• They will help you find the best executive for the job. These search professionals will take the time to understand your industry, your specific company, and the nature of the vacancy in question. They will search until they find the ideal candidate – a true “perfect match” for the position. Unless you are trained in the executive search process, you will be hard-pressed to match their level of professionalism and thoroughness.
• They will save you time. In addition to searching for a new executive to round out your company, you’re also a busy, working professional yourself. This means that conducting such a search on your own means that you’ll be taking valuable time out of your daily schedule to review resumes, conduct background checks, schedule interviews, and so forth – time that you simply don’t have to spare. With the aid of a retained search expert, you can save yourself countless hours – and just as many headaches!
• They will be discreet. It’s highly possible that the best candidate for your executive-level position is already working as an executive – at a rival company. How could you go about approaching such an individual without appearing tactless or uncouth? A retained search firm, on the other hand, has the connections and skills to find you the best candidates, no matter where they are, with the utmost discretion.

For these reasons and countless others, a retained search firm is your best bet if you need a new executive for your company.

The economic downturn has forced many companies to downsize, making the positions that remain even more essential. For this reason, it’s more important than ever to make sure that you have the right people on your team – and for many, that means enlisting the services of a well-connected executive search company that can put you in touch with the best candidates for your executive-level vacancies. A great search firm can review resumes, secure background checks, even conduct interviews, all with the utmost discretion and a keen eye to detail. With the economy faltering, you need to make sure you have the best executives you can possibly find; contact a retained executive search pro today.

The best headhunters are experienced and knowledgeable about the industry or sector in which you work. Many have studied for years, and have a wide network of contacts within the industry that you couldn’t possibly hope to match without their background and training. Retained executive search professionals will also allow you to keep your focus where it needs to be: On your work and your company, not on finding, screening and interviewing potential executive-level candidates.

Their detailed knowledge of the inner workings of your field will also help them find the best man or woman for the job, making them a better choice when it comes to quality and effectiveness. For instance, do you know which executives at your competitors’ companies may be able to be persuaded to switch teams and fill your vacant position? Probably not – these are usually closely guarded secrets. However, headhunters make it their business to know, and if you employ the right one, they’ll use that knowledge to help you find the executive you need to elevate your company to the next level.

Even if you were privy to such information, you would be hard-pressed to approach such candidates without casting your own company in an inappropriate or unprofessional light. Again, that’s where a headhunter who specializes in retained executive search practices comes in. They can assess the competition with the utmost discretion, and help you find the best candidate for the job – no matter what. If you’re in need of a new executive, you need a headhunter – period.

You probably have quite a few questions about hiring a retained executive search firm. This move is one of the best that you can make for hiring employees. But if you’re still not convinced about all the reasons as to why you should hire a retained search firm to do executive recruiting for you, then here are some answers to commonly asked questions which should be able to help you.

Why should I hire a retained executive search firm when I can find employees on my own?

As a company grows, the difficulty of finding employees also grows. This is especially true if you are looking to fill senior-level management positions. As such, hiring a retained executive search firm with all its experience, connections, and track record can be a huge asset. Not only will they have your best interests in mind when they use all their resources to find prospects, they will be sure to find only those that have the set of skills needed for your vacancies. Their experience in this field will also yield better results more quickly for your job placement needs.

You will be assured to get only the right people for the job, and this is especially important if you are looking for talent that possess a rare set of skills. They will find those that have the skills to effectively carry out the responsibilities of the job you need filled.

Why do I have to hire and deal with these retained search firms when I can have my own in-house recruiter?

Hiring the services of a retained executive search firm is actually more expedient than letting your own in-house recruiter do the job, and it is more cost-effective as well. This is because the resources that will be assigned to each candidate will be higher in ratio when you use a search firm, compared to when you do this by yourself. The chances are you only have one in-house recruiter to find the best job candidates for your company. Because there are more resources available when you hire a retained search firm to conduct the executive recruiting for you, you will new employees faster. This would save you the money that could be lost when it comes to leaving crucial positions in the company vacant for a longer period of time. Not to mention the amount of time (and money) it would take you to do it one your own.

Why should I have a retained search firm do the job of finding employees for my company if I can get the same benefits by using in-house hiring?

The benefits that come with hiring a retained executive search firm do not stop at getting the best possible candidates for a job vacancy, but also the savings of time, effort and money. They could also include some value-added services that you would have to do yourself if you did not hire a search firm. These services include conducting pre-interviews of job candidates, conducting background checks, assessing the prospects, screening the job candidates, creating job specifications, and doing organizational structures, among many others.

So if you are still thinking about hiring a retained search firm to fill in a top-level positions in your company, then the time to decide is now. Hire the best retained search firm and you will find better talent, and save time and money while doing so.

You have to understand that retained search is actually a procedure utilized by executive recruiting firms in screening prospective job candidates. This process is intended for professionals with high skill levels to find new employment opportunities. As such, you can expect retained search firms to present only job candidates who are exceptionally skilled in what they, including outstanding track records and employment history.

How Retained Search Firms Do Their Job

There is a set criteria being used by recruitment firms when it comes to performing the retained search process. This is so they can get the best possible candidates for the job vacancies they need to fill. The first thing that these retained search firms usually do is find out more about the company that has hired to fine employees. This will not only give them an idea of the kind of company they are working for, but also provide them with better insight about how to fill their job vacancies. Because of this, job candidates will also have a better grasp of the job that is being offered to them.

To find the right kind of prospects, retained search firms look in existing areas and organizations. They also utilize an extensive research database of prospective employees that have been specifically made for the purpose of retained recruiting. They go into the process of screening these prospects; not only making contact with them, but also looking into their qualifications and track records. Once they find someone who is interested in the job position, these firms will then do an exhaustive evaluation of the candidate so he or she can be prepared to deal with the job vacancy. This evaluation usually consists of performance assessments and interviews on past jobs dealing with the same work background. The compatibility of a prospective employee with that of her employer will be evaluated as well.

The End Result of the Retained Search Process

The company that hired a retained search firm will only be contacted once prospective job candidates have been found. At that time, there will be typically three or four of the best prospects presented to the employer for consideration. Once a prospect is hired, the retained search firm will then make a follow-up on the candidate’s progress to ensure everything went smoothly.

Now, if you will consider the lengthy process by which retained recruiting is done, you can fully appreciate the time and effort that retained search firms will save you. It’s the fastest and efficient way to fill your vacancies with skilled people who can really do the job. You will be able to rest assured that your money is only spent on paying the best employees out there.

A contingent executive search firm, which will be looking for prospects for other companies at the same time they are looking for yours, will only have to be paid if you will hire a prospect they have presented to you. A retained executive search firm on the other hand, will be working exclusively for you. As such, you will be paying for their services regardless of the length of time that it takes them to come up with job candidates for you.

One Search Firm as Opposed to a Group of Firms

If you are thinking that hiring more than one firm will get you more possible candidates for the job offering… think again. Having a number of search firms working for you will mean you won’t get the same quality and attention that you would with just one search firm. This means the pool of recommend potential candidates may not meet the needs you have as far as the quality of potentials.

If you really want to get the best results, then you must go for the retained search firm, which will work exclusively for you. With this, you are not only guaranteed to get the best possible prospects, but you will also be getting your money’s worth because with a likely faster job placement. The number of resources that a single search retained search firm would dedicate to you would be greater than with a contingent executive search firm.

The Best Retained Executive Search Firm for Your Company

If you want to get the best retained executive search firm to find your staff for you, then go for the one that is known for finding the best pool of highly skilled job candidates. They should have a reputation for delivering quality instead of quantity – this means the retained search firm pays more attention to what you need as a company and then matching the skills of their prospect to this need – instead of just focusing on earning the big bucks.

When hiring a retained executive search firm, you must be prepared to build a relationship with them. This is because recruitment firms of this type don’t just work at getting the best possible job candidates for you, they also work at getting to know your company better so that they will better understand your needs. They will be looking into the type of skills that you want your marketing and sales staff to have, so that they can base their search on this. As such, you can expect the roster of prospects that a retained search firm will present to you will be composed of individuals who could meet and exceed the qualifications you have set for the job offering.

Here are 5 Important Reasons to hire a firm that specializes in retained executive search:

1. You would be getting a high level of commitment from retained search firms. Because search firms utilize so many techniques in finding prospective employees for your company, there is a greater chance for you to get only the best people. These firms also work for your company’s executive recruiting exclusively since you are paying them for this – they are focused on searching for the best candidates to fill the job, most likely producing results faster than if you were to do it by yourself.
2. You are paying for lmany years of professional experience when hiring retained executive search firms. As these retained search firms have been around for quite some time already, you can rest assured they have established relationships to find talent in the shortest possible time. Because they have a number of contacts, as well as different databases specifically designed for their work, you will have experts dedicated to searching for prospective employees for your company. They will do the job with integrity, honesty, and your best interests in mind.
3. You will only get the top candidates from firms doing executive recruiting. Because of the resources that they have at hand, they are most likely to find the highest qualified candidates through retained search firms. They will get the right kind of prospects for you. This is especially true if you are looking for talents with a specific set of skills – if you do it on your own, it may be hard to find appropriate matches.
4. You would be paying for resources that produce better prospects for the job. If you conduct the hiring of top-level executives at your end, then it is to be expected that the average number of recruiters that you have in-house is only one or two. But if you hire a retained search firm, you can have as many as eight or more people working on finding the best possible talents for your company’s vacancies.
5. Value-added services will be provided to you by these retained search firms as well. The great thing about these search firms is that they do not only conduct executive recruiting for your company, they also add background checks, candidate screening, pre-interviews and assessments, and surveys on expected compensation and benefits. As a result, you will save the time and resources it would take to do these things yourself.

Of course there are a number of other important reasons as to why hiring retained executive search firms makes sense, but the ones mentioned above are a few of the primary reasons as to why you should think twice about hiring your own employees ever again.

However, just as nothing is ever easy with running a business, the same holds true for hiring retained search firms. Therefore it would be best that you arm yourself with information about retained search before you go about looking for retained search firms that can possibly find suitable employees for you.

Retained Search: An Overview

Retained search is actually a process utilized by recruitment firms in screening employees or job candidates. This process was created so that professionals who are highly skilled can find better work opportunities. Executive recruitment firms that utilize the retained search process are able to present potential employees that are highly skilled with great track records. But if you think that doing a retained search is easy for these recruitment firms… think again. Good retained search firms follow a number of steps so that they can find the the best candidates for any given job vacancy.

Steps in the Retained Search Process

Step 1.

A retained search firm works at understanding the needs of the company they are doing retained recruiting for. This does not only allow retained search firms to know more about the company that hired them, but it will also give them an idea on what skills are needed for the vacancies they need filled. As such, job candidates will already have an idea on what the job is all about.

Step 2:

A retained search firm presents the only the kind of job candidates that the hiring company is looking for. Because they have already researched the needs of the companies that hired them, the next thing for these retained search firms to do is to look into industries and organizations where they can probably locate the most appropriate talent. They also maintain a database of possible job candidates that are designed primarily for the retained search process. Although there is a great chance that the job candidate is already working for another company, these firms still present the opportunity to the candidates incase he or she is interested in a new job.
Step 3:

The screening process is finished after the best possible candidates have been found. During this time the job candidates will be contacted, and of course their qualifications and track record will be closely scrutinized. The candidates will be told about the opportunity and asked about their potential interest in the vacant position.
Step 4: A rigorous evaluation is then done on the candidates who express their interest in the job offering. A retained search firm will conduct interviews and do assessments once a candidate expresses her interest on a job offering. This is done through intense evaluation of the candidate’s performance in other jobs with similar backgrounds. Evaluations are also done on the employee and employer compatibility of a candidate as well as his or her potentiality in the coming days.

Once a retained search firm has already followed these steps, it will then contact the employer about the possible job candidates. Usually three or four potentials will be presented for consideration. If the retained search has proved to be successful, then the next and last step for the retained search firms will be to do a follow-up on the candidates’ progress in their new jobs.

So if you are planning to hire a retained search firm in looking for possible employees for your company, use these tips so you can be sure this recruiting tool that works to your advantage. Getting employees will not only be easy for you, but you also would have saved the time and effort it would have taken for your company to have done the job yourself.