Top 10 Reasons How Executive Search Headhunters Add Value To Your Internal Talent Team!
Sometimes people imagine that headhunters work in competition with internal talent teams. We can understand why someone could come to that conclusion looking from the outside in, but nothing could be further from the truth.
You might think that it is a race to see who finds the right candidate first, but actually, what we do is carefully coordinated with these teams as well as the hiring manager.
Some of the best work we do is in partnership with internal teams! Our job is to add value to a recruitment strategy. Where we come in to our own is often when it comes to senior appointments or finding niche talent.
Below are the top 10 reasons why we add value to an internal recruitment team
1. Objective view – looking at this from the candidate’s point of view, and again especially when they are Senior appointments or niche talent. Speaking candidly – anyone representing your company will, by nature present a point of view with more bias. You represent the company; you are going to be much more sunny side up – we can be the objective voice
2. Expertise in a specialist area – knowing where to look and how to engage with Senior and niche talent comes with experience. Our consultants have all worked in their market area for over 10 years. You cannot underestimate how important this is to the candidate to gain credibility
3. Holistic view of the market – day in day out we are speaking to people from your competitor market. Because of this we gain a completely different perspective – crucial to inform you and for the candidate journey
4. Challenge with data and anecdotal information – we can challenge you in a different way. We can get past the confirmation bias that can occur when you are representing your business, set us up with a brief and it is as much a hypothesis as anything else and you learn with us. The data we gather and the stories we hear informs you beyond this hire, there will be blind spots and we can find them
5. Intermediary – this is really important! It is far easier for a candidate to speak openly with us about their concerns throughout the interview process, we can address these, and it can be the difference between that star candidate continuing or disappearing. This is also crucial when it comes to negotiating an offer…
6. Negotiation – some candidates will excel at this and drive it themselves, but many will feel uncomfortable. Also, views and expectations change (both ways) throughout a process, and we can track this ensuring there are no shocks when it comes to making that offer
7. The time to prep – another really important point. We have the inside information on your business, culture, turnover, strategy – because you have shared it. Candidates will ask, we can inform them, but we can also give them crucial information on the personalities who will interview them. Prep time is also the chance for us to test commitment to you and your process, how serious is this move to them – because your time is important
8. Brand power – does your digital footprint reflect the amazing things you are doing? Possibly not. Does it reflect the personality of your teams and your culture, maybe, but from the first conversation we have with candidates we are your brand advocate
9. Dedicated research team and outreach methods – you get a research team who are using multiple methods of engagement of outreach. Tailored written messages, infographics, presentations, video messages – all targeted at that key hire
10. Discretion – and this cannot be underestimated. For senior appointments it can be difficult to answer a message or call from a competitor, there is the question of integrity and how delicate sharing market knowledge can become. Once again, having an intermediary to give time, space and anonymity is crucial
About the author
Having started his career in Executive Search in 1998, Doug set up Collingwood in 2005 alongside his wife, Claire Mackay.
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