8 Reasons to Work with a Boutique Executive Search Firm

Attracting and hiring a new executive is no small undertaking. This individual will have substantial influence over the continued success and trajectory of your organization, as they will be in charge of planning, directing and coordinating critical business objectives. Their strategies and processes will be instrumental to the long-term growth of your company.

Such fundamental positions cannot be left to chance, as is often the case with standard hiring practices. The best and brightest executives are rarely looking for new roles or submitting their resume to job postings. Businesses need a search firm with the right experience and proven ability to attract, nurture and deliver the industry leading executive suited to their specific needs.

Executive Search Firms are specialized in helping companies find top level candidates for executive and management positions. Below are a few of the ways working with an executive search firm can transform your hiring process.

Search Experts

Executive search firms are solely focused on developing the most elite strategies for attracting executive leaders to new organizations. Years of experience, testing and process development allow them to know exactly where to find industry leading talent, and they are qualified in fielding these candidates to determine if they have the skills you are looking for. They can provide expertise at every stage of the recruiting process and solutions for any obstacles that may arise.

Boutique Firm vs Large Firm

There’s no shortage of executive search or recruiting firms, both large and small, but there are many benefits to working with a smaller boutique firm specialized in executive placement. To the casual observer, a larger firm would appear to have deeper resources and a larger network but often this can lead to serious problems.

Many of the larger search firms will have non-competes in place that don’t allow them to recruit from their current clientele. Their abundance of active searches may be impressive at first glance, but upon further investigation, can severely limit the pool of talent they are able to draw upon. This can lead to your organization potentially missing out on what should have been the best executive fit for your company and industry.

Boutique firms often have higher close rates by choosing to work on a limited number of searches within a given industry to keep from running into these types of obstacles.

Personalized Attention

Firms with a more general focus may be conducting several searches at once, detracting from their ability to remain focused on your need of finding a qualified candidate in a timely fashion.

A boutique executive search firm works on fewer projects and is able to dedicate more strategic resources aimed at delivering on the needs of your search and to your expectations.

Deep Understanding of Your Organization

It is an executive search firm’s duty to familiarize themselves with your organization so they may better understand your exact criteria in terms of a potential candidate’s qualifications, culture and personality. And there’s much more to understanding a company than simply reading a few articles online and visiting their website.

An experienced firm will be familiar with the process involved in learning about the intangibles of your organization, which are often overlooked. We’ve found this to be a critical element in assessing both the immediate and long-term fit. An executive search firm with niche specific experience can understand the ins and outs of your organization beyond a surface level, allowing them to provide a higher level of service to deliver on your objectives.

Time and Cost Effective

Companies that struggle to find new executives sacrifice valuable time and money. Not only do they need to spend that time and money searching for candidates, they also lose productivity due to positions not being filled.

An executive search firm has the ability to identify, engage and develop potential executives quickly and efficiently, cutting down on expenses and opportunity cost in the long run.

Extensive Network

An executive search firm will have access to a great network. They will know exactly where to look for the talent you need and who to engage with. Many in-house teams pull from only those actively looking for jobs and/or the easiest to locate.

The best candidates are often those who fly under the radar and are only unearthed upon deeper research and strategic networking. An executive search firm’s network not only includes both potential and passive talent but leaders beyond the normal scope like board members, industry leaders, venture capitalists and private equity firms who can make introductions to relevant contacts that may be open to discussing new opportunities. This allows them to find the best possible candidates, whether those candidates are actively searching for a job or not.

Onboarding Assistance

Sometimes companies may be able to find the right candidates for their business but fail to retain them during the onboarding process. They may not have the time to properly initiate the new candidate, failing to make them feel welcome or lacking the kind of communication a new recruit may feel they need to settle in. An executive search firm will oversee the onboarding process to make sure your new employee becomes integrated and feels comfortable in their new home.

Transparent Search Process

Larger executive search firms may face challenges when it comes to enforcing a standard methodology in their hiring processes. This is because communication breakdowns are more likely in bigger companies with multiple employees and departments. We all know how bureaucracy can get in the way of delivering results. Boutique firms will have a data driven methodology that they will be able to clearly demonstrate, as well as metric reporting that includes vital information concerning all candidates contacted for your search. This provides companies with a sense of trust and transparency when it comes to feeling confident their executive search firm is doing all it can to find the best candidates.

If you are looking for a high-level executive for your company, you need professional services you can trust. An executive search firm will prioritize your best interests when it comes to finding the right candidate for the job.

Final Thoughts

If there is an opening for an executive position in your company, the process doesn’t have to be painful, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly either. Finding the right leader will require more than a job posting and fielding applicants. To make the best decision, it will require painstaking research, market mapping, strategic outreach, networking and much more. Working with a firm that implements a strategic approach, performs a thorough executive search process and has the experience to deliver will be invaluable to attracting the best executive for your organization. Feel free to read more about our 10 step executive search process.