WHAT IS A "SPECIALIST" HEADHUNTER/RECRUITER? WHAT MAKES THEM DIFFERENT AND, WHEN/WHY DO YOU NEED ONE? GOOD QUESTION? Then read on……

Are you one of the many frustrated hiring managers or HR professionals whose company's recruitment policies are based on bottom line costs instead of return on investment? Today‘s article explains why using a ?specialist“ headhunter will prove more cost effective in the long run.

Are you sure that your ?Specialist Headhunter“ really does possess the qualifications and attributes to call themselves a ?specialist“ in their given field, in their own right? My own experience, as one of the ?hunted“ during my long career as an SCM/Logistics expert and experienced Leader/Manager with a passion for HRM was, unforutnatlely, not a positive one.

It became very clear, very quickly that, a large majority of ?Specialist“ Headhunters are in fact generalists, who do not possess the qualifications, background , experience and most importantly, a large, highly specialised network. These attributes are the foundations and USP of every good ?specialist“ Headhunter or Recruiter.

So, how do we tell the diffence?

Simply have a look at the Headhunters profile, for example on LinkedIn/XING, and ask yourself; does this person fit as a ?Specialist“ in their given field? Would this person be able to tell exactly what a hiring manager, within the first few minutes of a meeting, is looking for and, where to find best fit, and best qualified candidates?

A few of years ago, a ?Specailst“ SCM/Logistics Headhunter, who offered me a Senior Management Position, which was a terrible match for my profile, turned out to be a young graduate HR generalist with no management experience and only 12 months work experience with a car rental company. Need I say more? 

Find a true specialist Headhunter/Recruiter and, you can expect (at the very least) the following:

1. HIGHER QUALITY CANDIDATES.

You may be using job boards, agencies or LinkedIn/XING, but none of these methods will bring you the highest quality candidate yield. The very top performers in the industry will not be actively looking for a new position. They are the other 75% of the workforce who are not visible through the recruitment methods you are using. These are the prospects who will have the right skill set, experience, cultural fit, and a track record of producing the very best results for their employer.

2. ACCESS TO A (MUCH) WIDER, SPECIALIST TALENT POOL.

Headhunters are not just professional recruiters - they are also experts in the field that they hire for. Specialist executive search firms like Watson-Trust, will already have cultivated an extensive network for your specific market/branch/industry. This makes it easier to quickly source more of the hidden, passive talent pool and widen your reach considerably. Very often, a long-list of candidats can be made available within mere days, sometimes even hours. Our quickest fill for a Senior Operations vacancy in 2018 was only nine days!

3. REDUCED RISK OF A BAD HIRE.

Hiring the wrong employee can have a disastrous long term impact on your business. This is even more prominent when recruiting for a senior or revenue-generating position. An executive headhunter will find you the perfect fit according to your exact requirements.

4. EXPERT MANAGEMENT OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS.

Our professional training, extensive senior leadership and management experience enables us to successfully persuade those perfect candidates who weren’t planning on a career change, prevent candidates from opting out of the process, and handle the dreaded counter offer.

5. FASTER TIME TO HIRE.

Filling a vacancy can take a lot of time and effort. An industry-specialist headhunter will streamline the entire process and handle all the details. We use our network to leverage personal referrals and word-of-mouth at a much faster rate, so that you can get a fully qualified shortlist of excellent candidates in front of you….fast.

6. GREATER PROFITABILITY.

Are you a small player in your industry or a market leader? Either way, using an industry specialist headhunting firm is extremely cost-effective. The upfront fee of a hire may seem high, but when weighed against the costs of marketing, screening and interviewing, not to mention the additional cost of turnover and repeating the recruitment process in the case of a bad hire, it is quite a saving. Headhunters can also inform you about hiring trends and negotiate employee compensation according to industry standards.

7. ADVANTAGE OVER THE COMPETITION.

As you hire one of the best candidates in your sector, your competitor loses theirs! On the flip side, partnering with industry-leading specialists like WATSON-TRUST, also means your staff will not be poached.

8. STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION.

When hiring for executive positions, confidentiality is of the utmost importance. Executive search firms know:

• How to keep a candidate’s involvement secret from their current company.
• How to keep a client's vacancy hidden from their competitors.

9. A CAST-IRON GUARANTEE TO FILL YOUR VACANCY AND, A NEW SEARCH, SHOULD THE CANDIDATE LEAVE WITHIN THE FIRST 12 MONTHS.

With an exclusive partnership, a headhunter will allocate all necessary resources to ensure that the position is successfully placed for.

10. A HAPPIER WORKFORCE , LONGER STAFF TENURE AND LOWER STAFF TURNOVER.

Passive candidates are 25% more likely to stay at a company long-term. They also have a proven track record of increasing productivity and company morale. These benefits result in improved company performance, across the board!

WATSON-TRUST RECRUITMENT SERVICES

We are a specialist executive search firm and we focus on a single task:

The search, selection and acquisition of national and international executives, interim managers and specialists within the supply chain / logistics, manufacturing and trade industries.

We are specialists and, to meet the needs of our clients in the highly specialized and complex supply chain/logistics, manufacturing and trade industries, Watson-Trust offers its services through a combination of: 

• A strong background in supply chain / logistics, high-tech manufacturing and human resource management.
• Our seasoned industry knowledge and our understanding of human behaviour and organisational needs.
• Our extensive specialist network to create the best match for both our clients and candidates.
• An international network of consultants and researchers whose depth of operational and search experience enables us to deliver the highest caliber of advice and service to our clients.

You know that your company is one of a kind. All candidates and, executive search projects are one of a kind. And for just those reasons, generalist executive search services won't really give you what you need. The individual search challenges you face, deserve an individual analytical approach and specialist execution. 

On this basis, we can develop customized executive search solutions that fit your needs exactly. Do you have a hiring requirement?

Contact me today to learn more about our executive search services, current search mandates, and career opportunities.

t +49 (0)5331 9452 858 | m +49 (0)176 8496 0799 | mail [email protected] www.watson-trust.com