Globalite Executive Search | Executive Search Shanghai | Headhunter China | Talent Recruiting

Recruiting top performers, according to the best search consultants who ply their trade day in and day out, is an exacting science – it is labor intensive, complex, and requires a rare set of people skills and business expertise. This might be why tens of thousands of recruiters roam the earth – and why most of them are in hot demand today.

To begin with, there are many differences between the two types of services beyond the superficial difference of how the recruiter is paid. In some ways, a true retained search practice resembles a temp agency more than a perm-placement business, for the simple reason that both use a “division of labor” business model.

For example, in a large retainer practice, a search director will delegate the research and screening to a support staff, in much the same way an account manager or sales manager will delegate the “recruiting” function to a staffing coordinator. In contrast, the vast majority of contingency recruiters do their own research and screening to fill their job orders.

Executive Search Firms

Also known as “headhunters,” executive search firms seek out and carefully screen (and weed out) candidates, typically for high-salaried technical, executive, and managerial positions (although lower-salaried positions are handled by many such firms as well). Executive recruiters are paid by the employer; the candidate is generally not charged a fee. Unlike permanent employment agencies, they often approach candidates directly, rather than waiting for candidates to approach them. Some prefer to deal with employed candidates.

What should I do if a recruiter calls me at work?

Since executive recruiters often prefer to work with those who are currently employed, they usually contact people at work. That can make for an uncomfortable situation if your boss, or anyone else, is hovering nearby. If you are interested in working with the recruiter, ask him if you can return the phone call at a later time. Then do so on a break or lunch hour using your cell phone and not an office phone.

Whether you're employed or not, don't contact an executive search firm if you aren't ready to look for a job. If a recruiter tries to place you right away and finds you aren't really looking yet, it's unlikely he will spend much time with you in the future.

Posted by Ken Forrester

Employers seldom complain about the services of headhunters, it’s the headhunters’ fee that has become their pain point.

A few months ago I was a presenting at a seminar to about 35 business owners and HR professionals.  The topic of the presentation was “How to Recruit like a Headhunter” and during the presentation I made the statement “if you are not using headhunters as your primary recruitment weapon, then you are not hiring the best talent in-the-market”

One individual took offence to that particular statement and became very irate.   He literally stood up from his seat and while pointing his finger directly at me he said “you don’t know what you’re talking about-because we hired some pretty good people-and they are working out just fine-and we didn't use headhunters”

Without any hesitation, here’s how I responded:

Sir, you are absolutely correct…