It is very important to understand that the hiring process in today’s business world has taken a different dimension. Meanwhile, headhunters and recruiters use several terms and processes interchangeably. For instance, headhunting and recruiting produce the same result, but they use separate tactics. Understanding the hints of the hiring process can be of help to you in a better job navigation search. Nevertheless, in this article, we define headhunting, describe how it differs from recruiting, and explain how the headhunting and recruiting processes work.
What is headhunting?
Headhunting, which is also known as an executive search, is the process of finding the best possible candidate for a position. In most cases, businesses use a headhunting strategy, rather than traditional recruitment, to identify and hire high-level employees, the “head” of a company, like a chief executive officer.
Headhunters normally work for an agency hired to fill a company’s top-level, specialized, or technical positions. Also, headhunters usually only approach experts who are employed and not actively looking for another job. Hence, This is known as passive candidates, who would be ideal considerations for the job. That is to say, headhunters present job offers to these targeted candidates. Normally, leaders in their field or industry, to entice them to leave their current positions.
What is recruiting?
Recruiting is the process of finding the best possible candidate for a position by engaging with those who are open to switching jobs or actively seeking employment. Hence, these candidates might apply directly for the position, or the recruiter may speak with them at a job fair or meet them through a professional contact. Job seekers typically find the job opening through a job search rather than the recruiter finding, or headhunting, the candidate. Therefore, recruiters may work for an agency, but they can often work in human resources for the company with open positions.
What’s The Major Difference Between Headhunting And Recruiting?
Here, it can be seen that headhunting and recruiting seek to solve the same challenges by employing the most highly qualified candidate in the open position. Though, while the two approaches have the same goal, their methods are quite different.
Headhunting:
Often, headhunting is always reserved for hard-to-fill, top-level positions. Therefore, headhunting differs from recruiting in these few important ways:
. Activity: Headhunters search for the best-targeted person to fill the position. They may seek referrals from other high-level employees in the company or find candidates through their extensive network.
. Position: In most cases, businesses use a headhunting strategy to fill C-suite or equivalent positions. A company rarely uses headhunting to fill lower-level roles in their organization since it usually takes more time and effort.
. Methodology: Headhunters use a “proactive” method since they approach a non-job seeker. They use a variety of resources and methods to find suitable candidates, including professional connections and close studies of competitors’ employee rosters to identify leads.
. Cost: Headhunting is usually more costly than recruiting since headhunters have to take additional measures to identify passive candidates that recruiters do not.
Recruiting
For instance, recruiting is the most common practice for identifying potential candidates and hiring new employees. Hence, recruiting differs from headhunting in these ways:
Activity: Recruiters typically only work with candidates who are looking for a new position. Therefore, recruiters typically post open job positions online. In many cases, recruiters find potential candidates by attending career fairs or consulting with others in their professional network.
Position: Recruiting is the most common practice for finding potential employees. Most companies use a recruiting strategy to fill the majority of their open roles. Some companies only use recruiters, even to fill their executive-level positions.
Methodology: Recruiters use a “reactive” method since potential candidates typically come to them. They use several tools to find their candidates, but the most common is posting job descriptions on job boards, usually online. And gathering applications from interested potential employees for review.
Cost: Recruiting is almost always a less expensive endeavor than headhunting. Since recruiters are only seeking active applicants, they can do far less investigative work when looking for candidates and instead devote their efforts to reviewing the potential of those who have submitted their applications.
How Does The Headhunting Process Work?
Every company might manage the specifics of their headhunting procedure differently, but in most cases, the hiring process with a headhunter follows these steps:
1. To Determine The Need For A New Employee
Usually, the CEO or other company leader will meet the hiring and headhunting team about the need for a new employee. Occasionally, the transition between the current employee and the new employee is confidential, particularly in the case of high-level executives in large corporations. Sometimes, the headhunters involved in the search process must use considerable discretion when looking for candidates.
2. To Establish The Necessary Skills And Experience
The headhunters work with other members of the hiring staff and executive team to identify the necessary education, training, experience, and skills for the hire. Meanwhile, they might create an official job description or a candidate profile to help guide their headhunting efforts.
3. Find passive candidates.
Depending on the role, the headhunting team may begin their candidate search by looking at passive candidates who could be convinced to leave their current position for the right offer. Usually, the team creates a list of potential candidates and approaches them to gauge interest in the open job.
4. Consider active candidates
In some cases, the headhunting team looks for active job seekers in tandem with their passive candidate search. They may post the job to job boards or attend conferences or hiring fairs to look for qualified potential applicants. They’ll ask these candidates for application materials like resumes, cover letters, and reference lists to better review their qualifications.
How much do headhunters get paid?
Only when a candidate is successfully placed in a position does a headhunter make money. Independent, third-party recruiters are frequently compensated on a contingency basis, which means they are paid only if their applicant is hired. A common fee ranges from 20% to 30% of a new hire’s entire first-year compensation. Because headhunters work for the company rather than the candidate, they are incentivized to please them.
Anyone can work as a headhunter or recruiter because there are no licensing requirements. Specialized recruiters with huge networks of customers and applicants frequently compete with less reputable recruiters. They may act similarly to an unsolicited email, phone call, or LinkedIn request.
What are the three different types of headhunting?
the following are the three different types of headhunting
1. Direct Headhunting
It is a means of directly contacting candidates, either by calling his or her phone number or by meeting them at their homes or offices. This is done after a thorough study has been conducted on the individual and the function for which he is being hired.
2. Impartial Headhunting
Leaving a reference for the headhunter so that he can contact him if he is interested. This is indirect since the person would contact the company on his or her own if the job profile was a good fit for his or her career.
3. Third-Party Involvement Headhunting
Here’s where executive search firms can help. The headhunting process is delegated to a firm that specializes in locating qualified applicants for specific job openings.
What is the headhunting methodology?
The following are the steps in the head-hunting procedure:
1. Gaining a thorough understanding of the client’s requirements in terms of experience, abilities, and qualifications, as well as the job description.
2. The next stage is to find suitable candidates with similar tasks and profiles who are willing to relocate or swap.
3. Once a pool of candidates has been established, a candidate screening and shortlisting procedure is carried out to ensure that only the most qualified people are chosen for further consideration by the organization.
4. Interviews and conversations, as well as formalities, are done as part of the selection process.
5. The candidate’s enlistment
6. Follow up to ensure that the candidate was a good fit and that the process went smoothly.
In conclusion,
It’s easy to see, now, that a headhunter isn’t just a upmarket name for a recruiter but they’re the experts of the recruitment industry.
To fill those big roles and land the big paychecks, there’s a lot of hard work involved and a mass of network connections.
Therefore, understanding the roles and appointments they manage should ensure that you’ll know just who to call to fill the open positions in your organization from now on.