Organisations can struggle to find the right talent for filling an executive position, whether it is due to time-constraints or lacking the resources needed to source the best talent. However, outsourcing to an executive search firm can be an incredibly fruitful investment.

When sourcing executive talent to fill a C-Suite, senior or executive-level position, each candidate must possess certain requirements. These can include having the right skillsets, being the best fit for the organisation’s work culture, holding similar company values and possessing desired personality traits.

This is why many organisations seek out an established search firm that can provide the best executive headhunters for all their senior-level, executive and C-Suite hiring needs. Handling their hiring process in-house can result in a very time-consuming process, and if a bad hiring choice is made, the lengthy hiring process will need to be restarted.

Rather than taking this risk, outsourcing the hiring process to experienced executive headhunters provides organisations with relevant and top-performing executive talent. But what exactly are these benefits?

Private and confidential

When hiring for a C-Suite or senior management position, sometimes organisations may want to do it discreetly without alerting their staff or making an announcement to the public. It all depends on the situation. They could be hiring for an executive position where the current employee has not left the role yet or they would simply like to keep the details of the hiring process private.

Outsourcing to executive headhunters can ensure that the entire details of the hiring process are kept fully discreet and confidential. This gives organisations the control to officially announce the news or details of the new position or hired employee when it best suits them.

Sourcing specific skillsets

Each C-Suite and senior-level position requires a specific set of technical skills, which can be hard to find when companies are left to their own devices. When organisations work with an executive search firm, their headhunters take great care in understanding what specific set of skills each candidate needs to possess.

This enables them to present their clients with top-performing candidates in a shorter amount of time, all possessing the required skillsets and qualifications required to effectively fill the role. The leading executive headhunters achieve this by having access to in-house research teams and their own talent pool of suitable candidates.

Access to a wider range of relevant candidates

The best executive headhunters will have access to a wider range of candidates than if an organisation was handling its hiring process in-house. This is because the most relevant and ideal candidate may not be actively searching for a new role to step into. They might even be happy working at their current organisation.

Executive headhunters are highly experienced, possessing the effort and skills needed to actively pursue and convince candidates that are not searching for new employment opportunities.

Being masters in the art of persuasion, executive headhunters are experts in quickly building rapport and trust with their candidates. Regardless if a potential candidate is open to new career opportunities or not, headhunters build their careers through finding, approaching and persuading top-performing talent. This is how they are able to build and have access to an executive talent pool that can span the globe.

Avoiding the risk of a bad hire

Making a bad hiring choice isn’t always due to hiring a candidate who doesn’t possess the required set of skills needed for the executive position they are filling. An organisation can hire someone who possesses the right skillsets, has the best qualifications and the required experience. However, the candidate’s long-term goals or personality traits may have not been the best fit for the company.

A bad hiring choice can result in an organisation wasting its time, money and resources on hiring a candidate, only to have the person leave the company within a short amount of time due to not getting along with colleagues or pursuing another career opportunity.

To avoid this type of situation from happening, seasoned headhunters use personas created using data from their in-house research teams to extensively assess their candidates. These personas highlight the personality traits that the ideal candidate should possess.

C-Suite and senior leadership roles require traits such as determination, empathy and assertiveness to effectively lead and manage their team. Negative personality traits such as impulsiveness, a lack of empathy and narcissism in a candidate will most likely lead to a bad hiring choice and having employees suffer as a result.

Apart from their personality traits, executive headhunters will also assess candidates based on their personal values and long-term goals, ensuring they align with their client’s values and goals.

In conclusion

To avoid the risk of making a bad hire, ensure that only the best-suited candidate is hired to fill the available executive, C-Suite or senior-level position. Outsourcing your hiring process to a retained search firm that can provide the best executive headhunters offers a wide range of benefits.

Search online for an established executive search firm and explore your options today.