HEAD-HUNTING VS ADVERTISING ROLES, WHAT YOU THE CLIENT NEEDS TO KNOW

As most of you might already know, I prefer working on senior positions, Middle to Senior Management, Factory/Technical Managers, Financial, Operational Managers, Directors, MD, FD, GM, etc. roles, basically the top end of the organogram in Manufacturing, Engineering and Production companies. So, most of the people I find for my clients are employed.

When you advertise a vacancy, you will receive hundreds if not thousands of CVs, your shortlist may be 6 good people which you then interview, shortlist, reference, vet and test, and then present the best candidates to your client.

Because clients have become accustomed to this process, it’s become an expectation to follow this “normal process”, but what if I told you that you were missing out on a huge amount of potential star candidates that are inactive?  

Head-hunting entails conducting a specified search to identify the ideal candidate for a specific role, regardless of whether the candidate is active or passive talent. While active candidates are reaching out to their professional networks and sending resumes in response to job openings, passive candidates are currently employed and not seeking new opportunities.

These candidates need to be approached in a different and more subtle manor, there is no CV and no formal interview process where the Recruiter grills the candidate. In this case the Recruiter has done their homework and knows the person they are speaking to is at the top of their game.

Headhunting is a bit like sales. You are going to hear a lot of NO’s. In fact, you are going to be shocked by the number of people who would want to stay in a job that they hate rather than taking up a new challenge. The key here is to follow up on prospects and to find out their wants and needs.

In the case of head-hunters, the focus is more on quality than quantity. Head-hunters need to find the best in the industry and skill set. Recruiters need to invest a lot of time in head-hunting right from scouting and rapport building to the final absorption of the talent.

So how do we get a non-active candidate interested? Well we need to find out what makes them tick. We need to find out what would make them consider moving to a potential opposition company. It is generally less travel, less hours, better working conditions, more money, better benefits, or even brand conciseness that might inspire the non-active candidate to engage with you.

Once we have captured the candidate’s attention, negotiations start. I try to meet the candidate face to face, out of their work environment. Once we know there is an interest then we can start looking at a resume, cover page, referencing and verifications.

A good Recruiter will ask potential candidates about their restraint of trade prior to entering negotiations.

Head-hunters and Recruiters both play a vital role in conducting the search and hiring process on behalf of companies. While Head-hunters conduct comprehensive searches for roles with a limited scope of who is qualified, Recruiters vet through active job seekers and make recommendations of qualified candidates. It’s necessary that companies understand the difference before partnering with a third party to take on the search process for vacant roles.  

I would like you to take minute and think about that star you know in your industry. Imagine they worked for you or your company, imagine what they could do for your bottom line?

They could, let me headhunt them for you.

Anthony Kettle +27 21 5562313 or 0835929794 or [email protected]