You want to expand your senior management, leadership team or C-suite with new talent. That's why you've decided to run an executive search. But as it turns out, the recruiting process is quite complex — regardless of your industry and the requirements your candidate should meet. Perhaps you're looking for a (marketing) expert or CEO in finance, fintech, healthcare, or IT. Or, you need to find a new vice president who knows everything about supply chain management. The task you're facing is a daunting one, as the talent you're looking for usually already has a pretty great job. How to convince them to come work for you? You'll need senior headhunters to run an executive search for you!
But a Google search may leave you confused. If you enter terms such as 'executive search services,' 'executive search professionals,' and 'executive leadership recruitment,' you'll be flooded with results. There are plenty of headhunters claiming they've mastered the craft of high-level recruitment. But which executive recruitment agency or headhunter agency has the experience, expertise, skills, and network to run a successful senior executive search?
Let's be honest: running a senior executive search has never been easy. When it comes to filling open positions, companies across industries want to find a highly skilled jack-of-all-trades (preferably a senior living in a specific city or area). Some job descriptions are so demanding that you wonder if this person has ever been born.
That said, it's very understandable that you want to recruit top talent. No one will blame you for wanting to hire a C-level executive or manager who's an experienced executive leader and has specific industry knowledge. In some cases, it's also important that a candidate is familiar with a certain type of management — for example, they should have experience leading a marketing and communications department (if your new hire needs to check this box, consider hiring marketing executive recruiters). On top of that, a candidate should also fit the company culture in terms of personality and values.
Needless to say you'll rack your brain over finding a talent like that. You'll have to go through hundreds of résumés — and even then, you will be lucky to end up with a handful of suitable candidates. After all, you might not have the network and bandwidth to complete this initial mission. The average human resources department will go crazy and give up somewhere halfway the executive recruitment process.
Most get particularly desperate during the 'post-résumé' stage, which is when they have to pitch the vacancy and their company to two or three people they hope to hire. It takes highly developed sales skills to do that successfully. The truth is, top candidates usually aren't looking for a new job. The best talents are 'passive candidates' who won't be open to a leap into the unknown, unless you treat recruitment as a sales process. But do you have the sales skills required to sell your vacancy to the perfect candidate?
There are plenty of executive search firms out there. But no two firms are the same. It's not uncommon for agencies to have fresh graduates run an executive search. They have to learn sometime, of course. But the question is if your assignment should be used as a guinea pig.
Headhunting requires a senior recruiter who is flexible, possesses in-depth knowledge and sales skills, and has a solid network. Each of SalesSupply's senior headhunters has more than 20 years of experience working in management and sales. That gives us a competitive edge, as executive candidates assess us the first time we meet. They want to know whom they're dealing with. They should feel that they're talking to an expert who understands their situation and, therefore, the opportunities and challenges they face.
Today's candidates also expect more than a list of responsibilities associated with the vacancy. They want to know all about the company's culture and market position. And you have to discuss relevant long-term and short-term trends with them. More importantly, why should they join your company?
Recruiters require thorough knowledge and experience to respond to these needs. Only then, they can convince the right candidate to switch jobs!
We understand the candidate's situation and can communicate at their level. Briefly put, we speak their language. Economics, politics, finance, and business are just a few topics that tend to come up during an interview. It's important for candidates to see we can discuss these with them. So, we closely follow the news as well as relevant trends. We regularly sit down with each other to share the insights we've gained, and we bring these up when we conduct interviews with candidates. That's how we spark their interest.
Once we've captured a candidate's attention, it's time to pitch your vacancy and company. It takes years — and a bunch of gray hair — to perfect the art of persuasion. Luckily, we've spent the past 20+ years practicing! Our recruiters are 50-somethings who have mastered the craft of selling. We know how to convince candidates that switching job is, in fact, their best next career step.
We also act as consultants in case candidates or clients need some guidance during the process. And we always keep our word. For us, that goes without saying — for years, targets and KPIs determined our professional success. Reliability, speed, and efficiency are in our DNA!
Recently, an IT service provider wanted to hire a C-level executive. The former executive had created quite the chaos. Overdue maintenance posed a problem, and several people considered jumping ship before it was too late. For this company, hiring the wrong candidate was liking signing its own death warrant.
We set out to look for an experienced manager with an understanding of cloud projects, change management, and crisis management. We decided that it would be better to find someone who possessed more knowledge and experience than the company required. In this case, we believed, it was necessary.
We ended up selecting two candidates. One of them was a heavyweight and clearly overqualified. When the French CEO learned about him, he offered this candidate a higher position at another business unit (a reputable global executive agency had been trying to fill this vacancy for months — to no avail!). The other candidate was hired for the job the company had actually asked us to fill.
So, both professionals are now working for the same client!
Want to recruit a manager or C-level executive fast? We'll discuss your requirements and find a suitable candidate within 3 weeks.
Do you want to explore what a collaboration with SalesSupply might look like? Or are you ready to join forces with us?
