So, you’ve decided to engage an executive recruiter for that critical hire. Congratulations!
Now that you’ve made that decision, what are the next steps? The first thing you need to do is find an executive recruiter to work with. While most people rely on referrals from their friends or colleagues, we believe that this isn’t always the best way to go, for these reasons.
When you are looking for an executive recruiter, you want to first focus on the following criteria:
- Proven Specialization: You want a recruiter that has experience filling positions just like the one you have. Look for recruiters that specialize in your specific industry or are great at finding qualified candidates for your specific role. In addition, find recruiters that have shown prior placements in these specialties and don’t just say that they are specialists.
- Capacity and Interest: In addition to a specialist, you want to find a recruiter that has time and energy to devote to your search effort. As management consultants, recruiters will sometimes agree to do more work than they can comfortably handle at the same time. In addition, you need to find a recruiter that is interested in your company and can understand your goals and objectives, not just with this one critical position, but in general for the whole company. This increases the likelihood that the recruiter will find the best candidates for you.
- Well Defined Process: Lastly, you should be looking for recruiters that have a well defined process that they use to find and place candidates. A well defined process, run by a seasoned specialist will go a long way to ensuring you end up with a great new hire.
Much like finding qualified candidates for your position, finding executive recruiters, especially with the qualities above, can be challenging. Few recruiters will tell you that they aren’t experts in your specific needs and rarely will they admit that they are currently at full capacity.
The easiest solution for finding great recruiters is using our Find-A-Recruiter service. We know who specializes in what (and know when they are great in those specialities, too). We can assess and confirm if the recruiter has capacity, interest and their search process, as well. If you’re looking for an executive recruiter, get in touch with us and we can help you identify several great options!
