an era where we are all engulfed by emails and written inquiries, personal contact and the associated opportunities of actively introducing a position to a candidate are crucial. This is the only approach through which the person’s attention can be used while initial reservations are refuted and perspectives are demonstrated. A pleasant initial phone call prompts a dynamic response from many potential candidates that leads them into the role of the applicant.

If an Executive Search company claims to be highly specialised in a certain industry, this statement should be taken with a pinch of salt. When dealing with this type of headhunter, customers are recommended to carefully check how they deal with so-called “off-limits”. Normally, every customer of an Executive Search company is off-limits and can no longer be used as a hunting ground – meaning that employees of this company cannot be actively approached. If a headhunter works with a large number of companies from one industry, it will be difficult for them to approach the best candidate before coming into a moral conflict. A serious headhunter should keep the smaller proportion of an industry as a customer and the larger proportion as a hunting ground.