Why engage an executive search recruitment agency for HR hiring support?
Our world has changed and our we recognise that every company has to respond to this, especially when it comes to recruitment practices. We also understand that, often through economic pressures, more companies are exploring the option to source external talent through their own means, especially given that:
Technology has dramatically improved people's ability to communicate with each other quickly and easily
Social media sites have increased ease for finding people quickly and in volume
But with so much content and so many contacts available "online", how do you:
identify from a blog or emailed cv or online profile, whether a person has genuine motivations to join your company until you invest the time and energy to engage with them?
know whether their skills actually match what they’ve listed on their social media profile and/or Resume without investing time and energy to speak with them or have them complete some form of assessment (and then how can you be sure the person completing the assessment online is the candidate you have interest in)?
know their potential for cultural fit again without investing time and energy in without speaking/meeting or assessment?
quickly assess their performance capabilities given not everyone is concise in their communication style?
allocate all of the time required for these simple screening requirements , before you can even get into the formal interview process?
ensure you’ve actually gotten access to the best possible selection of people?
tap into the market of people who are usually "off limits" to you (direct competitors, hands off clauses, non active candidates who refuse the distractions of mainstream advertising/headhunting/online profiles - the latter either because of the overload of information, inconvenience caused, and concerns over privacy and identity loss issues).
A high proportion of specialist candidates don't post their CV online. They are usually happy in their current role, not actively looking for a career move, well looked after by their existing employer, and are becoming increasingly sceptical of talking to agents who approach them with a barrage of career options, which are typically irrelevant/inappropriate.
Once you’ve managed to identify the most likely contenders of quality, is your HR or Talent Acquisition team capable of successfully engaging those professionals to consider your company as a prospective employer and actually become candidates? Do your teams have the time and knowledge to properly assess the deep technical skills required in addition to the standard soft skill competencies for the role to be hired for? Are you geared to ensure an efficient and engaging hiring process, with feedback milestones and advanced emotional contracts to ensure your employment offers are accepted without protracted negotiations? Do you have the frameworks in place to ensure that at all times your company brand is protected with every candidate (increasingly important given that candidates are potential customers and/or advocates of your company to others in their personal and professional communities)?
Today, with an increase in the professionalism and capabilities of both HR and Talent Acquisition teams, hiring in theory is best done in-house to achieve great cost savings. But sometimes, it is simply more sensible to engage a professional recruitment solution who can partner with your internal teams to achieve an efficient and effective hiring result.
What are the advantages of an executive search recruitment partner?
The best search consultants really do have extensive networks.
In our case, we either know, or have the contacts to find out where the high performance HR professionals are working. We have either existing relationships with those people or can secure a trusted recommendation to get access to those people who aren't actively on the job market, and who you can't otherwise reach.Additionally, we can deliver these people to you, with contingency speed, simply through the strength of our relationships and subsequent networks.
The best search agencies are experts in identifying technically strong, high performance candidates who are a likely fit to your company culture.
In our case, for international HR specialists; we understand what "amazing" looks like, and in many instances we've supported them across their career moves, so we've been able to track the reality of their skills & experience against their CV. We've often spoken to their peers and their teams and their bosses and maybe even worked with them as a vendor, so we have a greater insight into their professional and personal skills, and their performance levels.
The best search consultants have a credibility with their network that can be leveraged
In our instance, the trust we’ve built up over years allows us to secure consideration of your company by candidates who might otherwise be wary of your branding/reputation/market position.
Some search consultants truly understand international markets
We have particular expertise in supplying HR candidates who are genuinely international in their outlook evidenced by them being bi or multi lingual, having lived/worked abroad and/or are personally and emotionally enabled to do so and having worked in a complex matrix, truly global setting with multinational stakeholders.
Some HR search consultants understand you want more than the Job Description
Regardless of specialist area within the HR function, we automatically check the commercial commercial acumen of candidates to the extent that can read and interpret a P&L and Balance Sheet, that they can apply ROI metrics to their HR initiatives, and/or that they have either worked operationally within the business or have the capability to do so, thus enhancing their credibility and buy-in from business leaders..
A global mobility report in 2019 established that 9 out of 10 candidates wanted to work overseas. Why? Overseas experience = more money, better quality of life, improved career prospects.
This is good news, because as companies continue to globalise their operations, there is increasing demand for a more flexible workforce to travel with them.
We are able to leverage our global reach to tap into new candidate pools for you, to secure in advance of any local agency or local resourcing function, those candidates who are planning to transfer across markets, and ensure you're getting access to the best possible, genuinely international HR specialists for your organisation.
About the Author
Leanne Morris is well known as a both an outspoken advocate and critic of the HR profession. With long standing networks across 94 countries in all specialist areas of the function, and a multi- continent work history, she is a sought after subject matter expert on international HR hiring trends and HR hiring best practice.