How to find a good executive recruiter
Congratulations! If you’re looking for a good recruiter, that means your company is growing and you’re looking for a great candidate or partner to fill your open positions. Well, look no further. You found us! We kid (mostly – we are really great at what we do, but we’ll get to that).
Finding the right recruiting and talent partner is not simple:
Step 1: Google “Recruiter near me” and click the first listing that pops up.
Step 2: Email that recruiter and tell them they’re hired.
Step 3: Bask in the success of your winning find. You’ve made it.
While we truly wish it was that easy, a lot goes into selecting not just a good executive recruiting partner but the right executive recruiting partner for your company. The term “recruiter” is very broad. Before you decide on a recruiter, you have to understand what you actually need.
You can find a partner who is a headhunter, or you can find someone who is a talent advisor. You can work with an agency, or you can hire a recruiter in-house. You can find a transactional partner, or you can find someone who understands your business, your culture, and much more. There are many, many ways to approach this. So let’s dive in.
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Determine what you actually need in a recruiting partner
If you are a hiring manager or organizational leader at a big company with a higher turnover rate, like a call center for example, where there’s a constant pipeline and you’re always needing people, your needs in a recruiter are going to look different than that of a company looking to strategically fill key positions. In this case, any ole recruiter can send you people who are ready to work the open positions you have available. If volume is what you need, a standard recruiter could be a good fit for your business.
However, If you are looking to build a business where you need strategic guidance in growing your team efficiently and in a way that makes a difference, you’re going to need a talent advisor who understands the ins and outs of your business and industry. Talent advisors are not going to send you dozens of candidates for one open position, all of whom check most of your boxes and would do “just fine” working for your company.
Talent advisors are going to dig deep into the roots of your business to gain a full understanding of how it operates, what the culture is like, what the opportunity actually entails, and what is most important in a top candidate. Then, they actively seek out the top performer they know will be a good fit for your needs. As talent advisors, we are not in the game of quantity, they’re in the game of quality.
Seek a recruiter experienced in your industry
You wouldn’t go to a podiatrist for a shoulder problem. If you’re looking for a specific solution, you have to find an expert in the field you’re working in.
Working with a recruiter who specializes in your industry gives you the competitive advantage in finding the top-tier candidates that will make a difference in your company.
Specialized recruiters and talent advisors know the ins and outs of your industry. They know more about what qualities and skills matter when filling specific openings. They understand how your business operates, how your competitors work, and where to find the talent you need.
Seek a recruiter who understands the functional roles you’re searching for
Even further, working with an executive recruiter who has a solid understanding of the actual functional roles you’re searching for is essential.
If you’re looking to hire a sales leader, your recruiter needs to understand how a sales team in your industry operates. If you’re hiring a finance executive, your recruiter needs to know how to properly vet a candidate to ensure they have what it takes to be successful in this role and industry.
The industry understanding is one piece of the puzzle, but the comprehension of what the roles you’re hiring for actually entail is equally as important.
Understand your own processes
Channeling our inner flight attendant, “Please make sure that your own oxygen mask is on first before helping others.” The same applies to working with a recruiter.
You need to know how your business will work best with a recruiter’s support before bringing in a recruiter. Some questions that you can ask yourself include:
What does our hiring process look like?
Are we looking for quality or quantity in candidates?
What qualifications matter most to us in a candidate?
How do we determine who the best fit is?
What aspects of our talent search are non-negotiable?
Do we have the volume to support an internal position?
These questions will help you define what you need in a recruiting partner and will help set your chosen recruiter up for success.
Specifically surrounding the decision between hiring a recruiter in-house and working with an agency or freelancer, it’s important that you take the time to understand what your hiring needs look like. If you only have a few open positions throughout the year, an in-house recruiter might not be justified. But, if you have a high turnover or are rapidly growing your business, meaning that you need a lot of talent a lot of the time, you’ll want to take that into consideration. Both an internal recruiter and an agency can likely accommodate those needs.
Look in your own network
Yes, we know. Recruiters talking about networks is about as cliche as they come. But your own network is a powerful thing. You may know someone with a killer recommendation for a recruiter or talent advisor they’ve loved to work with.
That being said, we’ve heard from the companies we work with that once they’ve found the all-star recruiter that everyone is looking for, they’re not sharing that information with their competitors.
“I will never introduce Rose to my competitors. Are you kidding me? If they’re in a different industry, maybe. To other executive recruiters, you’re a number. Rose, on the other hand, is a long-term partner who will help you right your organization and get the right people in-house who are going to help you build for the long-haul.”
– Darcy Dinga, Senior Vice President of Sales
So yes, utilize your network of industry connections – but maybe don’t use the recruiter your competitors refer to you. Seek a referral from industry connections who work alongside your business, not compete against it.
Ask the right questions
Back to our “recruiter near me” Google search… if you blindly contact the first recruiting agency that pops up and say “Hi, I have a job opening I need filled. Can you send me some candidates?” 90% of recruiters will respond with “Absolutely. Sign here.” (Okay, that’s not a factual statistic, but hear us out.) This method will find you a transactional recruiter, but is unlikely to find you a great executive recruiter or talent advisor who you’ll want to build a lasting relationship with.
To find a good recruiter who isn’t going to just “send over some candidates,” you want to start by qualifying your recruiter – just like you would qualify a candidate. A list of questions to get you started:
What industries do you work with?
What are the functions you specialize in?
What kinds of positions do you fill?
Have you filled positions similar to ours before?
How do you find candidates?
How do you share open opportunities?
What does your vetting process look like?
What does your fee structure look like? (It’s okay to address the elephant in the room here – budgets matter.)
Can you support x needs of our company?
What do your relationships with client companies look like?
Look at their client testimonials
This isn’t to say that a newer recruiter won’t be able to serve your company best. But with experience comes expertise, and with expertise comes success. It’s okay (and even encouraged) to ask to see client testimonials.
Look at the brands they’ve worked with to see if there are familiar names on the list. Are there others in your industry who have trusted this recruiter with their talent search? How is their business doing? These can be good indicators of what kind of talent a recruiter can bring to your organization.
The bottom line
Unfortunately, there is no easy formula or step by step process you can download to point you to the exact recruiter you need. “The best things in life take time,” or something like that.
There are times where it’s okay to take shortcuts in business – like buying your breakroom snacks in bulk from Costco, putting motion sensors on lights to cut energy costs, using generic brand ink in a printer (just don’t tell the IT guy), or automating the thank you emails after form submissions on your website. This, the search for the right recruiter, is not one of those times.
Searching to find a good executive recruiting partner for your business is an exciting process! Give it the time and attention it deserves and your business will thank you. A great recruiting partner or talent advisor can make a world of a difference in what your company’s future looks like.
Find the partner who has your best interest at heart, who has the experience and expertise you need, who knows how to find the talent you’re searching for, and who wants to work with you, not for you.
