Whether you’re looking to hire a salesperson or hunting for a job, sales headhunters can help you stay ahead of the competition. According to a 2018 survey, 45% of employers can’t find the skills they need to fill open jobs. In today’s highly competitive marketplace, companies require efficient hiring processes to grab the top 20% of most talented sales professionals ahead of their rivals. About 98% of fortune 500 companies use sophisticated recruitment software to find qualified employees. You need more than traditional job boards as well as newspaper job ads to find top talent.
Job-hunting for specific sales positions in competitive cities like Chicago is complex and time-consuming. As a job-seeker, you can rely on the best recruiters in Chicago to land your dream job. Being hand-picked by a headhunter for a role can increase your advantage over the competition. Experienced headhunters can connect you with the best companies to work for in Chicago. So, what exactly does a sales headhunter do?
Who is a Sales Headhunter?
A sales headhunter is a hiring professional contracted by a company to find the best candidates for a specific job. They have years of experience in the full recruitment life cycle as well as work for sales recruiting agencies. Companies that lack recruitment capabilities can outsource the hiring process to headhunters to attract top talent. Headhunters act as liaisons between the employer as well as potential candidates for specific roles. One thing that sets headhunters apart is how they make their money.
There are five types of sales recruiters, including contingency, retained, corporate, staffing agencies, and outplacement. Most Chicago headhunters operate as contingent, retained, or corporate recruiters. Also known as non-exclusive recruitment, contingent sales recruiters work as third parties contracted by hiring companies. They receive about 15-30% of the placement’s first-year salary once the company hires their candidate. On the other hand, retained sales headhunters function similarly to contingency recruiters but charge a flat rate for their services. This type of recruiter ensures continuity in the company’s recruitment processes.
Corporate recruiters work as third parties or in-house for the hiring company and are contracted to fill high-level roles. If you’re looking to fill temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire positions, you can hire staffing agencies in Chicago, Illinois. Headhunters working for staffing agencies fill direct-hire positions. Outplacement agencies are hired by companies to find new jobs for displaced workers in other companies. Professionals working in these five types of agencies are recruiters as well as headhunters.
What is the Difference between Sales Headhunters and Job Recruiters?
While the terms headhunters and recruiters are used interchangeably, they don’t necessarily mean the same thing. A sales recruiter refers to a broad professional that includes headhunters. But all recruiters are not headhunters. Their responsibilities overlap. However, sales headhunters evaluate the role first before scouting for the right candidate for that position. Experienced headhunters can approach sales professionals working in other companies to inform them that their dream job is available at another company.
Recruiters, on the other hand, work slightly differently. They advertise sales jobs, wait for potential candidates to apply, evaluate resumes, screening calls, and schedule interviews. Sales recruiters use various methods to match the existing pool of candidates to the vacant sales jobs. Some of the best sales recruiters in the Chicago area are headhunters specialized in a sector, sub-sector, or industry. As a job-seeker, being hand-picked by a Chicago headhunter for a position in one of the companies around the city increases your chances of landing the best sales job.
Why do You Need a Sales Recruiter?
If your company doesn’t have an in-house recruitment team, you can outsource your hiring process to a sales headhunter. They can find qualified salespeople to fill specific positions. Outsourcing the recruitment process to a professional staffing agency can also help you find top talent for hard-to-fill vacancies.
Employers with in-house recruitment teams can hire a headhunter to increase their advantage over the competition. The best recruitment agencies can undertake tedious tasks like finding candidates, screening, as well as scheduling interviews. They reduce the workload to ensure your hiring team spends more time interviewing only the best candidates for the role.
As a job-seeker, working with a sales headhunter gives you an advantage over other candidates. If you’re working with a Chicago headhunter, they will leverage their personal connections to get your resume in the hands of hiring managers. Your headhunter can use their networks to get you a job in the best companies to work for in Chicago. Understanding why you need a headhunter as an employer or a job-seeker is the first step to find the right recruiting agency. So, how do you find a sales headhunter?
How to Find a Sales Headhunter
There is no one-fits-all recruiting agency. Some recruiting agencies operate nationwide while others like Chicago headhunters specialize in filling positions in regional or local companies. Local recruiting agencies also vary depending on the area of expertise. For example, some staffing agencies in Chicago, Illinois, operate across multiple industries, while specialized sales headhunters cater to specific sectors and industries. Whether you’re an employer or a job-seeker, you have to choose sales headhunters based on your needs. So, how should employers choose headhunters to fill sales positions?
How to Choose the Right Sales Headhunter as an Employer
To choose the right sales headhunter, employers need to determine why they need a sales recruiting agency. Use identified needs and this checklist to choose the right recruiter for your company.
Specialization
Niche sales headhunters have deep connections in specific sub-sectors, sectors, and industries. These connections come in handy if you want to hire top talent for hard-to-fill sales roles. If you’re in the tech sector, you can hire software sales recruiters to fill various positions. Manufacturing businesses can rely on industrial sales recruiters to meet their hiring needs. The right headhunter for you should be a specialist in your niche.
Tech-driven
The best job recruiters in Chicago leverage advanced technologies to make objective hiring decisions and improve their clients’ recruiting process. They can source qualified candidates quickly by combining tools like HR databases, Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and CMS. You can rely on tech-driven headhunters to track crucial metrics to spot hiring opportunities.
Scope
The best staffing agencies are well-connected within specialized worker groups with skilled sales professionals. Agencies that operate nationwide have access to a deeper talent pool, while statewide recruiters offer rich pipelines of qualified job seekers. Staffing agencies in Chicago, Illinois, are experts in filling sales positions for businesses based in this state and city.
Size
Finding the right candidate for a hard-to-fill role is time-consuming as well as labor-intensive. You should hire a recruiting agency with a workforce to meet your hiring needs. The right staffing agency for your company should supply the professionals you need to fill open sales positions.
References
Headhunters boast about satisfied clients. Ask for references and contact previous clients to determine whether they were satisfied by the agency. The right sales recruitment agency should have an impeccable track record as well as years of experience working in your niche.
The best recruiter to fill sales positions in your company should check all five checkboxes.
How do You Find a Sales Headhunter as a Job-Seeker?
To enjoy the benefits of headhunting, find and connect with the right sales recruitment agency. Follow these steps to find a sales headhunter:
Step 1: Refine your search area.
First, leverage the Internet and social media to find the best recruiters in your area. If you are from Chicago, look for a local headhunter increases your odds of landing a job. Instead of searching “sales job near me,” narrow down your search using terms like “best recruiters in Chicago” or “Chicago area headhunters.” Then, check out each agency’s website or social pages to determine whether they can help you get a sales job.
Step 2: Figure out the right headhunter agency for you.
Then, analyze recruiting agencies based on the sales position you seek. You can search for “Chicago sales recruiters” via LinkedIn or Google to get a list of headhunters and job recruiters in Chicago. If you’re looking for a position in a specific sector, search using keywords like “software sales recruiters” or “industrial sales recruiters.” To land high-level sales positions, find a recruiting agency with experience in Executive Search headhunting.
Step 3: Get referrals and recommendations through your networks.
You can go through your list of the best recruiters in Chicago with your career coach and ask for their recommendations. Advice from other professionals can also help narrow down the list to only the best headhunters in Chicago. Then, ask friends and former colleagues to refer you to headhunters as well as recruiters that they have worked within the past.
Step 4: Reach out to potential headhunters.
Finally, most headhunters are active on LinkedIn, making it the ideal platform to reach out to a sales recruitment agency. You can send an email to the headhunter, upload your resume on the agency’s website, or call the recruiter. Ensure to highlight your experience, qualification, as well as the sales job you seek. You may also need to learn how to overcome objections.
Step 5: Follow-up consistently.
Whether you’re waiting for a position to open up or an interview call, follow up with your headhunter regularly. Sales headhunters are busy and can miss your life-changing opportunity in the pile of other ongoing tasks. To avoid nagging recruiters with too many calls, set a reminder on your calendar to spread your follow-ups evenly.
Step 6: Boost your chances with other strategies.
You can increase your chances of landing a job in the best companies to work for in Chicago by combining headhunting with other strategies. Most sales recruiters are members of industry groups and active in related discussion boards online. You can join these groups and actively engage in discussions online. To attract recruiters’ attention, stay informed of industry trends and showcase your knowledge as well as thought leadership in online forums.
Bottom Line
Regardless of why you need a headhunter, outsourcing your hiring process or job-hunting to a sales recruitment agency offers tons of benefits. Headhunters can find top sales talent for your business. As a job seeker, you can rely on the best recruiting agency in Chicago to land a sales job. Take the time to research headhunters as well as reach out via LinkedIn, email, or phone calls.
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