“I don’t know why I lost the candidate. What did I do wrong? It seemed like…the perfect fit.”
The hiring process can be a stressful time. Trust me, I’ve been there. When a candidate goes at it alone, the results can be underwhelming. The potential employee is looking for a good match, and the employer is looking for someone enthusiastic and motivated. Unfortunately that pesky issue of compensation enters the equation. Negotiating, counteroffers, poor incentives, uncertainty—these are what keep both parties up at night.
Enter: an executive search firm.
With their talent and expertise, they can help a candidate during the precarious hiring window. Here are six potential sources of contention that can be palliated with the services of a recruiter:
- Compensation structures. Placement firms need to understand what a candidate is looking for when placing them with a company. If pay structure is unclear, candidates can be anxious and more likely to reject an offer.
- Counteroffers. When the hiring process begins, recruiters can start the dialogue of counteroffers early on. They are real threats, and a company can lose a new hire two days before he or she was to begin.
- Unclear goals. Companies can be so eager to hire someone that they forget to fully explain their short and long-term goals. Candidates need to “fit the bill,” so to speak, so they don’t feel like they’ve made the wrong choice. Executive search firms can help clear up any uncertainty.
- Uncertain closing of a candidate. If at all possible, a head hunter should close the deal between a candidate and a company before negotiations start. For example, someone should ask the candidate (usually the recruiter), “If you are offered X amount with Y bonus incentive, will you accept?”
- Offer control. This topic deserves its own book, but a general rule of thumb is to let the person with whom the candidate has the strongest relationship make the offer. This usually is the recruiter. They have helped both the company and the candidate through every step of the hiring process, so they know how to effectively handle the offer.
- Emotional Questions. Hiring managers typically ask the basic questions (skills, experience, where a candidate sees himself down the road), but recruiters need to ask candidates the hard-hitting questions. Moving into an executive level position from a different company is usually accompanied by emotional challenges. How will the spouse react? Do you feel comfortable leaving a job of 10 years? What are you really looking for in a job move? If a recruiter asks these questions, they can be more effective when finding a lasting fit for a candidate and company.
Be it a recruiter or executive search firm, they can—and should—play an important role in the hiring process. They will be there every step of the way to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible. If you’re interested in more information about this topic, check out Howard Adamsky’s article on ere.net.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.