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Confidence in the private sector is at its highest for 6 years and growth has returned. This is very welcome news for everyone but what does it mean for headhunters? Over the last 7 years headhunting has been in decline year on year as businesses froze their recruitment budgets and certainly if businesses were recruiting they would look at doing it on a shoestring as opposed to using perceived “high cost” headhunters. So those who did recruit probably did not recruit the top performers in their industry who, more than ever, have been highly coveted in the tough economic period that we have sustained. And those that did use headhunters or other methods to try and attract the top talent probably struggled as the top performers or indeed anyone with a stable work environment wanted to stay where they were rather than take the risk of moving and it not working out. 2014 confidence is high and businesses now need to start looking at recruiting the top talent and in order to do this they should turn to headhunting as a process. Coupled with this the people are now ready to start having their heads turned by fresh opportunities. Which […]

During the last 7 years almost every UK business has been under very tough operating conditions and many have fallen by the wayside. Always trying to take a positive stance, we believe that those businesses still standing now have proven pedigree – they have dealt with the most difficult trading conditions and are still here to tell the tale. They are also now operating very lean businesses which bodes well for their future growth. There can only be one main reason for their survival and that is repeat business. You are only as good as your last piece of work. Here at Eagle Headhunters we value every assignment, no matter how big or how small. We imagine that each client is our only client. If we do not deliver then we will not have a business for the future, it is as simple as that. With this philosophy, as long as your product is reliable, you will safeguard against any threatening economic instability. Clearly there are other elements to consider such as being flexible with negotiation, moving your business with the times and constantly out performing your competitors – sounds easy doesn’t it! However we feel that if you treat […]

The candidate approach is always a very crucial part of our headhunting service. The research work has all been done and the we now has all the facts about the target candidates before us and can make the approach. Firstly we need to decide on our approach based on the seniority of the position and secondly we need to make sure that we do not irritate the candidate by calling them at work or even emailing them at their work address – confidentiality is vital. If the position is mid management then a direct approach is fine and they will be used to this but if it is a junior role then we really have to be sensitive to the fact that they may not get many headhunt calls and adapt the approach accordingly. Obviously if it is a senior role then we would normally go through their PA to arrange a meeting. Once we have their attention we have to be balanced in our approach. The majority of candidates we talk to are not actively looking for a change so we have to position the opportunity. Over or under selling a job will switch a candidate off in seconds […]

Every time we go to a Client meeting where we are pitching for the mandate it is always in the back of our minds that we are actually being interviewed. Should we be successful in being awarded the assignment then we will have to represent your company as if we actually had a permanent employment contract with you – or, at least, that is how we view it. Once the process is under way, we will be talking to and meeting a myriad of people within your industry who will all know that you, the client, has contracted us to carry out the task. Act or convey ourselves unprofessionally then your reputation will be tarnished. Therefore when you are selecting a recruitment partner it is always worth remembering the basics – who are the individuals in the recruitment company who are going to be undertaking the mandate? Do they have an intelligent grasp of the requirements and can they voice them in the correct manner? Are they presentable? Are they just after the fee or do they want to build a durable relationship? Will they be able to deal with objections in a subtle and professional way? Will they handle […]

It has always been with huge frustration that I listen to companies say that they cannot use a headhunter because of the cost involved. I think quite clearly there are headhunting companies that are responsible for this misconception but this is not the case at Eagle Headhunters. In most UK headhunting/executive search companies the fees are circa 30% of the annual total renumeration of a candidate and this fee is payable in 3 stages – the retainer (paid in advance), the shortlist fee (payable on client satisfaction of shortlist) and the final fee on appointment of a candidate. At Eagle Headhunters we also charge 30% but only have two stages – the retainer fee and the final fee. We believe in a success driven fee system where the client pays the majority of the fee on appointment of a candidate. However that is the basic structure of our fees but is rarely what we work to. It has clearly been a buyer’s market for the last 7 years and so any client we meet has the luxury of being able to negotiate but it has to be a fair negotiation from both sides. Some clients are adamant that they will […]

Here at Eagle Headhunters, we believe referencing to be the corner stone of our business. An absolute necessity that assists in validating the quality of the people we are approaching. Without it we are relying on the word of the individual who is there to promote him/herself – we have conducted hundreds of interviews where the candidates appear to meet all of our search criteria but when the references arrive all is not as it seemed. As we are headhunters and a lot of the work we conduct is confidential we have to be very discreet in how we cross check people but we do it in a way that does not compromise candidate or client. By the same way we always cross check our candidates we are always slightly surprised that clients engage our services without asking for references from a current client. We believe this to be important and actively encourage our clients to seek a reference from an existing customer of ours – it is a way of quality control for us and also we possess a certain amount of pride in our work and want any future client to see how good we are – in […]

With cost being sensitive to all businesses every transaction is under in-depth scrutiny and this is certainly the case for the recruitment world. Here at Eagle Headhunters we welcome this and it is a long time coming. No longer are our clients accepting CVs on an ad-hoc basis sent by an inexperienced recruiter who is managing a client base and sending the same candidate CVs to all on that client base in the hope that they get lucky – once they do get lucky an expensive invoice follows – that is if the candidate decides to accept an offer from another client on that client base! We understand that we are working for the client and that our cost has to be justified which means that we have to have a transparent process where our client is completely aware of what we are doing. Obviously our main goal is to deliver the right candidate but there has to be a “value for money” feel about the process. Everything we do in an assignment is owned by the client – therefore all of the intelligence data that we collate is presented to the client in a weekly report – this gives […]

Companies are on the move again and recruiting the right sales professional is vital The last few years have been so tough on all UK businesses with no cash for investment or cash lying dormant and not being used for fear of what is round the corner. Thankfully this year we are beginning to see companies take the first very important steps that will not only secure their future growth but will go a long way in securing a brighter future for British business. We are seeing a big move in UK companies investing in securing talented individuals to drive their business forwards. We say about time too; it is impossible to tread water for too long without sinking. Companies are starting to recruit people within all disciplines but most of the work we are being approached for is within the Sales discipline. Companies need very credible people with the necessary gravitas to represent their company – this has been the case for us for a while with 80% of our mandates being sales related. The recruitment of Sales professionals brings with it plenty of risk – there is a lot of posturing, bluff, ego and sophisticated charm that can […]