The Intrinsic Power Of Headhunting To Find The Right Person For The Top Job
Headhunting works best for managerial and top executive positions.
Leadership appointments in most organizations are carried out discretely. No flashy advertisement in media. The best suitable person for the job is identified and selected through headhunting.
Across the globe, companies use headhunting for hiring top management. The preference for headhunting over the other forms of recruitment has several reasons.
1. The best candidate for the job may not be searching.
Potential candidates for any job are two types: those who are searching actively and those who are competent, but not seeking a career change.
For identifying rare talent, you cannot afford to limit the search only to active job seekers. You need to reach out to competent individuals who may not be seeking a career move at that point in time.
Headhunters reach out to both active and passive job seekers and choose the best suitable person for the position.
2. Protecting People’s Reputation
Executive recruitment has its nuances. Senior executives in a company cannot afford to appear to be seeking a job in another company. They cannot do it in the eyes of the staff and the professional circle. They know that ‘reputation precedes the person’. The result: They avoid sending in
their formal applications for jobs.
Headhunters conduct extensive research and contact the senior executive discreetly, without embarrassing anyone.
3. Eliminating the Information Asymmetry
A company can only provide essential information in a job advertisement. For considering a career move, the senior executives need information on the culture, strategy, career development opportunities, or even the salary and benefits, which are not provided in job advertisements.
Headhunters engage the potential candidates one on one and provide the information for them to make that important career decision. The result: better response rate from qualified candidates.
Headhunter’s Critical Role in Efficient Resource Allocation
Headhunting is a specialized, continuous process of scanning and identifying talented professionals in every business sector. When an opportunity opens up, the headhunter approaches these competent professionals and determines their interests.
In effect, headhunters perform an important function of efficient resource allocation (by marshalling talent where it is needed most. The process benefits the individual, the company, and society in general.
