What is Headhunting and how does it work?

Senior managers in a company are key figures for the good running of the company, since its actions play a determining role in the results of the organization and the performance and occupational health of the workers.

Since their behavior affects the rest of the workforce, they require a special selection process when hiring. It is what is known as Headhunting, personnel selection processes for executives or middle managers of a company.

Headhunting: looking for profiles of high positions

As is the case today with IT recruiters (recruiters with technical specialization in advances in the technological environment), headhunters must possess a series of skills that allow them to specialize in this sector.

The top and middle managers of a company differ from other worker profiles because allow the generation of sustainable and successful organizations and their influence in the company is greater due to the position they sustain. These workers are a real added value for the company and a bad choice is a great cost of budget.

When embarking on the selection process for these positions, the headhunter must look for a highly prepared executive, with extensive experience, who is capable of leading work teams and has a flexible, socializing and transforming personality.

A slow process...

The process can be slow because it is not always easy to find a profile with these characteristics, and the level of demand of a recruiter of this type is much higher due to the importance that the worker (or the person who is intended to hire) has for the company.

For the headhunter to carry out a successful process, he must know in detail the requirements of the position and the organization, and to minimize errors, he must establish together with your client the profile to select, to properly know the situation and the needs of the company, the environment that the candidate will find and the problems to sort out.

Professionalism, seriousness, social skills, leadership ability, self-confidenceThe dynamic personality and initiative of the recruiter are very important in this type of selection process.

How does the headhunter work?

Headhunting is usually an option that companies outsource, since hiring senior or middle managers requires specialized work. There are some companies that, in addition, have specialized in different sectors, for example, the legal field or new technologies. However, nowadays, headhunters are specialized in all kinds of fields.

After knowing the needs of the company, the headhunter must find the right person. The candidate must not only fit the requirements of the position or workplace, but the recruiter must have take into account how the company is (its values, its way of operating, etc.) so that the person chosen also fits in is.

A different methodology to the classical selection processes

Candidates are not usually searched for in the headhunting selection process among the CVs sent to the companyInstead, an active search is usually carried out to find the right person.

Even, due to the difficulty of finding such specific profiles and offering guarantees, some Professionals in this sector contact active workers, who are in companies of the same level of activity. If a company is successful it is because it has professionals capable of leading a project.

The scout must thoroughly evaluate the candidate

If the candidate is interested, he will be interviewed not only to expose him the offer, but to find out if his motivations and needs fit with the position and the company that offers the job offer. The headhunter will evaluate the capacity and competencies of the candidate thanks to different tests of selection of personnel based on critical incidents, their competence, and their achievements and results past.

Ultimately, their attitudes, motivations, personality characteristics, values ​​and, in general, their skills are thoroughly evaluated.

• Recommended article: "Types of personnel selection tests and questionnaires”

Choosing the right candidate

Some candidates will meet the requirements and others will be discarded. In some cases, it is the headhunter who makes the decision about hiring. More often, however, he or she works with the company to decide which candidate is the best candidate to perform the functions that the company and the position require.

Therefore, once the company has knowledge of the candidates that may interest it, the headhunter advises it to decide who to choose.

The most important managerial skills

And it is that the selection of this type of professionals must be made taking into account the importance and influence they exert on the company. There is a lot of talk about the difference between being a boss and a leaderWell, to be a good manager you need to be a good leader. This can only be achieved by mastering a series of managerial skills, which are independent of the necessary knowledge about the area in which the professional function must be performed.

A manager may be a great economist, but may not possess a number of skills that help motivate his team. So... what are the necessary managerial skills that the top managers of a company should have?

• Problem management: is the ability to manage and deal with problems effectively.
• Self-confidence: it is key to any interpersonal relationship and especially to lead work teams.
• Decision making: a skill necessary for the success of the company.
• Assertiveness: a communication style in which the leader expresses her opinion while respecting the other party.
• Emotional regulation: superiors must be emotionally intelligent.
• Social and communication skills: they must know how to communicate appropriately.
• Vision and strategic thinkingThey must know where the company is and where it is going.

You can delve into the different managerial skills in our post:

• “Management skills: 12 keys to business success”