The benefits of market specialization are long proven in business. Market specialization in executive recruitment is critical to the long-term success of candidate placement and by extension, to the success of the executive recruiter or recruitment agency. The ideal recruiter will have an intimate understanding of the industry being served, derived either through years of specialization or from direct work experience within that industry.
An executive recruiter must invest at least four years within a specific industry in order to build a network of sufficient size to facilitate optimal placement for a new candidate. Approximately 70% of successful long-term executive placements are the result of networking. The ideal recruiter will remain in contact with each candidate after placement in order to obtain feedback and further knowledge of the hiring company’s culture. An active recruiter may place 17 candidates during the course of a year. The recruiter can leverage this network, which over four years may have expanded up to 68 hiring managers in as many companies. A network of this scale is often required in order to find the optimal match for a new candidate’s preferences, potential, and personality within a company and work culture that are best suited for that candidate.
The ideal recruiter will specialize within the confines of a particular geography. Candidates desiring to relocate to a particular geographic region are best served by those recruiters or agencies which have a track record of placing candidates in that region. The ideal executive recruiter will have assembled a network of hiring managers within the geographic area and industry of interest to the candidate. In order to provide invaluable service, national or international recruiters or agencies must have established regionally specific hiring networks within a diversity of locations and be able to transfer intimate knowledge of those regions to the prospective candidate.
An executive recruiter must ask the appropriate questions of the candidate. The ideal recruiter will inquire why the candidate is seeking a new position, whether the candidate’s family, spouse, or significant other have been consulted, what the candidate is looking for in a work environment, and what the candidate is seeking with regards to professional responsibilities. This recruiter will also inquire about salary preferences, relocation preferences, and whether the candidate already has contacts at a particular company or companies that the candidate would like to work for.
The ideal recruiter will be personable enough to make the candidate feel comfortable in divulging personal information and motivations. The recruiter who is able to make the candidate feel at ease in this manner is likely to have the same success with hiring managers.
The executive recruiter will provide a proven process through which the candidate will be placed in the ideal position. Optimal recruitment processes are either derived and refined through experience, or are learned from a mentor. A recruiter with at least four years in the business is unlikely to make the same mistakes as a recruiter with less experience or without a knowledgeable mentor. It is important that the recruiter help the candidate to understand and “buy into” the candidate placement process. Executive placements have a significantly higher potential for success with a proven, well formulated approach and a candidate and a recruiter who are motivated to follow it. It is important that the candidate remain cognizant of all activities of the recruiter in order to actively contribute to the success of the placement.
The recruiter should conduct personality and work behavior profiles of the candidate, using standardized methods. The advantage of conducting these profiles is that the candidate can be optimally matched with the work culture that is best suited to the candidate’s temperament and professional behaviors.
An executive recruiter or recruitment agency should go to great lengths to preserve the confidentiality of the candidate. This is particularly important in cases where candidates are currently employed. In these situations, the recruiter must adjust to the schedule constraints of the candidate. Typically this will necessitate that the recruiter contacts the candidate when the candidate is most able to speak freely in an unstressed environment. Executive recruiters who are willing to go to these measures for their clients are the professionals who will best serve them in the candidate placement process.
A good recruiter should check the references of the candidate in a manner that preserves the confidentiality of the candidate. A recruiter who asks for and verifies a candidate’s references can be relied upon to be thorough in the other important aspects of the candidate’s placement. Often by checking the references of the candidate, the recruiter can obtain testimonials that will greatly serve the candidate in winning the desired placement.
The recruiter should assist the candidate in developing resumes that are tailored to the specific positions that the candidate is applying for. The recruiter should work with the candidate to polish the candidate’s interviewing skills. It is not uncommon for otherwise successful professionals to be uncomfortable about discussing their accomplishments. It requires an empathetic and personable recruiter to coach the candidate to make the most of his or her potential. A good recruiter will always debrief a candidate immediately following an interview. It is important for the candidate to communicate their impressions and refine interviewing techniques with the recruiter’s assistance while the candidate’s impressions are still recent. Recruiters who conduct immediate debriefings of a candidate following an interview are much better prepared to assist the candidate with optimal follow up communications with the prospective employer.
The executive recruiter must assist the candidate with salary negotiations. The recruiter is in the business of negotiating salaries and is usually more proficient in this activity than the candidate. The recruiter should advise the candidate regarding the optimal methods for receiving, negotiating and accepting a job offers and counter offers. This important consulting will include the preparation of appropriately formatted correspondence between the candidate and the prospective employer.
Last but not least, work with an executive recruiter who has real passion for the work!
