Tips & Guides

Understanding and mastering the headhunting industry

How your HR department can help or hurt your chances of recruiting top talent

The mandate for most human resources’ department includes assisting hiring managers in recruiting. Some work very well with the hiring managers and heahhunters and others not so well.

Most companies do realize the need for HR and the hiring manager to work together but often do not know how to make that a symbiotic relationship. Senior management normally understands how HR can play a role in the future strategy of the company and how they can prepare hiring managers for the future. This includes working with the manager to prepare the job description, doing an assessment of staff already in place. Assessing what the future needs will be because of retirement, attrition, resignations and unplanned events?

It is important that before embarking on a search, that HR, in conjunction with the hiring manager, know the state of the market. This includes knowing what salaries are competitive, conditions and movements and trends.

The hiring manager should avoid the knee-jerk reaction of running out to hire right away to fill an empty seat. An assessment of your players and players in other departments should be done. Some organizations require their managers to interview regularly, whether they have an open seat or not. This is what they call building “bench strength”.

When HR is dealing with a headhunter firm, they need to be responsive and clear. There are some HR managers who are precise and thorough in giving feedback and others who are not. These managers who do not get back to recruiters leave a poor impression with both the candidate and the recruiter; making it difficult for them to get excited the next time the HR manager calls.

If you have a good relationship with your headhunter, they should give you feedback on the perception of your company and all things related. In response, HR should be open to hear this information.

When HR, the recruitment firm and the hiring manager work well together, it could only lead to a win-win-win situation.

by Dawn Williams, President of Sirius Personnel

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