Executive Search FAQs
The best executive search firms can empower companies to harness the power of human capital to fuel their success. At Cowen Partners, our nationally acclaimed executive search consultants and headhunters get a lot of questions about how executive recruiters work, how to find the right talent for different executive roles, and much more. Shedding light on some of these issues, the following has helpful answers to some of the most common questions we get about executive search.
Is There a Difference Between Recruiting & Headhunting?
Yes. Besides the fact that headhunting has become a bad word in some HR circles, recruiting and headhunting are very different and are frequently used interchangeably without context. Executive recruiting is a passive way to source candidates by posting job ads online and reviewing the inbound applicants generated. We call this method “posting and praying” because there is no predicting who will apply and if they will be qualified. Online applications have made it easier than ever to apply for jobs with just a few clicks of a mouse, resulting in many unqualified candidates in the application pool.
Contrastingly, executive headhunting is a highly effective, proactive approach with outbound effort targeting only very specific qualified candidates. Imagine a pool of the most qualified candidates; headhunting involves contacting those people and recruiting them to apply for your opportunity. The result for clients is a pool of highly qualified candidates and confidentiality in the search process.
Both recruiting and headhunting have their uses, and when combined as an overall strategy, they are very effective in acquiring highly skilled employees.
Do Recruiters Work for Candidates or Companies?
Recruiters work for the company (client). Client’s hire us to find specific candidate profiles to meet their needs. Sometimes these searches are critical, urgent, or confidential, and thus require the engagement of outside resources. Recruiters serve the client’s best interest by facilitating mutual introductions between prospective hires and the clients when interest is expressed.
Clients can feel comfortable and confident that recruiters will not send unsolicited resumes, charge fees before services are contracted, or pressure clients to hire selected candidates. Recruiters exist to make the client’s hiring processes easier and more productive, resulting in smooth hiring processes of exceptionally qualified candidates.
Should Your Company Rely on an ATS System for Executive Search Needs?
The first preliminary resume screening step at most corporations is a computerized ATS system that scans submitted resumes for keywords that indicate that an applicant fits a particular job. I estimate more that 90% of candidates apply using their standard resume (without any customization). Unfortunately, this practice dramatically increases the odds that a resume will be instantly rejected because a resume that is not customized to the job will seldom include enough of the required “keywords” to qualify for the next step, a review by a human.
Even if you are lucky enough to have a live recruiter review your resume, because recruiters spend on average less than 2 seconds (of the total six-second review) looking for a keyword match, unless the words are strategically placed so that they can be easily spotted, a recruiter will also likely reject it for not meeting the keyword target.
What Kind of a CFO Does Your Company Need?
Four profiles of today’s CFO Management roles vary by organization, depending on a company’s history, the characteristics of its industry, and the demands of investors.
And although fitting CFOs into a clear-cut typology may seem artificial, we found it useful to understand how companies are filling the role to get a clearer picture of how it’s changing.
Based on our research, we categorize CFOs into four general profiles.
- The Finance Expert
- The Generalist
- The Performance Leader
- The Growth Champion
Where Does Cowen Partners Provide Executive Search, Recruiting & Consulting Services?
The 5-star executive search experts at Cowen Partners engage with companies nationwide, sourcing top talent for an array of C-Suite and upper management positions. Our top-served areas include Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Dallas, and beyond.
Need more answers about executive search, headhunting & consulting? Let’s talk!
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