Download the White Paper:
Four Steps to Choosing an Excellent Executive Search Firm (PDF)
We encourage you to download these articles if you find them of value. We suggest you to share them with other members of your hiring team, as you see fit. We also encourage you to contact the author of any of these articles for any additional information and/or insights.
Paul Hawkinson, The Fordyce Letter
“When I need a heart by-pass, rest assured that I won’t select my surgeon on the basis of what he charges.”
That’s what an ailing executive recently opined when he was informed by his doctor about his arterial blockage problems.
Why then can corporate executives be so tightfisted when dealing with what is so commonly thought of as the “heartbeat” of their companies . . . top-talent?
Companies think very little about paying the often exorbitant fees charged by their outside accounting and legal firms . . . or even to the gaggle of consultants who promise cost-cutting and streamlining miracles in other areas of operations.
Yet, when faced with brain drains, talent deficiencies or the need to replace an employee with a better one, their thoughts too often turn to parsimony. This K-mart mentality belies and contradicts their stated objectives to “hire the best,” especially at pecking order levels below the “big picture” executive suite inhabitants.
Of course recruiting fees can vary from firm to firm but, when they do, you will almost always find that those on the low side are sure to exclude some very key portions of the process, all of which are vital to providing the indispensable services necessary to satisfy the needs of the employer.
So why are recruiters worth what they charge? Just a few of the often unspoken reasons are:
Continue Reading:
Why Recruiters are Worth What They Charge (.doc)
-
We encourage you to download these articles if you find them of value. We suggest you to share them with other members of your hiring team, as you see fit. We also encourage you to contact the author of any of these articles for any additional information and/or insights.
The retained search commits both parties to working with each other. It makes the recruiter “accountable” to the client for results.
It affords the recruiter the opportunity to get to know the client better. It enhances the recruiter’s ability to understand the corporate culture and personality, it’s goals and client base, as well as identifying and targeting new clients.
It insures that the recruiter will find the best employee with the best “fit” for the client company. In a contingency arrangement, the recruiter will likely place the candidate in the company with the fewest barriers to hiring, or the one paying the higher fee or starting salary, simply to improve their income. Contingency recruiters will frequently “migrate” to the opportunities that will pay them the fastest. The retained recruiter identifies the proper candidates for his client, then recruits those candidates and supports both through the hiring process.
Download the full document:
Why a Retained Search (PDF)
Download the White Paper:
The Four Steps to Choosing an Excellent Recruiter (PDF)
We encourage you to download these articles if you find them of value. We suggest you to share them with other members of your hiring team, as you see fit. We also encourage you to contact the author of any of these articles for any additional information and/or insights.
At some point in your career—probably sooner rather than later—you will be dealing with recruiters (a/k/a headhunters). You may be looking for a new position for yourself (active-ly or passively), or you may be hiring and looking for recruiting help. In some cases you may be doing both at the same time. In any event you’ll find a basic knowledge of recruiters valuable as you manage your career.
The first thing to note is that recruiters come in different flavors. Some work on retainer only–they take money (retainers) from clients to fill specific positions. This means their com-mitment and loyalty are to the client and not the candidate. In effect, they care less about which candidate is hired than about making sure he or she is the best person for the job. They also realize, however, that a candidate spurned by one client for one position could become the lead candidate for another search assignment for another client.
Typically firms working on retainer recruit from a target list of competitors and assem-ble a “short list” of prospective candidates who are interested, affordable, and (if relevant) relo-catable. Each candidate has been evaluated on the basis of such criteria as industry/market knowledge, leadership skills, and record of performance. This short list may be as few as three candidates or as many as six. The client then interviews these recommended candidates over a week or two period and selects the one who best fits the position requirements and company culture. In many cases interviewing takes place linearly—as candidates are evaluated and rec-ommended by the search firm—and not in one intense, multi-candidate time frame.
Continue Reading:
What You Should Know About Recruiters (PDF)
-
We encourage you to download these articles if you find them of value. We suggest you to share them with other members of your hiring team, as you see fit. We also encourage you to contact the author of any of these articles for any additional information and/or insights.
You’ve decided to put a key position or group of positions out for search. Perhaps you’ve advertised, posted, and networked the position on your own… with little success… and somewhat reluctantly face the task of choosing an executive search firm to work with. But who?
Your choice is simplified, of course, if you have an existing relationship with a firm that knows your company, its people, and its hiring practices, and has delivered in the past on positions comparable to the new position(s). If not, the next best step is to seek referrals from people you trust who have worked with a variety of recruitment firms on similar searches.
Whether you talk to one firm or several, these few basic considerations will guide you toward the right search partner:
Continue Reading:
Choosing the Right Search Partner (PDF)
-
We encourage you to download these articles if you find them of value. We suggest you to share them with other members of your hiring team, as you see fit. We also encourage you to contact the author of any of these articles for any additional information and/or insights.