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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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Much of the work we do here at Eagle Headhunters is sales related. We are regularly conducting searches looking for the best sales talent in any given industry. We conduct searches for internal sales staff, sales executives, account managers, channel sales executives, sales directors etc One correlation that is ever present is that if they excel in their role then they are highly coveted by their employers. Losing the top sales person is catastrophic for any business and as such most employers will go out of their way to make sure that they are protected from a headhunter’s overtures. They can do this in numerous ways such as a commission plan which is structured in such a way that a sales person has to wait a specific time for the majority of their bonus to be paid, fixed promotions or pay rises are connected to their performance or they might get incentives such as holidays, a new car. Many of these things will end a headhunter’s conversation with the candidate before it has started and one has to respect the employer for looking after their most valued assets. However some employers, and there are more than you would imagine, do […]

The world is changing faster than ever before in almost everything we do. As headhunters we have noticed how our clients’ attitudes to recruitment has changed dramatically. In almost every industry sector business leaders have focused on cost and the sustainability of their business. With reference to recruitment this has either meant a recruitment freeze or an inscrutable look at how to drive down the cost of recruitment. There have been many options open to help achieve this with very differing results. The first option would be to assess how to recruit without involving a headhunter or recruitment agency – this would involve advertising directly through broadsheets, industry magazines, online advertising, direct approaches or word of mouth. This is all very well if the company has an internal recruitment team who have the time and experience to handle the recruitment campaigns – if however a company does not have that resource it can become an extremely arduous and time consuming process with limited results. If you have decided that there is no other way apart from third party help then it is a matter of looking at whether you want to use a recruitment agency or a headhunter – normally […]

Now more than ever the smaller sized businesses in the UK need to start expanding. Despite the global economic meltdown over the last 7 years the Dow Jones and the FTSE 100 are absolutely booming with unprecedented levels being achieved. Investors are backing companies who have solid foundations and focused growth plans. It belies the general feeling of gloom and we should be ready to follow suit. As headhunters focused on the SME space we have noted the downturn more than most. The smaller companies have been starved of working capital and have literally battened down the hatches – but ask any commercial bank manager about the current positions of their clients’ accounts and you will be told that they have never been healthier – small businesses have tackled their debt and are running very solvent businesses. So why the gloom, why have businesses stagnated? Part of the problem, but clearly not all, is the continued negative outlook of the media – remember everything in the press is sensationalised, but people are easily impressed and if everything is as bad as the media portrays why would any company in their right mind want to expand? So we are in a […]

Intelligent, adaptable, focused, ambitious, organised, team player, highly motivated – these are all words that you see every time you look at a job description listed under “candidate qualities”. It is all too rare to see the word “honest” but this is the key quality that validates all of your other qualities. Every time we meet a candidate or client either to take the brief or conduct an interview we are always focused on this key word. A client has to be honest about the job, over sell the opportunity in order to hire that key individual and 3 months down the line the candidate will see the reality and the trust will have been broken – the next time a headhunter calls their head will be turned. Better that the client is honest and fails to get the target candidate than go through the expensive and disruptive process of making the hire only to lose them and a slice of reputation 3 months later. Be honest, give the prospective hire a clear picture of your business and the challenges it faces – this way the candidate can make a lucid assessment of whether they will be able to meet […]