EMA PARTNERS - Executive Headhunters

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Executive Headhunters

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If you’re reading this, you’re likely a HR Director in the engineering or manufacturing sector who is

looking to begin their journey through the recruitment process. You probably know that there are

many options when it comes to recruiting new talent for your business, and this guide will outline a

few of these options, and explain how they differ, and how each one will affect your journey.

Are you thinking about conducting your recruitment in-house?

What about going through a recruitment agency? And have you considered using a headhunting firm?

These are all viable options when looking for your next new hire, and with this, you should gain valuable

insight into what the best recruitment method for you and your business is.

But before you begin your successful recruitment process, there are a few things you need to outline

in order to get you on the right track.



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Recruitment Issues within the Engineering and Manufacturing SectorBefore we get into the details of the recruitment process, let’s take a look at the main issues

businesses within the engineering and manufacturing sector face when looking for valuable new

talent.

As a HR Director within this industry, you’ll already be well aware of the difficulties and challenges

in finding the right talent for your needs. One of the main ways engineering businesses differ from

businesses in other sectors is the extreme shortage of candidates with the right skillsets. As we

know, in the engineering industry, there often isn’t much room for leeway with specialist roles, and

many companies find that there are actually a very small number of people who have the right

skillsets for their role, and these are usually not actively looking for new work.

The chances are hiring someone outside of the specific requirements for the role just isn’t going to

work.



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This means that by not being able to recruit the right valuable candidate, businesses stand to suffer

potentially major consequences, for example inability to carry out projects, leading to huge losses

in profit and business development. In fact, according to the Engineering UK Report 2016, 41%

of engineering enterprises claimed that hard-to-fill vacancies meant delays in new products and

services.

In addition, according to the November 2016 House of Commons Briefing Paper, there were less

than 100,000 apprenticeships starts in 96/97, and this figure has increased every year to more than

5 times that in 15/16. This indicates a severe lack of senior skilled engineers when compared to

younger prospects. This is good for the possibility of talent pipelining for the future, but very bad for

businesses who are in desperate need of senior specialist engineers in the near future.

There is also an air of uncertainty regarding the future of engineering in the UK, due to the potential

impact of Brexit. Many analysts are concerned that the implementation of Brexit will result in a

drastically reduced talent pool both in the UK and internationally, and discourage uniquely-skilled

foreign talent from joining UK engineering firms.



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As a result, when recruiting for high-level, skilled engineering talent you’ve got to be careful that

you’re doing it the right way. Let’s take a look at the process you can go through when deciding upon

and carrying out your vital recruitment process.

Defining What You Want and What You Need From Your CandidatesThis will probably seem obvious, but before you decide what avenue you will take, you need to definitively

outline exactly what your ideal candidate is. This includes defining the absolute requirements that

candidates must meet, as well as preferable attributes that maybe aren’t essential but are desired.

Spending the time to do this will make the searching process much easier in the long run, and will

enhance the effectiveness of the candidate filtering process.

Your Recruitment BudgetNow that you’ve defined what you’re going to be looking for, you need to consider what kind of budget

you have to work with. It’s completely understandable that you and the company will want to save as

much money as possible during the recruitment process, and clarifying your budget will allow you to

understand which path you can afford to take and to what extent. Conducting recruitment in-house,

through a recruiter, and through a headhunting agency all cost different amounts, and you’ve also got

to consider the long term costs of recruitment such as employee training and the significant cost of

rehiring should your hired candidate leave and need to be replaced at any point. You’ve also got to

consider how much you are willing to offer in regards to wages for the role, as well as any bonuses.

This will affect what type of candidate the role will attract. Remember, as much as it can be tempting

to save money, being too frugal during the recruitment process can end up costing you more down

the line!



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Your Recruiting Time FrameNext up is outlining what kind of time frame you’ll be wanting to work with. To do this, ask yourself

some of the following questions;

• How urgently does this position need to be filled?

• Are you replacing a senior member of staff or hiring for a newly created opening?

• How much flexibility is there in your time frame?

It’s important to answer these questions before making a decision as the outcome will have a drastic

effect on what path you are able to take on your recruitment journey. You may need to outline and

negotiate time frame with any recruiters or headhunters you contact.

Your Own Team’s Resources and ExperienceAt this point you may be weighing up whether you can conduct the recruitment in-house. This is

usually many business’ first choice as it is often believed to be the most cost-effective option, but

before you make a decision consider what resources you and your department can utilise. It’s usually

wise to avoid recruiting in house unless your department has significant experience recruiting for

similar roles, as well as the resources available to ease this process.



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Also consider what sector of engineering you’re looking to hire in. Do you know if there’s typically a

lot of job-seekers in this sector, or if candidates are scarce? Remember that it’s likely your team only

has access to a small pool of the sector’s total talent, and if you know that there isn’t much depth of

talent available, perhaps consider outsourcing the task to a recruiter with better access to potential

candidates in the sector.

The Recruitment Process – A ChoiceWith the preparation out of the way, it’s finally time to get started on the vital recruitment process.

There’s a few different ways you can go about this, so let’s take a look at your options and the

differences between them.

In-HouseThere are several benefits of utilising in-house recruitment. For example, if you choose to go down the

route of in-house recruitment, you are potentially saving yourself money at the initial stages of hiring,

as you don’t have to pay an outside party, instead relying on your own in-house hiring team.



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This brings the additional benefit of company knowledge. Chances are, nobody knows your own

company better than the people working in it.

This means that your in-house recruiters will likely have the best quality insight into how your company

works, what type of people work there, and ultimately what type of person would be the best fit for the

company.

This is also the most flexible recruitment option, as it gives you total control over how the process is

carried out, in what capacity, and over what time frame. This can be beneficial if you like to be very

hands-on with your recruitment process.

When recruiting in-house you’re more than likely going to use the standard recruitment method, which

is roughly;

• Post Job Advertisement / Search LinkedIn

• Gather Shortlist

• Interview

• Second Interview

• Job Offer



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Though you might do things a bit differently depending on you and your company’s needs, this method

is simple and effective, without being too time-consuming. However, depending on the size and

capabilities of your hiring team, this option is also usually less detailed and effective than outsourcing.

In-house recruitment is a good option if you have an established, experienced hiring team and a full

understanding of the recruitment process for your desired position.

However if your hiring team is inexperienced, or if the position you’re recruiting for is particularly

advanced or high-level, then going through a recruitment agency or headhunting agency may be the

best option. This is especially important in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, where skilled

engineers are in high demand.

Internal HiringAn alternative option you have when conducting recruitment in-house is the internal hiring process.

This may be the first step you take in your recruitment journey, and involves scouring your business in

order to find out if anyone internally is suitable for the position.

This can be very beneficial to you, as it saves huge amounts of time and money, as well as promotes

employee advancement. However, this recruitment method relies heavily on your company having

a healthy talent pipeline, and through doing this you also end up with a position elsewhere in the

company to backfill..

High Street RecruitersIf in-house recruitment doesn’t seem like the best choice for you, the next option would be to hire a high

street recruiter, otherwise known as contingency recruiters. These agencies specialise in recruiting

candidates for the desired role quickly and hassle-free. What this means is that they will conduct

the recruitment process for you for a price, saving your team time and effort. High street recruiters

usually juggle several different clients and projects at once, so it may be the case that your assigned

recruiters will split their time between recruiting for your role and others simultaneously. This is not

ideal if you’re looking for a team which can give the recruitment process their full attention, such as

your in-house hiring team.



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Where high street recruiters excel is in the quantity of candidates they provide. These recruiters

specialise in quickly delivering a large shortlist of candidates for your role, however there is no

guarantee that these candidates will be the right fit. The service largely serves to save you and

your team the significant amount of time it takes to search for candidates. Another advantage of

recruitment agencies and headhunting firms is that when advertising your role, they can give you the

option of hiding your company name if you so wish. This can be advantageous if, for example, you

don’t want to broadcast that your company is hiring.

Recruitment agencies also have access to specific resources which allow them to find candidates

that you may not usually be able to through in-house recruitment methods.

Your typical journey with high street recruitment agencies is as follows;

• Meet the agency and recruiters

• State requirements, agree on terms

• Recruiter conducts search

• Recruiter send you shortlist

• You Narrow Down Shortlist

• First Interview


• Job Offer



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Most recruitment agencies are largely involved in the searching stage and aim to provide you with a

sizable shortlist of potential candidates. Once this shortlist has been delivered, the recruiter’s job is

mostly complete.

In terms of cost, high street recruitment agencies usually operate on a percentage basis rather than a

fixed fee. More specifically, the fee is typically calculated as a certain percentage of the hired candidate’s

first year salary, though this percentage varies from agency to agency. This of course means that the

recruitment agency gets paid more when hiring for higher level positions. However, the higher-level

your position is, the more necessary it is to utilise a recruitment agency, as high-level candidates can



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be very hard to attract without the use of professional search and hiring services. The catch of being

non-retained is that you don’t pay if you don’t end up hiring one of their shortlisted candidates. This

means that these recruiters are motivated to find you a good hire, because if they don’t provide you

with a hire, they don’t get paid! You also have the flexibility to conduct your own recruitment at the

same time, or even hire multiple recruitment agencies should you wish, so recruitment agencies are

often used to competing with each other over the same role. However, be careful with this, as most

recruiters won’t be too happy to work hard on a search that they think they won’t get paid for because

you also have other recruiters working on the role. Recruiters will also usually prioritise recruiting for

roles where they have exclusivity.

However, using high street recruitment agencies for hiring high level or specialist candidates in the

engineering and manufacturing industry isn’t usually the best option. Put simply, when senior skilled

talent is so rare in the engineering industry, especially in niche sectors and skillsets, the fast and

catch-all approach of high street recruiters often just won’t cut it. These recruiters often, by nature,

tend to rush candidates in order to get results as fast as possible as to not miss out to another agency,

and this approach is not at all ideal when the targeted talent pool is so small. Simply casting a net isn’t

enough, more often than not, in order to truly capture the right talent during such a skill shortage, the

talent needs to be nurtured.

Retained Headhunting AgenciesIf you’re serious about finding quality, high-level candidates, there is another recruitment option;

headhunting agencies. There is a lot of confusion over the differences between a headhunter and a

recruiter, and for some there is the misconception that they are the same thing.

This is not true. When people talk about recruiters vs headhunters, they’re often talking about non-

retained vs retained talent searches. Retained headhunting agencies usually provide a more detailed,

bespoke talent search and hiring solution than contingency retained recruiters.



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One of the key advantages that headhunting agencies provide over recruitment agencies when hiring

within the engineering sector is their ability to nurture candidates and promote your business and

opportunity to valuable talent. Put simply, quality talent with the skillsets required for senior engineering

roles are so rare that businesses will do anything to keep them, meaning simply throwing out a job

advertisement or pitching an opportunity just won’t do the job in most cases.

Quality talent needs to be nurtured, they need to be made aware of your business, your opportunity,

and why your opportunity is unique and worth moving for. Headhunters are able to hold conversations

with potential skilled candidates over the course of weeks, familiarising them with your business and

opportunity and increasing the likelihood of them jumping to your business, either for the immediate

opportunity, or in the future. The research invested by the headhunter can then be revisited and utilised

for future hires.

When recruiting in such a tough sector as engineering, it’s important to focus not only on short-term

fixes, such as hiring for a current need, but also for long-term nurturing. Headhunting agencies provide

this by networking with the best candidates for your business, and nurturing them over the course of



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weeks in order to gradually introduce them to your business, familiarise them with what you can offer,

and build up connections. This provides a form of talent pipelining for your business, meaning this

not only assists you for your current needs, but also builds up a set of valuable connections for your

future recruitment.

This means that when the time comes for you to recruit for another specialist role, you already have a

talent pipeline of relevant skilled candidates in the industry who are aware of your business and what

you can provide. This could mean that in the future your business is first in line for top level talent,

potentially giving you a huge advantage over your competitors.

As the service is retained, you will sign a contract with the firm to guarantee that they will be the

only one recruiting for your role. This is because of the large investment of time and effort from the

headhunter into finding the right candidates for your role.

Unlike contingency recruiters, who only require a fee upon a candidate being hired, retained

headhunting agencies often charge a schedule of payment, usually in the form of a research fee, a

shortlist submission fee, and a hiring fee.

The reason for this is to ensure that they are compensated for the large investment of time and

resources, as well as for the success of the headhunt, due to the large level of detail employed in a

retained talent search. Like high street recruiters, these fees are usually based on a percentage of the

hire’s first year salary.

For you, the client, the retained nature of headhunting agencies essentially acts as a quality guarantee,

ensuring the firm will always try and find you the perfect shortlist of candidates, rather than just any

shortlist.

At face level this is the most expensive of the three recruitment options outlined so far, however if

you’re looking to recruit for a high level or specialist role, this option can save you time and money in

the long run by drastically reducing the likelihood that you will need to rehire for the position.



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As an example, your journey with Executive Headhunters would look like this;

• Initial meeting

• Discussion of role and desired candidate

• Search process (with updates from headhunter)

• Candidate psychometric tests

• Shortlist submission

• Feedback and changes to shortlist if necessary

• First Interview


• Competency test

• Discussion of terms and salary between candidate, client, and headhunter

• Job offer

• Onboarding

As you can see this process is quite detailed. Headhunters specialise in making sure that the shortlist

of candidates that are delivered are the best possible match for your role. To achieve this, the searching

process must be much more detailed than other methods of recruitment. As a result, a retained

headhunting process can take longer than contingency recruiters, but the quality of talent is generally

higher and more bespoke to your business’ needs.

Talent PipeliningAs we have established, one of the key benefits of using a retained headhunting agency for

recruiting high-calibre and uniquely skilled individuals is the long-term talent pipelining potential.

It can be easy to get caught up in the task of hiring for a current role and forget to consider future

hiring issues.

By maintaining continuous communication and building relationships with talent in your industry,

headhunting agencies are able to help position your business as an employer of choice for a large

pool of qualified candidates in your sector.



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The key here is that talent shouldn’t just be ignored just because they may not be immediately

available to you or right for the role you are recruiting for right now. By mapping out the skills

landscape in your sector, headhunting agencies can help expand your options for the future. As

retained headhunts function as research projects as well as recruitment projects, this research and

knowledge can be revisited down the line, allowing your business to have first mover advantage

when key, qualified individuals in your sector make the decision to consider a new role.

When using headhunters, your talent search doesn’t have to end at the current role, instead you

receive a service that allows you to prepare for the future.

Shortlisting

After the talent searching stage, you, the recruiter, or the headhunter will produce a shortlist of candidates

to consider for the role. If you are working with a headhunting agency, you will have the opportunity

to discuss or re-valuate the results of the search, and request a new shortlist if the candidates don’t

match your requirements exactly. From this shortlist, you can decide which candidates you want to

invite to the first interview stage. Your shortlist should cover all bases in terms of desired candidates,

it needs to have enough variety whilst being within your target specifications.



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Typically, the shortlist that a recruiter or headhunter submits to you contains quite a few candidates.

This allows you to have the best choice possible to narrow down for the interview stage, however the

recruiter will often narrow down this list for you if you feel that they’ve submitted too many candidates.

Multi-Stage InterviewsWhether you choose to use in-house recruitment, a recruitment agency, or a retained headhunting firm,

you will always interview your candidates personally. Recruiters and headhunters will also conduct a

screening process before the shortlist, which can vary in detail depending on the agency. For example,

a high-street recruiter may simply conduct phone interviews, whilst retained headhunters’ screening

process can involve multiple phone and face-to-face interviews as well as psychometric tests.

For senior-level positions, you’ll likely want to conduct at least two stages of interview per candidate,

as just one interview is simply too little to get a good idea of a candidate’s ability and overall suitability

for a role. Some headhunters are able to advise you on the best interview procedure should you need

it, and even sit in on the interview with you. Some companies are even inclined to conduct three

interviews per candidate, as this allows for even more detailed insight into each individual, however

you must be careful with this, as by requiring too many interviews you easily run the risk of aggravating

or deterring candidates, as well as lengthening the recruitment process.

Engineering / Manufacturing Competency TestAs we know, engineering is a heavily skill-reliant industry. To be a top player in the engineering and

manufacturing sector, you not only need to have industry knowledge, but also technical proficiency

and an advanced skillset. Therefore, it’s only fair to expect this out of your candidates.

Top headhunters recommend conducting competency tests for candidates at some point during

the recruitment process, usually during the final interview stage. This is a good way of putting your

candidates to the test and narrowing down your shortlist by skillset and ability. If you’re using a



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headhunter, they can often guide you and give valuable input into how you can conduct such tests to

get the most useful results from your candidates.

Job Offer and Wage NegotiationAfter you’ve interviewed your candidates and come to a decision on who you want to take on, there’s

still the matter of conducting the wage negotiations and making the job offer. This is something you

are likely prepared to do on your own, however many headhunters are willing to handle this process,

acting as a ‘middle man’ between you and the candidate.

This stage is important as it stands as the last hurdle between you and your perfect employee, so

you want to make sure that these negotiations are as smooth as possible. Ideally you should have

touched upon salary in the interview, or your headhunter will have discussed it with them, which irons

out most of the issues you might encounter at this final stage.

The good news is that you’re now ready to offer the job to your chosen candidate!



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Retaining EmployeesRemember that the recruitment process isn’t necessarily over once the candidate has signed

the contract. You’ve always got to be ready for the possibility of further recruitment in the future.

Depending on the quality of your hire, there is always the possibility that they may leave within the first

6 months of being hired, especially if the candidate isn’t the right fit or is given inadequate training.

In this situation, you’ll have to conduct the recruitment process again, so you’ll want to take as many

measures as possible to avoid unnecessary stress should the need to rehire emerge, for example

by keeping candidates and contacts in your pipeline. In addition, quality headhunting agencies often

include free replacement guarantees which can be a lifesaver in such an unfortunate situation.

Which Is the Right Choice For YouAs a general rule, your decision between using in-house recruitment, high street recruiters, or retained

headhunting agencies should be based on your time restrictions, budget, and the level of your role.

If you have an established, experienced in-house hiring team and are looking to recruit for a familiar

role, then in-house recruitment can be a good affordable option.

If you are looking to recruit for a mid-level role and want results fast without spending too much, then

you might consider using a contingency recruiter, perhaps in conjunction with your own in-house

hiring team in order to achieve the best results.

If you are recruiting for a high level, hard to fill, or specialist technical role, and are willing to pay a bit

more to find the best candidates possible whilst preparing your business for future hiring, and saving

time and effort for your team, retained headhunting agencies are the way to go.



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Thanks for ReadingHopefully this eBook has helped you to understand the journey that you will embark on when

recruiting for your next role, as well as some of the options available to you which will allow you to

find and implement the best recruitment solution possible for you and your business.

If the option of hiring a headhunting agency sounds attractive to you, don’t hesitate to get in

contact with us at Executive Headhunters to find out how we can help you find the perfect

candidate.

Call us on 0207 160 6996 / 0161 926 8686Send us an Email at [email protected]

Visit our website at www.executiveheadhunters.co.uk

Sources

http://www.engineeringuk.com/Research/At-a-glance-2016/

House of Commons Briefing Paper 21 November 2016 – Apprenticeship Statistics: England

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.executiveheadhunters.co.uk

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