Headhunting 101 - How to Get the Most From a Staffing Vendor
I did some interview training recently for a
new client that last year hired 6 people via
headhunters at 25% per hire fees...total price
tag over $140,000. I've seen companies that spent a lot more than that, but not companies of this size (roughly 60 staff).
In some industries, using headhunters is more
typical than others, but in talking with this
particular company about their interview process
and tactics, it became clear to me that some of
their headhunters were not doing the job the
company should have expected for the money
they were spending.
When I headhunt for a company, I make sure
the company knows what it's getting. You don't
buy a body from a headhunter. What you buy is a
set of services and knowledge that result in a
higher probability of an incredible employee than
you could generate on your own.
So this week, I offer some clarity about how
to work with headhunters so that it's worth it
to you. Here are 3 basics you should demand
from any headhunter of staffing company you
decide to use:
1.Understanding - headhunters should develop
a deep, accurate understanding of your needs.
If the headhunter has no independent discovery
process that helps you understand your own job
better, beware.
The staffing company that just takes your job
description and starts sifting through its resume
banks can't really help you hire without taking up
a heck of a lot more of your time letting you "steer" them to the right fit.
If the headhunters actions or candidates tell
you they do not understand what you need and
don't need, give them one chance to ask more
questions and fix it. If they can't deliver
top-notch, ready-to-hire candidates after that,
fire them and find someone else to work with!
2. Loyalty - headhunters should never present
a candidate to you they have in process with
another employer. Ever. They should also never
speak to one of your employees about a job with
another client. The headhunter works for you
and should act like it at all times. If they
don't, fire them and find another one.
3. Active Candidate Sourcing - if you're paying
a headhunter who is finding candidates for your
job in places where you can find them (job
boards, newspaper ads, etc) then you're not
working with the right ones. The whole idea is to
work with those who can find passive candidates,
not those actively looking for a job. If they
can't do that, find another one.
And If you're paying someone $30,000 to scan the
job boards for you, call me!!
I'll take the money they'd charge you for one hire
and build you a repeatable process you can use to
hire every person you need for the next year!
Bottom line - headhunters are a dime a dozen.
Now that the labor market is heating up,
everyone and their mom is going to be recruiting.
Most of them aren't worth your time or money -
you need to be discriminating about who you
engage to recruit for you. The service is only
worth it if you get more than you could by spending
the money to upgrade your own systems and skills.
|
Find and hire talented, committed people
