Important Questions to Ask an Executive Recruiter

Recruiters have the job of reviewing candidates for a job position and this task involves reviewing their experiences and resumes, negotiating their salaries and then placing them in suitable employment decisions. Therefore, companies and businesses consult with recruiters when they have any openings in their organizations. But, when there are senior level jobs that need to be filled, a business needs the assistance of executive headhunters. An organization simply doesn’t have the time and resources needed to fulfill the open position and they need someone who specializes in it.

While there are plenty of executive recruiting firms out there, you need to ensure you have chosen the right one. You want to make sure they are capable of searching for the right candidate. Therefore, you need to ask executive recruiting firms some important questions. What are they? Let’s take a look:

• What is their completion rate?

Just because a search is started is no guarantee there will be placement. This can be very important because an executive recruiter will be paid no matter what happens with the search. Some firms out there might take advantage and may not make a lot of effort to fill up the position. Knowing the completion rate of an executive recruiter tells you how successful they are in finding possible candidates.

• Who will be doing the search?

It is the norm in executive recruiting firms for seniors to meet the client, sell the search and then hand over the execution process to juniors. As a client, a business needs to be aware of exactly who will be conducting the search because it can influence the process’s effectiveness. Get to know the team as it will tell you if they are capable of finding employees for you or not.

• How long will it take?

Senior level positions are important for a business and need to be filled immediately. You need to look for executive recruiters who can find candidates fast and also do it right. You don’t want to hire recruiters who choose the wrong people because they are in a hurry to do their job. Ask an executive recruiter how long it will take them to find an employee for you. Make sure the time is appropriate enough to find an employee before you go ahead and hire the recruiter.

• What methods do you choose for interviewing and referencing candidates?

Not all interviews are the same. Some taken place in person and some via phone or video call. These can be formal or not, behavioral, situational or competency based. An executive recruiter may use standardized assessments or may use a different approach. Likewise, referencing is also important and doesn’t just include the preapproved list that candidates provide, but also those who didn’t make the reference list. The best recruiters know how this is done because they know that this is where true insight is gained and is only for the experienced.

Ask these questions and you will choose an executive recruiter who can find you the best candidate for your position.