A company’s top executives are key figures in the company’s success, as their actions play a decisive role in the organization’s results and the performance and occupational health of the workers.

Since their behavior affects the rest of the staff, they require a special selection process when they are hired. This is what is known as Headhunting , personnel selection processes aimed at the executives or middle managers of a company.

Headhunting: looking for profiles of high positions

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

The top and middle management of a company are different from other worker profiles because they allow the creation of sustainable and successful organizations and their influence on the company is greater because of the position they hold. These workers are a real added value for the company and a bad choice means a big budget expense.

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 who 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 to be hired) has for the company.

In order 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 with his client the profile to be selected, in order to properly know the situation and the needs of the company, the environment in which the candidate will find himself and the problems to be solved.

Professionalism, seriousness, social skills, leadership ability, self-confidence, 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, as hiring top or middle management requires specialized work. There are some companies that, in addition, have specialized in different sectors, for example, the legal field or new technologies. However, at present, headhunters specialise in all kinds of areas.

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 also take into account what the company is like (its values, its way of working, etc.) so that the person chosen also fits into the company.

A different methodology from the classic selection processes

In the headhunting selection process, candidates are not usually sought from the CVs sent to the company, but rather an active search is made to find the right person.

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

The headhunter must thoroughly evaluate the candidate

If the candidate is interested, he/she will be interviewed not only to explain the offer , but also to find out if his/her motivations and needs match the position and the company offering the job. The headhunter will evaluate the candidate’s capacity and competencies through different recruitment tests based on critical incidents, his competence, and his past achievements and results.

In short, their attitudes, motivations, personality characteristics, values and, in general, their skills are thoroughly evaluated.

Choosing the right candidate

Some candidates will meet the requirements and others will be dropped . In some cases, it is the headhunter who makes the decision about hiring. Most often, however, the headhunter works with the company to decide which candidate is best suited 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 the company to decide who to choose.

The most important management skills

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

A manager can be a great economist, but may not possess a set of skills that will help motivate his or her team. So… what are the necessary managerial skills that the top management of a company should have?

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

You can read more about the different management skills in our post:

  • “Management skills: 12 keys to business success”