Executive Search Firms

How Executive Search Firms Can Assure Quality of Candidates

Recruiting senior level talents to join your company may prove to be increasingly difficult. In the 2009 Human Resources Survey of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, up to 84% of companies all over the world are presently experiencing a shortage of executive talents. According to experts, there could be an inevitable war for senior level talents within the next five years.

Poor hiring decisions could cost your company a significant amount of money. To ensure your success, it could be crucial to properly time your search for a new executive for your company. This is why you should choose to employ the services of a reliable search firm for your executive placement needs. The top executive search firms exist to help you and your organization find, identify, and hire the best executives for your particular appointments.

When looking for an executive search firm, your first priority should be determining the quality of those potential candidates that the firm can provide. Of course, the headhunters themselves should be able to assure you of the the quality of the candidates they provide, but it could prove helpful to familiarize yourself with the process used to determine the quality level of executive candidates.

Executive Search Firms Command Confidence

The search firm you choose should have a clear understanding of your organization’s evaluation tools and performance metrics. It is a general practice that executive search firms first ask you about your specific requirements before the senior-level search starts. You should be clear in setting your criteria and assessment metrics for judging the candidates.

It’s also important that you take confidence in the search executive firm’s ability to understand your requirements and the scope of the particular executive position you need filled. At the same time, the recruiter should also have a clear understanding of your organization’s culture. In this way, the executive search firm would function primarily as an agent engaged in recruiting the best possible candidates for the position on your behalf.

Savvy Headhunters Investigate References

Executive search firms are essentially investigating the career histories of candidates. Such recruiters focus on references in order to determine and evaluate every candidate’s character, competency, and potential. Of course, references are a large part of the executive search process, and a key issue in ensuring the quality and professionalism of the candidates that are contacted.

It is a general practice in the executive search industry to conduct at least two reference checks before any candidate is shortlisted. Doing so is crucial in eliminating any possibility of embarrassing and costly problems that could appear later in the process if the wrong candidate is selected. You do not want to waste time and resources in meeting candidates that should not have been shortlisted in the first place.

The final stage of checking references involves getting in touch with peers, supervisors, subordinates, and other individuals who may not have been specifically listed as references by the candidate. You could even conduct ‘backdoor references’ on your own in order to make sure that only the best candidates are identified and tapped. However, if you decide to do so, you should still coordinate the search with your executive search firm. This is the best practice in order to make sure that the candidate’s privacy is still protected and that your organization does not go beyond what is ethical in the executive recruitment process.