Why and How To Use a Headhunter for Hiring

Why Partner with Headhunters in Singapore?

#1 Transparency

When dealing with a Headhunting firm, it’s crucial to be forthcoming with the job requirements and expected deliverables. This ensures that only qualified candidates meeting your specific list of criteria will be sent to you. Build an interactive relationship with your Headhunter. Don’t just hire them to work for you, hire them to work with you. Receiving quality candidates requires sharing key information throughout the whole hiring process, not just at the point of engagement. Effective talent engagement is crucial to ensuring the right candidates are sourced.

Maintaining open communication ensures your partnering Headhunting firm understands your company culture and nuances, job specifications, and current hiring practises. A firm grasp of these factors not only aids the firm’s search for the right candidate, but also allows you to refine the job role thoroughly. Job fit analysis is essential to this refinement process. 

When partnering an independent Headhunting firm, you need to know what you are looking for. Your Headhunter knows the job market out there and can coach you on the realism of your position description. Furthermore, they can look into the availability of talent relative to the cost of procuring that talent. At Citadel Search, we work with our clients to refine their requirements when needed. We once had a client who had lofty ideals for a HR Business Partner role. Citadel Search communicated to her that her expectations were not realistic.  By trusting our recruitment expertise and industry networks, she was able to identify the ideal fit to her expectations. 

#2 Costs-saving

Think external Headhunters are expensive, time consuming. and unnecessary? Think your internal HR can does not require external support? Think again!

On the contrary, partnering with a Headhunting firm, if used beneficially, actually reduces costs and saves time! Cut on hours that can be better allocated to other functions. You can improve productivity and enhance efficiency in your fast-paced work environment.

Why? Well, when you outsource recruitment to Headhunting firms, Hiring Managers can stay focused on what they know best. That is, growing the business and adding value to the company! Workforce solutions provided by Headhunting firms ensure that your team remains productive and focused. 

A Headhunting firm can speed up the recruitment cycle too. The real opportunity costs of an open position can be enormous. In one case study, Citadel Search helped a client close a senior-level job in just 18 working days. The client was ecstatic, as they successfully closed a critical gap in the firm. Because of the quality of candidates Citadel Search consistently provided the client, she repeatedly partners us as her first port of call whenever the CEO wants to hire. 

Studies say that an employee generates revenue of up to 5 times their annual salary in a profitable firm. Anecdotally, our clients share with us that it is sometimes even up to 7 times the annual salary of an average employee. The opportunity cost of productivity loss, projects being delayed and poor morale from everyone shouldering additional work is actually extremely painful if the job remains unfilled.

#3 Warranty Guaranteed

Citadel Search extends a 3-Month warranty, assessing the candidate’s suitability with our clients.  During this term, we coach our clients on getting the best out of the candidate. This is in addition to assisting the candidate settle into the company and get to grips with the job role. A new job can be overwhelming. Citadel Search makes this effort as we care and strive to be the leading headhunting firm in Singapore. This is only possible when we ensure our candidates are the best fit for our clients. Our commitment leads to placement success and talent optimization for the companies we work with.

#4 Leverage Networks and Expertise of Headhunters in Singapore

The advantage of using recruitment agencies? We possess tremendous insights and expertise in the job market. That is what we do!

Headhunters have very established networks. We have connections in almost every industry you can imagine. To find the best candidate for your job role, we tap on our myriad of networks across companies, big and small. This will increase the chances of placement success and hiring efficiency. 

With our extensive networks, Headhunters know where to look for talent and the perfect candidate fit. More importantly, though, Headhunters know how to attract talent. Headhunters are trained experts in understanding the motivation to move. Better than anyone else, we identify the wheat from the chaff. We spend time and effort to understand candidates’ wants and motivations.

Headhunting firms develop thorough search techniques and processes over time that your in-house HR/TA simply may not have. 

With different Headhunting firms having different techniques, it is also important to find the right partner with effective strategies.

At Citadel Search, we have our specialised Headhunting 7-Step Methodology. Our 7-Step Methodology places emphasis on ascertaining the DNA of the mandate. To do so, we employ competency-based interview techniques and market mapping that has helped us place over 1000 candidates across more than 380 employers in Singapore and the region.

Chances are, there is only one best candidate for your open job. To eke out that best-fit candidate, you need the best processes and job fit analysis. Thus,  Headhunters are the way to go. Would you want that candidate handled by an internal (hiring) manager, or by someone that does this 20 times before breakfast?

#5 Seek Passive Candidates

You may be wondering why use a headhunter for hiring when you already have an in-house talent acquisition team. However, working with headhunters will increase the chance of placement success. An in-house HR/TA team will mainly obtain active job seekers. Though active job seekers aren’t necessarily bad, passive candidates aren’t going to apply to online job postings. What are passive candidates, you ask?

Active job seekers are candidates that are unemployed, dissatisfied with their current jobs, or seeking a change in direction in their careers. Passive candidates on the other hand are employees may be doing well in their current roles and firms, and hence, do not seek a change.

However, they may be open to seeking a new opportunity… if that opportunity is presented to them enticingly. The art of finding these passive candidates (especially from your competitors) and presenting such opportunities is best left to the professionals: Headhunters!