Should I Hire a Headhunter?

While some companies consistently enlist the services of executive recruiters (aka “Headhunters”) to complement the work of their internal recruiting staff or to act as their sole source of recruiting, other companies rely on them when faced with filling critical or hard-to-fill roles. Here are ten reasons employers may consider using the services of an outside recruiter:

1. Reach – An executive recruiter’s livelihood depends on locating the best talent for his or her clients. They fill each day reaching out to professionals and carefully assessing their qualifications. They maintain a vast network of relationships and is consistently focused on recruiting with his clients’ needs in mind.

2. Educate – Employers are sometimes unsure of what talent is available in the field. Outside recruiters pride themselves in knowing the availability of talent and can educate clients accordingly. They are also aware of competitor compensation strategies and help clients align their packages to attract top talent.

3. Confidentiality – Because recruiters work confidentially, employers retain them to conduct private searches on their behalf. Also, passive candidates can entrust their search to a recruiter who understands their motivation to make a career move and will respect their need for discretion.

4. Reputation – A recruiter’s reputation depends on his or her ability to match company objectives with candidate objectives. The evidence of a good recruiter is one that presents a very limited number of exceptional candidates to their client and successfully fills the role.

5. Unique – With the unique ability to pluck candidates from competitors, executive recruiters work through their network to realize where the talent lies. They strategically engage with professionals who may not have considered a career move prior to that outreach.

6. Interviewing – Executive recruiters typically interview candidates by taking a chronological walk through their resume. This helps them better understand the true motivation behind the candidate’s job search and unveils hidden details that often get overlooked in an employer’s interview.

7. Targeted outreach – When specialized positions are exceptionally challenging to fill, outside recruiters focus their efforts on a targeted outreach to locate the talent their client is seeking. Clients can specify the qualifications they desire and trust their recruiter to deliver a pool of candidates meeting those expectations.

8. Efficient – Enlisting the services of an outside recruiter eliminates workload and time constraints for internal recruiting teams because qualified candidates are delivered efficiently. Executive recruiters are highly motivated because they typically work on a contingent basis and are paid only if they successfully fill the role.

9. Right candidate – Employers can remain actively involved in the outside recruiting process to ensure the right candidate is identified. By communicating well with the recruiter and working in tandem to streamline their internal process, difficult-to-fill roles can be surprisingly straightforward to fill.

10. Successful – Having intimate knowledge of client operations, outside recruiters help candidates feel comfortable with the hiring process. They help engage good candidates until an offer of employment is successfully accepted.

AgCareers.com is pleased to be in partnership with the following recruiting agencies:

• Ag 1 Source
• Agra Placements Ltd.
• Agribusiness Recruitment Pty Ltd
• agriCAREERS, INC.
• ERC AG Recruiting
• GPAC
• Hansen Agri-PLACEMENT
• Rich Connell AGRI-SEARCH, Inc.
• Rimfire Resources Pty Ltd

Check out our recruiter partnerships.