Top 8 Headhunting Tips For A Successful Recruitment Process

Finding high-quality candidates isn’t always a simple task for any business. Being a recruiter, you need effective techniques to fish top talents. Headhunting or executive search is such a technique that plays a pivotal role in the recruitment process, as it is an effective strategy that allows hiring managers and recruiters to target talented potential candidates. 

Being one of the most preferred ways of recruitment for hiring managers and recruiting professionals, headhunting takes the chance out of candidate attraction. Rather than hoping for the potential candidate to come along, headhunters keenly search out the potential individuals – who are not overtly looking for a job – for your business.

One of the main benefits of headhunting is that headhunters have broad networks of professionals and potential candidates that they can tap into. They can source and identify the most qualified candidates that match your requirements, that too cost-effectively. 

But, despite its effectiveness, if not done the right way, headhunting often fails. Several recruiting experts fail to take advantage of the productive results from this strategy, because of the inability of hiring managers to sound appealing and credible at the same time.

These 8 best headhunting tips will help headhunters perform effective recruitment and selection practices to find the right candidate for their business.

Reach out for Potential and Exceptional Candidates

One of the most important duties of a hiring manager or a recruiter is to use headhunting wisely and for this, it is necessary to research well about your potential target – who are not just better at the job they do but have exceptional skills that the company can benefit from. 

Check their educational background, work history, and make sure they are efficient in meeting the exact requirements of your client. Headhunters have to go beyond typical recruitment duties especially when looking to source the right candidates who aren’t actively looking for another job.

Have A Clear Idea About The Job Role

Before you begin searching for potential candidates and contacting them, you need to clearly define the job role. For that, the recruiter needs to have good knowledge about the business and the position for which they are hiring candidates. The job role must highlight essential details, such as career requirements, skills required, career advancement opportunities, and proposed salary package. 

In addition, include a clear description of the job responsibilities in your screening process. With all such information at hand, headhunters would find it easy to narrow down the search and target the right candidates who have a high potential.

Responsibly Use Social Media:

Using social media for headhunting differs from other recruitment types as it allows the recruiter to connect directly with both active and passive job seekers. Headhunters can choose to build a professional relationship and contact the candidate via social media platforms on which they are most active. According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70% of employers use social media platforms to research job candidates during the hiring process.

LinkedIn is the most popular platform for the recruitment process, but it isn’t the only social media that is useful. Recruiters can also consider other social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to attract candidates and engage with them on a platform where they are more comfortable.

Remember to Follow Up

It is crucial to follow up with the candidates who have shown interest in your project or have contacted your company for the job. Maintain constant communication with them, as it is an excellent way to keep the momentum going and ensure that these skilled applicants see you as an engaged and active employer.

You can remain in touch with interested candidates in many ways, such as inviting them to subscribe to your newsletter, following up after an interview with an email, and creating an auto-response for thanking interested candidates who expressed it through their applications.

Even if candidates reject your job offer, never stop following up with them, as staying in touch with these candidates provides an opportunity for you not to miss them in the future. However, a rejection from the candidate can be more common than you may think as many of them don’t want to experience the challenges of a new job. 

In such instances, ensure to establish a relationship and always follow up with those candidates who have rejected the job offer earlier. Take enough time, gradually express regrets, and take permission to contact them when another opportunity arises. Though this way of headhunting can be quite time-consuming, it can pay great returns in the future.

Allow Candidates To Process The Offer

Though headhunters should be enthusiastic about the opportunity, give enough time and space for candidates to process the offer. It is better to avoid tight deadlines, as there are only fewer chances for it to work. Instead, listen to what the candidate has to say and offer assistance to overcome any obstacles.

Avoid being too eager and adamant instead, respect the candidates and give them room to reject the offer as well. Remember that each time you approach the candidate, you’re representing company culture as well.

Communicate with Candidates And Clients

A recruiter is responsible for answering to their clients as well as candidates. So during the recruitment process, make sure to keep the communication lines open with both parties. While recruiting, provide detailed information about the candidate to your client. This will ensure the resume you have chosen meets their expectations.

Cold-Calling Helps

You can arrange telephone calls to candidates who are not expecting to hear from you regarding a job offer. Consider establishing a professional relationship with each candidate before you cold-call them, as it will solve many problems for headhunters to make the interviews lively and vibrant.

Verify the Candidate’s Resume Properly

Another great headhunting tip is to ensure that the candidate’s CV is correct, as it can save you a lot of inconveniences. Verify everything on a professional’s CV, including the candidates’ experience, education details, and also contact their references ahead of the interview. Being thorough with each person’s CV can help you provide better quality candidates.

Use these tips properly and efficiently, and make each candidate feel that applying to your company an excellent opportunity for their career. By doing so, you can increase your chances of success, and it allows you to find high potential candidates faster.