Getting The Most Out Of A Headhunter | Why Use A Headhunter?

What’s the trick to getting the most out of a headhunter? It doesn’t involve magic – just a sound understanding of their capabilities and how to use them to your advantage. Get it right, and you’re well on the way to accessing the best tech talent to achieve your business goals.

Headhunters know how to get the job done efficiently – urgency is their forte. So, if you need that role filling, keep reading. We’re about to give you the full scoop on how to hire them, why you should use them, and how to work with them. Before you know it, you’ll be getting the most out of a headhunter to supercharge your recruitment process.

How do I hire a good headhunter? 

First things first, you’ll struggle to get results from a headhunter who isn’t fit for purpose. By that, we don’t mean someone who simply knows a thing or two about recruitment. We’re talking about someone who gets your company, knows your values like the back of their hand, and uses that to find the perfect match for your open vacancy.

Follow these steps to hire the right recruitment partner:

1. Research their history – Just because headhunters have experience in your industry, doesn’t necessarily mean they can recruit successfully for you. Dig deeper into their previous work and see if they’ve worked with clients who align with your DNA.
2. Set the bar from the off – Ensure your headhunter job description includes exactly what you want from them. Identify your brand values and mission, followed by the type of personas you want to hire. This way, everything is on the table from the beginning, so they can start targeting the right people immediately.
3. Assess their technical know-how – Digital transformation is all around us, but not everyone is travelling at the same evolutionary speed. Ensure your headhunter can adapt to any in-house tech that you use as part of the recruitment process. This will prevent an awkward back and forth, stunting talent acquisition.

Why should you use a headhunter? 

Headhunters are the apex predators of the recruitment world. When a specific role falls into their sights, there’s no stopping them. Using their specialised – and usually vast – experience in your industry, they’ll hone in on available talent. And this is no scattershot approach. They’re often well connected with good sources, making them a reliable asset for finding, engaging, and securing high-quality candidates.

If you’ve got a time-sensitive vacancy, headhunters provide the efficient approach that you need to fill them. Looking to the future, their ability to quickly shift the right talent into position is sure to boost your functions and increase your revenue.

How to work with a headhunter

Planning on using a headhunter to find a job applicant? You’ll need to set realistic expectations around what they can do for you, and play to their strengths. Remember, headhunters are there to quickly and efficiently find ideal candidates for a specific role – so this is exactly how you should use them.

Sounds simple, right? Yet if you decide to move the goalposts midway through – like asking them to oversee a more general recruiting process – you may find yourself stuck with an asset that can’t deliver what you need.

After reading this, you should be a little wiser on headhunters and how to use them to your advantage. But let’s be honest, many businesses need a recruitment process that does both. Who wouldn’t want specific roles filling quickly, whilst making use of a longer-term recruitment partner who can help boost your business across the board?

If this sounds like you, and you’re looking for the best tech talent capable of taking your business to the next level, then you’re in the right place. Propel is a talent solutions provider that’s focused on relationships, not transactions. We’re seasoned in multiple industries and have helped scale-up businesses of all sizes. Take a look at our dedicated Employers page to see how we can help you.