Business News
September 19, 2013
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 […]
August 21, 2013
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 […]
July 22, 2013
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 […]
July 9, 2013
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 […]
June 11, 2013
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 […]
May 17, 2013
Here at Eagle Headhunters we are focused on getting the best people in the market for our clients whatever the nature of the role be it sales, marketing, finance, operations etc. At every client meeting we are keen to impress upon the client that we will be approaching the top performers and as such they will be comfortable in their current role and company where they are achieving and are highly valued. With this in mind if our client wants to attract the best then they have to be offering something compelling. Aside from the actual nature of the job itself and the career path attached to it, the obvious pull is the salary package. Obviously different components matter to different people and there are very different scenarios for different roles. For example a sales person can be more much more worried about the kind of car or car allowance they receive than the HR Manager, equally an accountant will be typically more concerned about the pension and healthcare. However whilst these examples are important to think about for the specific individual, the basic salary is how people define the package and what is most important no matter what the […]
May 7, 2013
Here at Eagle Headhunters we have undertaken thousands of interviews and as such feel that we are more than competent in assessing and validating potential candidates. I do feel however that on occasion some of our clients do not have the necessary skills to be able to make that vital hire. I will explain what I mean. The first thing that a client must understand before a candidate interview is that the candidate in question has been head-hunted for the role, they have been courted and as such the client is being interviewed by the candidate just as much as the client interviewing the candidate. If a client conducts a stringent, focused and unfriendly style of interview then there is a risk that the candidate will be put off so it is a fine balancing act of assessing the candidate as well as attracting the candidate. We have been frustrated on many occasions where the client has been too bullish in the interview and the candidate has lost interest. The second issue relating to interviews is the questions that a hiring manager asks. It is very understandable that a client wants to verify the background of an individual so it […]
April 22, 2013
This is a question that we are asked each time we have a new business enquiry which is no real surprise and something which we value because it allows our business to be constantly assessed and improved. We are sure that you are aware that most recruitment businesses and processes rely on advertising and database search which can certainly bring you quick results but they are risky processes that have varied results. Not only are they risky but they only focus on people who are looking for work. What about all of the people who are too busy succeeding in their current roles? Advertising and database search only focus on the people proactively seeking work. So the end result is yes you will probably make a hire but you will certainly not be getting the best candidate on the market – you are making do because the process is quick and cheap. Rather than focus on the frailties of other recruitment processes we would like to focus on Eagle Headhunters and how we make sure we are attracting the best talent in any given industry. Each assignment we take on it is absolutely essential that we meet with the client […]