How to recruit executives?
Recruiting executives is one of the most important and difficult tasks for any organization. Executives are responsible for leading and motivating employees, achieving strategic goals, managing resources and budgets, and representing the company externally. Therefore, the search for suitable candidates for management positions requires special care and professionalism.
There are various methods of recruiting executives that can be tailored to a company's needs and capabilities. Some of them are:
Internal recruitment - involves seeking candidates among the company's current employees, who already have experience and knowledge of the organizational culture. Internal recruitment has many advantages, such as speed, low cost, boosting employee morale and loyalty, and reducing the risk of mismatch. However, it also has disadvantages, such as a small pool of candidates, the need to hire a new person for a previous employee's position, or a lack of new perspective and freshness in the company.
External recruitment - involves seeking candidates outside the company, such as through advertisements, job portals, social media, or referrals. External recruitment has many advantages, such as a large audience, the chance to find an employee with better qualifications, or the introduction of new ideas and changes to the company. However, it also has disadvantages, such as a long and expensive process, the need for training and adaptation of the new employee, or the risk of frustration in current employees.
Mixed recruitment - involves combining both recruitment methods, such as advertising the position both inside and outside the company, or using recruitment agencies or headhunters. Mixed recruitment has many advantages, such as greater flexibility and adaptation to the situation, or the use of different sources of information and opinions. However, it also has disadvantages, such as the need for coordination and communication between different entities, or the risk of conflicts of interest or ambiguity.
There is no one-size-fits-all method of recruiting executives that will work in every case. Each company must find its own solution that fits its expectations and capabilities. The key to success, however, is to maintain the right balance between internal and external recruitment, and to use professional tools and techniques for evaluating candidates.
Who to entrust with executive recruitment?
When recruiting for executive positions, the method used is Executive Search (commonly known as headhunting), a direct contact technique. In this case, the recruiter is the active party. An experienced headhunter acting on behalf of a recruitment agency is most often responsible for the executive recruitment process.
Sourcing executives requires excellent knowledge of the labor market and the client's industry. Headhunters recruiting high-level executives are required to have knowledge of effective communication techniques, as well as business savvy, which helps in conducting effective negotiations. A good headhunter is not just a recruiter. His job is to build long-term relationships with candidates (which do not end with the closing of the recruitment process).
Since the process of acquiring high-level managers requires knowledge and experience in many fields, including psychology, sociology and business, many companies use the help of specialized third-party HR service providers. Recruitment agencies within their organization create special divisions that specialize in sourcing high-level employees from specific industries. As a result, they are able to identify candidates more quickly and conduct more effective negotiations.
