Business News
August 8, 2017
Recruiting top executives is both costly and time-consuming. It is also a highly specialist task. It requires a distinctly different approach from recruitment for different tiers of positions. This is because you cannot simply search for a CFO in the same way that you can for a data entry specialist, or even mid-level manager. What each top executive role needs will be distinct, unique, and require a highly defined skillset and experience base. This is combined with personal and business acumen that fits the objectives of the organisation.
The current unemployment rate in the UK is 4.5%. Yet, there are significant problems recruiting top-level executives, and finding the right skills at the right time. Finding this top level of talent, which also matches your organisational goals and culture, is very hard indeed.
July 31, 2017
Recruitment, and the method you choose for it, should always work to your advantage. It’s an area you shouldn’t compromise on. Getting it right first time saves you time and resources in the long-run, and contributes to your bottom line more than many realise. However, typically you’re staring down the barrel of tight budgets and tight timescales. You’re also faced with a range of recruitment options. How do you know whether to choose a recruitment specialist or a headhunter agency? When is a headhunter agency the best decision? When should you begin the process? Recruitment Issues Firstly, recruitment is not a uniform approach whether you’re looking for graduates for your training scheme, or a high-level executive. Attempting to fulfil different roles using the same techniques is problematic. They aren’t the same thing, and require distinctly different methods. A recruitment agency, job boards, and job advertising, all have their place. For generic and middle-level roles they can get the right candidates in front of an interview panel quickly, and cost-effectively. Where they don’t work is for executive and senior roles. These positions are more specific, and require a much more refined skill and experience set. Alongside this, typically the best candidates […]
July 15, 2017
Whether you’re an organisation looking to fill an executive position, or an individual wanting to be headhunted, we have some pointers for you. Headhunters are a specialist breed. We’re not your run-of-the-mill recruiters. Instead we take pride in not just matching a candidate to a role, but in marrying the two. Knowing how to find the best executive headhunters for your needs can leave you bewildered, whichever side of the recruitment fence you’re sitting on. For the Organisation Headhunters work solely for you. Therefore you shouldn’t need to compromise. You should be able to specify exactly what you are looking for and hey presto, be delivered some exceptional candidates. You should feel confident that you’re not just embarking on a recruitment exercise, but on a business process that drives growth and reputation. This requires an extraordinary and outstanding relationship with your chosen headhunters. They should become an extension of your right hand, and your mind. The best executive headhunters take the time, combined with their expertise at asking the right questions, to identify the unique qualities of the role you are seeking to fill. They are attentive and active listeners, drawing on experience and industry expertise, to ensure you aren’t […]
July 2, 2017
At Eagle Headhunters, we are headhunting pros. However, what do we actually do? How does a headhunter work? And is using a headhunter the right talent-sourcing solution for your business? A Word on Language When considering how a headhunter works, it’s important to make sure you’re using the right headhunting definition. To complicate things, a ‘headhunter’ can mean different things to different people. In the US, for example, a headhunter is someone working for the sole candidate. In the UK we sometimes find it used synonymously with ‘recruiters’. However, a true UK headhunter is a specialist role – working for the client, to fill specific vacancies with the best and most appropriate talent – usually working in a distinctly different way than a run-of-the-mill recruiter – there are no databases and no adverts, just bespoke executive talent search. The UK Headhunter Headhunters work for the client – the business who needs to find the right person, at the right time, for a particular role. To make things even more confusing – not all headhunters are created equally. Some are little more than database readers, using their existing list of available candidates who are knowingly searching the job marketplace. An expert […]
July 28, 2014
The most straight forward way to headhunt is to take a person out of a competitive company and place them with your client. As a headhunter we can be very focused – we draw up a list of the client’s key competitors and then research the relevant individuals before making our approach. If our client is offering a better package, career prospects and has a good market reputation then our task is all the simpler. However on occasion the sector can be very incestuous with key people moving from one competitor to another and whilst they know the sector inside out they are not bringing anything new or creative – in essence they are a safe pair of hands. It is with this in mind that sometimes we advise our clients that they should be looking outside the sector in order to bring in new ideas and ways of working that will help put them ahead of their competitors. We do not recommend that clients take on people who have no understanding of their sector or work processes but as an example look at candidates who work in a different sector but have the same clients. Candidates from a different […]
May 12, 2014
The counter offer is something that is part and parcel of a headhunter’s life but something that can ruin weeks of hard work. The candidate is researched, goes through all the headhunter’s interviews followed by the client interviews and then is offered the role. The candidate is delighted and accepts the offer and then tenders their resignation – HOWEVER as the candidate has been researched properly we all know that they are a valuable asset and so their current employer reacts and does all they can to keep hold of this prized asset. A candidate who has never been headhunted before has never met this situation before and as they already have an existing relationship with their employer it is not unreasonable to understand that their heads can easily be turned with the lure of a new career path and more money. There are now two things that need to happen. We, the headhunter, need to remind the candidate why they considered a move in the first place. Why was this promise of a new career path and more money there in the first place – why did it take their resignation to trigger the employer’s reaction? Will they be […]
March 18, 2014
There are clearly many reasons that someone would have their head turned by a headhunter but ultimately cash talks! Naturally there are people who are very loyal and would not move under any circumstance but it is very easy to be loyal if your current employer pays well, has a good benefits package and a clearly defined career path mapped out for you. Lately we have been working for a client who are loyal to us and we enjoy working for them – a client with a good reputation in the market and a strong management team. However their pay structure needs a dramatic overhaul. Their competitors are paying their staff at least the same but on the whole more and similar businesses outside of their industry are paying their staff at least 20% more. This leaves us with an extremely difficult situation. We have found handfuls of suitable candidates who are interested in working for our client but then they inform us of their current salary the conversation is over. It clearly leaves us with a dilemma because we want to advise our client of this without sounding like we are making any excuse for why the search is […]
February 10, 2014
The foundations of Eagle Headhunters were built on honesty and is the reason that the company exists today and will exist for many years to come. Every part of the recruitment process needs honesty – anything but and the end result will be negative. This is why we sometimes have to turn business down and have even done so in the tough times. A scenario is that we meet with a client to discuss a specific role that they need for their business. The client naturally wants the best in their field and obviously that is what we strive to deliver. However through the course of the meeting it becomes apparent that there are issues that will negate the possibilities of us achieving this – these issues could be that the client does not have a strong reputation in the market, the salary is not competitive and they cannot be flexible, they are expecting someone to make a sideways move with no career progression or perhaps they are based in an isolated part of the country. Without any flexibility any one of these issues could mean that the search becomes nigh on impossible and if we were to take on […]