Headhunters can offer firms expanded reach, deeper candidate pools

Employers who look after their own recruiting because they want to keep the process in-house could be doing themselves more harm than good.

Professional recruiting firms can help companies identify candidates they never would have been able to find on their own, says Steven Cardwell, a 20-year veteran of recruiting and General Manager of Steven Cardwell Recruitment (formerly ESF Careers).

“There’s no doubt individual companies can be experts in their field, but that doesn’t always translate easily into expertise at finding the best workers to help them thrive,” Cardwell says. “Experienced headhunters with deep networks and an understanding of the marketplace can take the stress out of hiring and make sure a company finds the best talent for the positions they need to fill.”

Here are a few advantages recruiting firms can offer companies improve their hiring processes:

Expanded Reach
Employers typically focus their primary search for employees on the area where the vacancy needs to be filled. This significantly restricts the candidate pool. Recruitment firms can help employers reach beyond local geographical boundaries and tap into talent who are willing to relocate from other parts of the province, country and even outside the country for the right position and right fit.

Finding Passive Candidates
Not all job candidates are actively looking to move on from their present job, but many are willing to consider something else if it’s attractive. These types of candidates don’t generally look at job postings and ads that in-house HR staff post for openings. Headhunters have extensive networks of passive candidates who they can call on when the right position comes along.

Doing the Dirty Work
A full search and placement agency will take care of all of the time-consuming details that bog down HR staff and make hiring so difficult. A good recruiting firm will pre-screen applicants to weed out unqualified hopefuls and identify a small pool of qualified candidates who meet criteria established by the employer and have relevant experience. 

Freeing up HR
Turning to a recruitment firm to guide hiring helps overworked HR staff focus on other priority tasks that can take a back seat when vacancies need to be filled. HR staff can still have a hand in leading the overall hiring process, but won’t have to be overwhelmed by the nitty gritty details of the search.

For more information, please visit StevenCardwell.com. Like Steven Cardwell Recruitment Services on Facebook at /Steven-Cardwell-Recruitment , follow on Twitter @CardwellRecruit or visit on LinkedIn.

About Steven Cardwell Recruitment Services:
Steven Cardwell Recruitment emerged in the 1990s, quickly establishing itself as a leading professional recruitment firm adept at placing candidates in both permanent and contract positions. Today, Steven Cardwell Recruitment is entrenched as a top recruiter of professional and technical talent in North America. Steven Cardwell headhunters thrive in connecting with C-level executives, skilled workers, experienced administrators, and everything in between.