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5 Overlooked Questions Asking Executive Search Companies

When hiring an executive search company, everyone always focuses on the career and experience of the hiring manager. These are important topics, but many overlook some basic questions that can reveal potential problems. Here are five areas to consider when deciding on the right executive search company for your organization:

First question

First, ask how the company will reach potential applicants. Executive search firms should be able to explain how to attract a diverse yet talented pool of applicants. Looking for HR search firms companies that say they can use the latest technological advances in the job search industry to focus their advertising budget on the niche markets that are directly related to the opening, while promoting the opening cheaply and widely. give me. In addition, executive search companies must proactively identify and contact passive candidates.

However, working with passive candidates is not just about mining internal databases. Ask potential executive search companies how to leverage an online database to reach applicants. Feel free to inquire about the approximate number of applicants your executive search firm expects from your open position in the conversation. However, you should be aware of executive search companies that focus only on the number of questions aspect. Instead, look for answers that show that your company is focused on finding quality candidates rather than as many applicants as possible.

 

Then ask about how the company evaluates applicants? Beware of companies that just check their resume and interview. The executive search process includes quantitative evaluation and extensive reference checking. Be sure to ask in the conversation how the company will convert the interview answers into numerical scores. Investigate companies to transcend the technology of adoption and transform search results into scientific and quantitative results. Companies that focus on the science of recruitment create a better candidate list to prevent such behavior from hidden prejudice.

Third

Third, ask how the company integrated technology into the search process. A warning signal is a search process in which an applicant must email the material to a recruiter. Recruiters print the material and manually review it. All reputable executive search companies let applicants apply online through the recruitment portal. The Recruiting Portal captures and stores all applicants’ materials in the applicant management or tacking system. Companies that do not have an integrated system will not be able to handle the large number of applicants typically found in successful searches. Quality applicants may be overlooked or materials may be accidentally lost. Regardless of the actual system that a company may use, the presence of an integrated applicant management system also keeps companies up-to-date with changes in the hiring environment and keeps up with technology changes. Notify the client. The company keeps up with other non-technical changes and progress.

The last one

Fourth, ask about previous clients. This sounds counter-intuitive, but be careful if executive search firms provide a list of previous candidates. Either, this is a list of cherry-pick candidates who are ready to give enthusiastic reviews based on their relationship with the search company or receive endless calls from potential clients in the future. Most organizations are prepared to be cautious about their relationships with executive search companies because they don’t want investors, donors, or other stakeholders to know about the search for political or financial reasons. Do not allow executive search companies to include non-disclosure agreements in their contracts and use your organization’s name or trademark in marketing to other potential applicants.