


Other approaches have simply failed to deliver a suitable candidate.There is a confidential element to the search.There is a shortage of talent available for the role and the best talent may not be actively job seeking.The successful candidate is likely to have a significant impact on the hiring organisation (clearly this is always the case for executive positions, but can also happen in lower-level positions – a country manager for a multinational, or a product manager for a tech business, for example).The opportunity is a fairly senior (including, but not exclusively, c-suite and board positions) executive role.As a result, they typically only use this type of search in certain circumstances.Īn executive headhunter is likely to be retained when: As a result, it’s vital you understand what they do and how they do it! When are these executive recruiters used?Įxecutive search is considerably more expensive than more traditional recruitment methodologies (don’t worry, the hiring organization pays!). Reinforce your executive job search by ensuring you are visible to head hunters who’re actively seeking the best candidates for their clients. That said… if you are targeting senior-level positions, then these executive search consultants are likely to play a key role in your transition. If an executive headhunter contacts you, it’s because they are considering you for a role with that client.Ī contingency-based staffing agency will be happy to introduce you to potential employers in the hope of earning a fee for the aforementioned introduction, but they are an entirely different type of business working on an entirely different workflow and compensation model. They work for the client – the hiring organization – not the candidate. Executive recruiting firms employ specialised head hunters who search for the best candidate and approach them directly. The correct answer to “Will an executive headhunter find me a job?” is No.Įxecutive headhunters are called headhunters because they are, literally, head hunters. Executive headhunters and staffing agencies are different Everyone knows that executive headhunters – or executive search consultants as they prefer to be known – are involved, but many candidates aiming for executive-level jobs have incorrect assumptions about the motivations of these senior-level recruiters. There is a considerable misunderstanding about how top-level executive positions are filled.
