A head hunter must be a good salesperson, persuasive, persevering, possessing extraordinary communication skills and having at least 5 years experience in the field. This would be the starting point when you evaluate an executive search company.
The most important qualities of executive head hunters include access to information and knowledge of the market. If you know everything that happens on the market, you know a lot of people who can give you information and if you know what is “hiding” behind the most significant companies and businesses, then the positive results are quite predictable.
A head hunter must be productive from the first day he/ she is put to do this type of job. In general, large head hunting companies work with senior consultants, never with juniors in training. In the vast majority of cases, headhunters are former managers in various fields, who have had a strong career and who, towards the end of it, “retire” to consulting, be it head hunting, or management consulting.
Other criteria by which you choose executive search companies include:
Results: what the numbers say
Are you interested in how the recruitment company can guarantee the results it promises? What do the numbers say? How many customers did it have? What is the success rate? What are the strengths of the company you want to work with, in terms of executive search?
Testimonials: what customers say
Testimonials are a great tool to see what other clients who have worked with the recruiting company you are interested in are saying, but also what clients think and feel about the company. People make decisions based on what they believe and feel, not based on what they say. In this direction, the testimonials give you the most relevant information. The more testimonials, the better.
Clarity of the recruitment process
You are about to choose the company that runs a specialized and outsourced recruitment department at your disposal. One of the most important elements, which can function as a warranty, is the level of organization and clarity regarding the entire recruitment process. The clarity of the process is directly proportional to the results you will get.
Good people or fast results?
One thing that happens very often when people are looking for executive staff is that they want it now, “yesterday, if possible”! This is understandable, but quick results are not always the best, so it takes a little patience. If the outsourced recruitment department can give you very good and fast results, it is excellent. But if it takes time (and it does take time!) give them some credit and wait to see the first results. Recruitment is a time consuming process.
Ask yourself what you prefer: mediocre employees you fire after the first month, or skilled executive staff that brings added value to your company? Be patient, but at the same time, see to what extent the executive search company you hired keeps its promises and delivers results.