Place the Odds in your Favor…Headhunters share tips on 
how to improve the success rate of your hiring campaign.

Following are ten recommendations that you, as a hiring official, can follow to dramatically increase the odds of success in your next hiring campaign:

1. Keep your commitments and make telephone calls when promised. The candidate begins to form an opinion of the company even before the first interview. Unkept promises will destroy credibility.
2. Be prompt. Schedule interviews as soon as possible. Respond quickly after an interview. Headhunters know that while you are contemplating making an offer, candidates often continue to interview, thus decreasing your odds of a successful hire.
3. Put your best foot forward. Show candidates that you think they are important. The small things you do can make a big impression. For example, before an interview, send written confirmation of the ground transportation arrangements, hotel accommodations, flight reservations, etc. These indicate a professional approach by your company.
4. Be prepared for the interview. Make sure you review the candidate’s resume and develop a list of interview questions geared towards the specific skills required for the position. Be aware of questions that should be avoided during an interview.
5. Remember that interviewing is a two-way street; your objective is not only to gather information, sell your organization, and the position, but also to sell yourself. This is something a headhunter cannot do for you.
6. After you interview a candidate, utilize the services of a headhunter to determine the candidate’s level of interest. A headhunter worth his or her salt can provide you candid and useful feedback information.
7. When you’ve decided to make a job offer to a candidate, work closely with your headhunter to structure the package. At that point, he or she can obtain the candidate’s verbal acceptance before you present the offer. Do not make blind offers.
8. After the candidate verbally accepts the job offer, send out a confirmation letter, not an offer letter. Offer letters often allow for a two week response time, and this will encourage some candidates to use your offer as a lever to negotiate a better deal with their current employer or other prospect employers. As a consequence you will have lost valuable time, money, and other viable candidates for the position.
9. As any good headhunter will tell you, the greatest enemy in the hiring process is "time". The longer the time span from initial candidate contact to projected start date, the lower the odds of a successful hire. A rule of thumb: if there is no relocation, insist on a start date within two weeks of acceptance of the offer. If relocation is necessary, insist on a start date within four weeks.
10. Our tip: Utilize the services of Dunhill Professional Search of Houston to assure a successful hiring campaign. We can elicit information from the candidate to facilitate the process. We can talk to the candidate about the position, provide cost-of-living comparisons, and address personal considerations such as spouse’s employment, educational opportunities, etc. to guarantee a mutually satisfactory transition phase and a timely and effective hire. Our goal at Dunhill Professional Search of Houston is to ensure that you successfully hire the candidates you want. And by the way… we favor the term "executive search firm" over "headhunter."