Sometimes you hire people to fill “basic” roles within your business. These are roles that are essential for helping your business move ahead, but they don’t necessarily demand a great deal of experience. It’s not the end of the world if you hire a relatively new administration assistant – or if you take a punt on a freshly graduated marketing employee.
On the other hand, several roles exist within an organisation that demand a massive amount of experience. We’re talking about the executive roles that tend to form leadership positions: CEOs, CFOs, project managers and so on. When you need these people aboard your ship, you have to take the hiring process more seriously to find the right talent with the right level of experience.
As a result, you’re not going to post your jobs on sites like Indeed. You need to tap into the executive talent market, which means you need to work with an executive search firm. These firms are designed to help businesses find and hire senior-level leaders. Rather than waiting for a long list of applicants, you go straight to the best in the business and convince them to work for you.
If this sounds like the position you’re currently in, then feast your eyes on the current crop of top executive search firms to consider working with right now:
1. CJPI
Best choice overall
The thing with executive search firms is that you need people with experience to identify the best individuals for your desired roles. That’s what makes CJPI the best pick at the moment: it’s a senior-led consultancy, meaning the people working for it have all lived and breathed senior roles in the past. You bank on this experience to help you pinpoint who will be the most suitable leaders for your company – but that’s not all.
This isn’t a company that simply helps you hire senior leaders based on vibes; it has a data-led approach that uses objective precision and predictive intelligence. A talented team of headhunters looks at your needs and then searches for the best possible fits based on what you want. They can actually help you find new senior leaders who aren’t even actively looking for jobs, meaning you can steal them away from rival companies.
As far as executive search firms go, it’s about as complete as you’ll get.
2. Korn Ferry
Offers a big network of candidates
Korn Ferry is a well-known name in the executive search world, and its biggest feature is the vast network of candidates that it’s accumulated over the years. The firm has many contacts within so many industries, allowing businesses in various sectors to find the right leaders to fit their culture.
What we like about this option is that it comes with success profiles and snapshots so you get quick overviews of the potential leaders you may wish to interview. It’s a simple way of breaking things down so you know how successful the candidates have been in the past, and what type of work ethic they’ll bring to the job.
The team even advises you on competitive pay and rewards packages, which is a nice addition to the service that can help you seal the deal.
3. GatenbySanderson
Good post-recruitment support
If you’re looking to build smarter leadership teams, then GatenbySanderson claims it can do precisely that for you. This firm offers an executive search service that will identify, recruit and develop the best talent for your organisation. One of the highlights here is that the firm will stick around and help you nurture your hires after they’ve been recruited, so you get an exceptionally high level of support from them for a very long time.
In terms of the talent they’re able to find for you, it’s undeniable that many businesses will be extremely happy with the candidates they’re able to find, though there is a caveat. GatenbySanderson seems to focus on pairing businesses with leadership experts outside of their sector/speciality. Why? Because they believe that fresh perspectives can help businesses thrive.
It’s a valid argument, so if you’re looking for some alternative perspectives, this could be the firm for you. If you’re more in the initial stages of starting a business and are more eager to find industry-related experience, then GatenbySanderson might not be the right choice.
4. Harvey Nash
Best for technology executive search
Harvey Nash is a phenomenally good executive search firm, but it’s only really suitable for companies that need tech-related senior figures. It won’t be useful for any other type of executive search – but if you do need digital leaders, then it’s possibly the best place to go for Chief Information Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Digital Officers and more.
You benefit from the firm’s impressive network of contacts and technology leaders, plus a world-class service that involves deep sector knowledge to help you find the absolute best hires for any given role. Like any good executive search company, this one is built around you: the employer. Every approach is unique to your requirements, and it begins with an ideal candidate profile that lets the firm understand exactly what you’re looking for.
Again, to reiterate, you can avoid Harvey Nash if you’re not looking for any technology executives. It’s a rare option on this list that only specialises in one recruitment area, but with tech roles becoming more and more important, it’s still worth a big mention.
Transform Your Business With Experienced Executive Leaders
Look, the truth is that you cannot hire the best executives and senior leaders by using traditional recruitment drives. It’s less about throwing an advert out there and waiting for candidates to come running, and it’s more about partnering with the right executive search firm to take advantage of their network of top candidates.
While all of the firms on this list excel at something, CJPI is the best choice overall. When you look at the service it provides, combined with an impressive track record, it truly offers all you need from an executive search firm. The combination of a data-led, peer-level approach is fascinatingly unique, and it tends to deliver the best results.
