Many companies use executive search firms for many different reasons. Firstly, it is important that the firm being used has a specifically defined knowledge or experience in searching in a specific industrial sector or locating candidates within a defined group. The majority of these firms are designated according to their function and practice, with specific expertise in defined industries, including such areas as human resources or finance. Secondly, clients or employers may be looking for firms that follow strict deadlines, can work quickly and efficiently in a limited amount of time, have a unique and workable perspective, have an extensive network of contacts and are able to work discretely.

Most employers choose such search firms that can give professional level advice in regards to detailed attributes of designated job positions and provide well-suited and qualified individual candidates. It is expected that such firms are able to provide an immediate list of the best candidates available within at least the first 4 weeks of their retainment. The firm must be able to narrow down the potential candidate list after undertaking candidate interviews and present a more defined list to the employers. This allows the employers to choose their selected candidates and conduct their own interviews to choose the appropriately fitted individual for the position without wasting valuable time and expense. Thirdly, employers expect good lines of communication and continuous updates regarding a firm’s searches to make sure that the searches are progressing at a satisfactory pace.

Once an executive search firm has been chosen, industry specific representatives, from the firm, work with an employer to ensure that the job role and qualifications and experiences needed for the position are clearly understood. Employers expect that the firm will become familiarized with them, their strategies, their challenges, their business cultures, their employees, and the specific skill sets and characteristics that the employers need in a potential candidate. Firms should be able to work closely with employers in the creation of the job’s description and that of the perfect candidate.

Employers are also looking for firms that have a professional team that includes administrators and associates that can coordinate tasks to assist the consultants that will carry out their searches. They expect that these firm consultants will utilize an extensive resource network that includes current functional and industrial research, specialized databases, information about their companies and varied Internet tools to help them identify the targeted market. Such research areas include other competing employers and other companies from related or similar industries where potential candidates may be found. In short, employers want executive search firms that do a lot of ‘behind the scenes’ background research that will help them completely understand the employers’ market and the candidate types that are best suited to their job positions.

Executive search firms are used because of their ability to go beyond their background searches and verify specific credentials and background for each potential candidate they find. Firms must be able to approach these candidates to vet their interest in the positions available, interview them, evaluate them and form candidate profiles. Once potential candidates are chosen, they must be short listed further by specific qualifications and their ability to fit within the employers’ companies. At this point, employers will want to enter negotiations with potential candidates and want a search firm that will represent them in the first initial stages.

Other important criteria as to why employers should use executive search firms include the firms’ abilities to properly represent them and develop professional firm-candidate or other relationships during searches. Some of these must include contacts for the purpose of gaining advice and/or information on potentially recommended candidates that may be considering current or future career or industry changes.

Employers also seek the use of executive search firms that accept resume submissions from potential candidates outside of their searches. These firms should have a database of these individuals, categorized according to varied criteria, including qualifications, experiences and skill sets. Employers expect these lists to be included as part of the main search requirements.

In conclusion, most employers use executive search firms for many reasons, but most importantly for their skills at using all professional and legal means at their disposal, both online and offline, and conventional and non-conventional to ensure their searches are thorough, meet all the needs of the employers, and fine tune lists of suitable candidates. Each employer demands high standards combined with quality, excellent communications, and professional representation and advice.

What is an executive search firm? An executive search firm is a professional company, online or otherwise, that attracts, hires and develops people as leaders for the purpose of holding responsible positions in organizations and companies, specifically for positions where the job entails planning and taking action on behalf of the employer. The firm is hired by an organization or company, not the potential employment candidate.

The executive search company headhunts for candidates based on identification of them as being suitable for such a potential position, qualified to do that position and able to provide a suitably aligned verbal or written presentation regarding their suitability for the position in question.

One of the most important tasks that an executive search entails is in assessing the fit aspect of the potential candidate to a specific position. It is important that this search is done efficiently, saves time and can identify key aspects of suitability such as qualifications, experience and the ability to lead.

The firm will usually contact possible candidates via telephone, which may have resulted from recommendations given to the firm by a third party within their firm or another agency. The best firms aim to provide hard work in their tasks of finding and updating their potential contact lists in order to begin quickly on any given new search and be able to promptly line up possible candidates. Also, the firm will use research techniques to find candidates who may also be employed by other companies in the field and position that their client has available. In fact, these firms have found that the best referrals have come to them through people who themselves could be potential candidates for the same position, but for personal or other reasons may not presently be seeking further employment.

Executive search firms follow similar etiquette when it comes to phone calls to potential candidates in that they have a great deal of respect and will note the name of the person for future searches, if that person can recommend someone else for the position. In the end, the result can be that in future searches the firm will turn back to that same referee and end up with that person becoming a candidate for another position.

Most search firms use retained and contingent searches. Contingent searches are defined as a fee based search earned only the locating and presentation of a potential candidate to a client, or headhunting. The search is not about finding the exact fit, but more about finding a broad range of candidates for the client to choose from. This may or may not be contractual in nature and fees can be based on the first year’s salary that a hired candidate earns. Also, the client is not bound to one search executive search firm, allowing the client more flexibility, choice of candidates and ultimately more work in choosing the right one for their job position. It should be noted that with executive positions, this is not considered to be the ideal form of search. Retained searches are defined as a more structured and contracted search for specific candidates that fit the criteria for a particular job position, as defined by the client. Clients are usually bound by contract to use only the executive search firm that they have assigned to the task, and the firm bases their search on clearly defined job styles, job experiences and skill sets. Generally speaking, this type of search generates repeat contracts from each client.

Executive search firms are specifically designed to help varied employers or clients look for high level management or above job candidates that suit the specific needs of their job positions. Searches can involve networking with people already in similar positions for potential leads and the majority of these are done on retainment, allowing for clearly defined job attributes versus the more random headhunting.

There are many ways to approach executive search firms of all types and sizes. The first step in this is to learn more about how each firm operates and to keep any expectations to a minimum to start with. The key to this is in understanding that search firms are not there to help unemployed individuals find job openings, but to serve employers on a fee basis by searching for the best suited and most qualified candidates for any given position.

Senior management and executives should submit resumes to the top of the line executive firms for inclusion in their search databases. Resumes should be tailored to highlight the most important skills while fitting them into a fine-tuned format that surrounds a specific job role and industry. Before approaching any such firm, it is critical to ensure that the desired positions and industries being targeted are backed up with strong qualifications, experience and skills, along with marked accomplishments.

The second step is to determine which executive recruitment firms specialize in the geographic region, function and field being searched for. These are critical in making a match to the right agency so as to avoid wasted time, effort and money. This can be achieved by using the many online or library reference based business databases or directories for recruitment. A list should be created of both exact fits and related fits, and small and large firms.

It should be noted that the list of these potential firms should not be limited to major names. Focus should be put on retainment firms versus headhunters which do regular corporate work for the same employers and are able to do searches regardless of whether they can match a candidate with an employer or not. Firms that work on contingency tend to be less specific in their searches and may match clients to companies based on limited criteria and may not be able to find the perfect match, wasting time and money. The advantage of retainment over contingency or headhunting firms is that, though headhunting does lead to a lot of job placements, retainment firms are prestigious and have more credibility, and have proven their ability to match candidates and employers on a regular basis.

The third step in approaching these firms is to network with people who already work in the industry and may be familiar with the best executive search firms. They will be very adept at making recommendations and may also have been contacted by some of these firms to make recommendations for potential candidates. Therefore, it is possible to use these contacts to recommend one as a potential candidate, making it more likely that these firms will add one to their searches.

The fourth step is to ensure that one is good at what one is able to do. This can be done not only be excelling in regular work, but by taking on other assignments in order to help benefit the company one is already with. By distinguishing oneself in the market or industry, it makes it easier to approach executive search firms and get included in any current or future searches they are making.

The fifth step is to be as helpful as possible to any search firm by making sure calls are returned promptly, informing them of positions of interest and those that one is avoiding, and to make any referrals of people that one may consider to be better qualified for the positions they are offering. Simply by providing helpful information on the outset when approaching these firms can ensure potential job offerings in the future.

Approaching executive search firms is easily done with industry specific resume and doing background research ahead of time on the potential firms to be used. By offering useful information as well as reliable referrals, one can find the best firms to use in the future.