Exploring the Role of a Headhunter in Executive Search By Walter Meier
The role of a headhunter in recruitment is very often misunderstood. Some people confuse headhunters with internal recruiters, or even employment agencies - but they are not the same thing.
Internal recruiters normally operate within the Human Resources (HR) department of a firm and select personnel from within the company itself who they feel will fit certain roles. On the other hand employment agencies pair up candidates looking for jobs with companies looking to hire staff.
A headhunter, especially an executive search headhunter, is very different.
What is Executive Search? Essentially an executive search involves searching for suitable candidates to fit into executivelevel jobs in certain companies. However, the difference here is that these 'candidates' are not actively looking for jobs. Think of it this way: Companies have certain specialized and 'key' positions for which they require specific individuals with high levels of talent, skill, and experience. These positions are not easy to fill and very often the people needed to fill them are the crème of the crop and not likely to be actively seeking employment. Some companies may at first try internal recruitment via the Human Resources (HR) department to see if any of their current personnel fit the bill, but more often than not eventually these companies seek the services of a headhunter to perform an executive search and help them to fill the position.
Evaluating Candidate Suitability
Headhunters are extremely selective when recruiting on behalf of the companies that have contracted them and take care to weed the list of potential candidates down to those who are most suited for the job. It isn't uncommon for executive search tasks to even involve interviews and tests to ensure that the final candidates presented to the company are going to fit both the job and the company itself. Make no mistake, it isn't just a question of paper qualifications - past job experience, personality, achievements, and many other factors often play a role in evaluating potential personnel as well. Because of how specific the role of a headhunter often is, companies very often build longlasting relationships with those that they feel can deliver the goods. Big corporations and multinationals may even have several headhunter agencies working on their behalf. By now, you should be starting to come to grips with the scope of the task that faces a headhunter carrying out an executive search. Due to the fact that it is used for such specialized positions, there are very often headhunters who specialize too. These boutique executive search firms tend to specialize in certain sectors and industries and very often deal with recruitment for senior positions within those industries. By focusing on a specific sector they can then concentrate on building up their contacts and portfolio of potential candidates in that specific area. All said and done, this is the role of a headhunter and the benefits of executive search facilities are enjoyed by companies across the globe when it comes to filling the toughest of positions within their executive staff.
executive headhunters