How to brief a headhunter properly

A headhunting assignment is by its nature more in-depth than most normal recruitment projects. The headhunter works for an external firm, and needs to be knowledgeable about your business with candidates. Because the headhunter is contacting passive candidates, they need to be able to present them with a thoughtful description of the company and role which entices them to consider a career change.

A good briefing does more than transfer information. It helps the headhunter understand how to position the role, what kind of candidate is likely to succeed, and where the likely challenges will be. In executive search, the quality of the briefing often has a direct impact on the quality of the search itself.

What headhunters need to know

The briefing is not just about the job description. A headhunter needs enough context to explain the opportunity credibly, assess candidates properly, and anticipate the objections or concerns that strong candidates may raise. Headhunters don’t just need to know about what the client organisation does, they also need to know what they are looking for, because part of the essence of headhunting is not just attracting candidates, but also assessing them against key criteria before the client meets with them.

It therefore makes sense for the headhunter to be briefed by the line manager and any other key stakeholders who will be involved in the hire. A good briefing meeting might answer questions like this that the headhunter needs to know;

• What is your product / proposition?
• Who do you compete with? What makes you different from them?
• How do you charge for your products or services?
• Who are your customers?
• What are your revenues and profits?
• Is the company growing, and if so by how much?
• How many employees do you have?
• Why do you need to hire this person?
• How will their performance be measured?
• What career development opportunities might they have?
• Who do they report to?
• How big is their team, and what is their composition?
• What sort of personality would fit well into your business?
• How much can you afford to pay this person? How much flexibility is there?
• Where is the role located?
• How many interview steps will there be?
• Who will be interviewing the candidates?

Depending on the role and industry, these questions will vary but the above covers a lot of the “basics” that the executive headhunter will likely need to know before starting an assignment.

Why clients should be open with headhunters

Headhunters are used to handling sensitive information confidentially, and greater transparency usually leads to a better search. If there are concerns about culture fit, board dynamics, compensation limits, weaknesses in the proposition, or internal disagreements about the role, it is much better for the headhunter to know early. Those issues often emerge later anyway, and if the headhunter understands them from the start, they are in a much better position to manage the market intelligently.

Be open with them; headhunters are used to treating sensitive information confidentially, and it will help them to better understand your business and help in finding you a great candidate.

What happens when the briefing is poor

Poor briefings often create avoidable problems later in the search. The headhunter may target the wrong profiles, mis-sell the role, misunderstand what matters most to the client, or waste time approaching candidates who were never realistic. In some cases, clients themselves only realise midway through the process that the brief was not properly defined. That is why investing time in the initial briefing is usually one of the highest-leverage parts of the entire search. A well-briefed headhunter is much more likely to approach the market convincingly, target the right candidates and keep the process on track.

See also:
How executive search works
How to choose the right executive search firm