The stakes are high when you're filling senior-level positions. These leaders hold key roles that will manage operations and chart the course of your organization's future. So you want to make sure you're finding the best executive talent. But how do you know when it's time to outsource to an executive search headhunter?
While many companies first go to their HR Department or internal hiring manager, an executive may be a better solution when your organization faces particular challenges. Here are a few key reasons why an executive search firm might be the right move for your company.
Rapid Growth and Expansion
When your organization is scaling quickly, you may not have the internal resources, or time, to recruit executive talent in addition to general staffing needs. If you don't have the right senior-level executives guiding your organization, you risk losing opportunities or falling behind the competition. And any delay in hiring leadership can lead to crippled sales, delayed projects, or worse outcomes. An executive search headhunter can help you find qualified executive talent swiftly, so your organization is never held back from achieving its goals.
Desire To Create a Succession Bench
The average tenure of a C-suite member is only 4.9 years. While your organization may have a strong executive team today, it's never too early to start thinking about what you want your team to look like in the future. Executive search firms are equipped to cultivate a pipeline of potential C-suite candidates that can be ready when new openings become available.
How do search teams accomplish this?
Executive search headhunters have access to an extensive network of senior-level prospects that you may otherwise not be able to reach. Additionally, their experience in this field means they know where to look for talent and how to attract the best prospects. Their knowledge can help your organization build a recruitment strategy to ensure executive continuity for many years to come.
You Need To Fill an Executive Role Immediately
Sometimes there isn't enough time for your internal hiring team to fill a senior-level role. Companies that need to hire executive-level talent right away often turn to executive search headhunters. While internal recruiting teams can be great at filling roles throughout your organization, frequently, their list of prospects is in the hundreds—executive roles require a more narrow search.
When time is of the essence, the best solution is to outsource executive search. An executive search team can quickly build a list of qualified executive candidates and fill the job in a fraction of the time an internal team might take.
You Suspect a Senior Executive Will Be Departing
If there's any indication that a senior position might be opening soon at your company—whether due to retirement or other factors—it's wise to start thinking ahead by consulting an executive search agency. Replacing a C-suite team member is a thoughtful and complex process, so executive search headhunters can work with you to develop a calculated recruitment strategy. This way, when it's time for someone new to step into the role, you already have some options prepared instead of being caught off guard by unexpected openings or resignations.
Internal Recruiters Don't Have the Expertise or Resources
Matching a strong candidate for a senior-level position isn't the same as staffing lower-level roles.
Hiring an executive for an organization is a complex process that involves:
- Outlining the specific requirements of a role and needs of an organization.
- Developing a tailored executive search strategy.
- Qualitatively and quantitatively assessing executive experience.
- Conducting executive assessments and interviews.
- Creating a competitive executive offer based on industry standards.
For most internal recruiting teams, executive search falls outside their scope and skillset and takes up too much time. Rather than compromising quality, companies often turn to executive search headhunters.
Work with a Trusted Executive Search Headhunter Team
Your company's internal recruiters may be extraordinary—but the truth is that in-house professionals have certain limits to the executive talent they can find.
At Hire Velocity, our executive search solutions will help you attract, develop, and retain high-quality leaders using customized search solutions that will identify qualified executives for your company and ensure optimal cultural fit using assessment science and behavioral analysis.
Contact us to learn more about our proven executive search strategy.
