So you’ve decided that a headhunting agency is the right option for you and your business’s recruitment needs. But you may still be asking yourself; which agency is the right one for me? There are many different executive search firms, from specialist to generalist, national to international, and contingency to retained basis.
Making the choice of which firm to hire can be tough. It’s useful to know what kind of questions you can ask each firm in order to help you narrow down who you want to work with.
Outlined here are 10 questions you may want to ask headhunters before making a decision on which one is right for your business.
1 – How Much Do You Cost?
Straight to the point, money is one of the big swinging points for many businesses looking to hire a recruitment firm to help them fill a role. It’s completely reasonable if the service cost is one of the first things you want to know, as long as you also understand what the charge is for.
The price of a full executive headhunt varies depending on the headhunter, so you’re going to want to find out exactly how much it will cost, and what you receive in return. Also inquire as to how the cost will be split. Many retained headhunters stagger their charge to ensure payment upon certain project milestones, for example a retainer fee, followed by a submission fee, and finally a placement fee. However, not all executive search firms structure their payment plan the same way.
2 – What is your Headhunting Process?
Every agency has a different method of conducting operations, and a different research and talent search process. Before signing the contract with a headhunter, you should know their process in order to know exactly what service you’re receiving for your money. By speaking with headhunters, they should be able to give you insight into the structure of their search process. This includes how they conduct their research and search phases, and how they screen and submit candidates to you.
Find out more about the headhunting executive search process we employ at Executive Headhunters EMA Partners.
Are you looking to recruit for a senior role? Are you interested in our service? Give us a call and request a free 15 minute insights session, where we can go through our process in detail.
3 – What Sectors Do You Cover/Specialise In?
Headhunters can be either specialist, meaning they specialise or work exclusively in certain sectors, or generalist, meaning they work in almost any sector or industry. Specialist headhunters have a good knowledge of their own sector, however are sometimes prone to reusing the same candidates or targeting candidates from the same businesses.
Generalist headhunters are less subject to this reuse and have a much broader knowledge of talent across all sectors. However, they generally have a less in depth knowledge of specific industries. Keep in mind that generalist headhunters can have areas of expertise, but they are also open to conducting headhunts outside of this area.
We at Executive Headhunters EMA Partners are whole-of-market headhunters, meaning we will work with any senior role in any sector or industry. We have particular experience sourcing and identifying quality candidates for senior roles within engineering, manufacturing, and owner managed businesses. Visit our case studies page to see which industries we work in.
4 – What Similar Roles Have You Successfully Headhunted For?
Once you’ve outlined that the headhunter works in your industry, you should ensure that they have solid experience filling roles that are similar to yours. It’s always wise to select a headhunting agency with a strong track record for recruiting for roles like yours. That way you know they have the ability to successfully find the type of candidates you’re looking for.
Often headhunting agencies publish case studies on their websites. These provide you with more detailed accounts of successful headhunts they have performed. Of course, the more roles similar to ours that they have successfully recruited for, the better. It shows they have relevant experience and knowledge of that area, as well as useful contacts and networks to utilise when recruiting for your role.
For insight into some of the positions we recruit for, visit our vacancies page.
5 – What is Your Success Rate?
It’s very important to understand how successful your headhunters source rate is. Try to find out what the rate of successful placements is for that firm. If the headhunter has successfully placed candidates in one sector, but often fails to do so in another, you may want to reconsider their overall quality.
Your firm should be reliable and consistent in the delivery and the quality of the candidates they submit. In addition to this, look for statements of recommendation from the business’ clients, as these are always a good sign of a quality headhunter. Good executive search firms generally only take on roles which they believe they can successfully fill. Quality agencies don’t want to take on roles which they think they won’t be able to fill. It's simply a waste of everyone’s time and effort.
6 – How Long Is Your Process?
For many businesses, one of the most important factors in recruitment is the overall time it takes to hire a candidate after signing the contract. It’s not always possible to provide a concrete time frame for an ideal, successful headhunt. But many agencies will be able to provide you with a guideline, or sometimes a form of guarantee. For example, they may guarantee to provide a certain amount of candidates within a certain time frame. Generally speaking, for high-level headhunts you can expect a shortlist of candidates to be submitted to you within a few weeks. However for harder to fill roles it may take longer to find the right quality of candidate.
7 – How Do You Guarantee Quality?
It’s understandable that if you’re going to sign a contract with a headhunter, you’ll first want some form of guarantee that you will receive a quality of service and result that matches the price you’re paying. Often this comes in the form of a replacement guarantee, where if the hired candidate leaves within a certain time frame, the agency will replace them. However, there are other methods of guaranteeing quality. That's why it’s important to clarify this with your potential search firm before putting money down.
Along with our portfolio of client recommendations and successful case studies, we guarantee quality in our service through a replacement guarantee in the unlikely event that a candidate we place leaves the role.
8 – Are You Retained or Non-Retained?
Recruiters and headhunters can operate on either a retained or non-retained basis. If a headhunt is retained, it means that you sign a contract to guarantee that the role will be filled by that headhunter and no other company. Non-retained headhunts leave you open to continue recruitment yourself or with other firms. Typically, senior level headhunts are retained in order to guarantee delivery of quality, whilst non-retained contingency recruiters are used for lower level roles.
You’ll want to know which type of headhunt you’re signing up for so that you understand your position and involvement, as well as what you and the headhunter are entitled to. Executive Headhunters EMA Partners UK conduct headhunts on a retained basis.
9 – What Involvement Can / Will I Have?
One of the main benefits of working with a recruiter or headhunter is that they do all the hard work for you. However, it’s likely you’ll still want to retain some involvement in the process. Ask your headhunter how much involvement is typically expected from clients. For example, does the headhunter do everything including searching, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing, or are you expected to / do you want to have involvement in these areas?
You can also inquire into how informed you will be kept at different stages of the headhunt. Quality executive search firms will make every effort to inform you of the details and progress of the project on a regular basis, so that you always know what to expect.
At Executive Headhunters EMA Partners all of our clients have access to their own dedicated client area. In this your assigned headhunters will post updates and information to ensure that you have access to all the necessary documents and reports as they become available. This also allows for easy group communication between everyone involved in the project.
10 – What Input/Information Do You Need From Me?
Before your headhunter can get started with the search, they’ll need information and input from your side regarding your wants, needs, and requirements. Get the headhunter to outline exactly what role you will play in the initial discussion. For example, what information do they require regarding job specifications, salary, titles, etc? In addition to this, what input will they have in terms of changing or negotiating how the job is pitched to candidates? Some headhunters can give advice on how to alter job titles and descriptions, as well as what type of people to target, in order to attract the best people for the role.
Ultimately, before you make a decision on which of the executive search firms you want to work with, get in contact with them and request a discussion about exactly what they can do for you, how much they’ll do it for, and how they will go about doing it.
Some firms, such as ourselves at Executive Headhunters, will gladly offer free insights sessions in order to provide you with any information you need and answer any questions you may have.
