Having the best candidates for shortlisting and constant access to them is a difficult task. All businesses want the best potential clients for hiring them. If you can find them, they are already working for someone else. Thus, headhunting is seen as a dark art; easier said than done!
Headhunters, nowadays, charge a high fee for headhunting the perfect fit candidate for a vacancy. Their demand is high these days. Usually, they charge a fee which is 20-30% of the placed candidate’s first-year salary.
Social networks like LinkedIn have made the access to top quality talent pool very easy and quick. However, only accessing the professionals is not enough to attract them towards your business. They get too much information from different sources at a time that they tend to filter out the noise. Hence, you need to work on your headhunting skills to grab the attention of a qualified professional.
Therefore, to learn the art of headhunting, recruiters should focus on the points mentioned below for finding and hiring experts they want to work with.
Look out for recruiters who specialize in your skill set and industry
It is not a mystical thing! You need to tell yourself that it is just a phone call that you are going to make. It is nothing in an alien territory, out of this world. If you have the right target and your call is appropriate, you might become a reason for making a difference in somebody’s career. Hence, you do not need to be scared of making a call for headhunting.
Set your objective!
Before contacting the candidate, make sure you have your objectives set. You need to be clear as to whether you are candidate sourcing for a particular search, or you are calling to get a general meeting.
Know your targets well!
Having complete knowledge of the candidate you are contacting is a plus for recruiters. It helps to create credibility. There are some sources from where the information can be obtained. Company’s website and LinkedIn profile are the two common sources of getting candidates’ information for recruitment.
Try your best to create rapport
Although the window of opportunity is small, it is important to create a positive impact on the target talent. They will be happy to talk to you if you can make them feel that they are well-recognized in what they do.
Making potential candidates a part of your ATS
Recruiters build up an internal database of their own. It is like software which has the information of potential professionals. This helps them in reducing the time for their new search assignment. When candidates are a part of your Applicant Tracking System, they can be accessed easily and quickly at the time of need.
Keep an effective follow-up
As professionals do not have an urgency to switch jobs, you need to remain in touch with them if they show any interest in the opportunity you are offering. Candidates might be reluctant; however, it is your work to sell the job to them in a way that resonates with their career ambitions.
