Many insurance executives are naturally curious about the role insurance headhunters play and the different stages of the hiring process.
Insurance headhunters will of course tailor their work to the specific needs of a client and the individual insurance executive search assignment they are working on.
But there are however, common elements to the search process and important actions candidates can take to keep them front of mind with insurance headhunters along the way.
Firstly, it’s crucial to understand what is meant by insurance executive search and how does it differ from more traditional recruitment methods?
In brief though, insurance executive search is a comprehensive recruitment process used to find the very best candidates, typically for senior management or C-level leadership roles.
For a more comprehensive overview of the Executive Search process that insurance headhunters typically go through when seeking out the best insurance talent, have a read of:
Insurance Executive Search – Understanding the Key Elements of the Process
As opposed to posting a typical job advert to attract candidates who are actively looking for a new job, insurance headhunters work on behalf of a client to find passive insurance leaders that aren’t actively seeking a new role.
Insurance headhunters are tasked with working alongside their clients to agree and help shape the ideal candidate profile and job description all the way through to offer management and addressing any counter offers the successful candidate may receive.
Insurance headhunters work with and on behalf of an insurance business to find the best person for the role.
So, what should prospective candidates take from this?
It’s important for candidates to understand the intention of insurance headhunters and what their executive search firm has been tasked with by their client.
Quite simply it’s to act on a client’s behalf to identify the best possible person for an insurance leadership role, usually from VP to C-level roles.
If insurance headhunters reach out to you, it’s because they’ve identified you as a potential candidate for an insurance executive search assignment they’re working on.
Even if you’re not actively looking to change jobs and you’re happy in your current role, it’s at least worth having an initial conversation to find out more.
Whilst some might see that as adding little value, building rapport with insurance headhunters, will help you get a feel for what else is out there in the job market.
You can then benchmark the opportunity against your present position.
You may well decide the grass is greener where you are, but people’s decision-making tends to more objective when they are in work.
Whereas people often make compromises when they’re out of work or need to start actively looking, because there’s usually added pressures.
If you go further into scoping out the role and the hiring business, it’s good to be aware of the following:
Insurance headhunters are being paid by their client.
Why’s that important?
Well, you can typically assume that the client has both strong financials and is committed to attracting and retaining outstanding insurance talent.
Insurance headhunters can help you access career opportunities that you’ll otherwise have no knowledge of, because they are either not publicly advertised or are confidential.
If you’re contacted as part of an insurance executive headhunter’s outreach, it’s because they believe you have the skills, capabilities and experience to match the job description and candidate profile.
So, it crucial for both prospective candidates and insurance headhunters to be open and transparent.
Good insurance headhunters will be communicative about the opportunity, the stages of the recruitment process and provide regular updates and feedback along the way.
It’s important candidates are too.
Be open about your career ambitions and if you feel the job role isn’t right for you, be honest and explain why.
And if you’re involved in another recruitment process, it’s helpful to be transparent about that too.
Building a relationship with insurance headhunters will help your insurance career in the long run.
Even if you’re happy within your current organization and job role, or perhaps you don’t end up being the chosen candidate at the end of the recruitment process, insurance headhunters will be working to secure high-performing talent for other roles.
Building rapport and keeping in contact with insurance headhunters will keep you front of mind when it comes to future insurance leadership opportunities.
Or if you do find yourself looking for a new role in the future, you can pick up the phone and ask for advice and guidance, especially if you’ve proactively stayed in touch.
Offering your help to insurance headhunters will pay dividends.
If you’re approached about a role that might not quite be the right fit for you or align with your insurance career ambitions, but you have a contact you think might be more suited, let the recruitment consultant know.
It’s something that will cement your relationship with insurance headhunters in the future, when other job roles arise.
When discussing a job role with a headhunter, be inquisitive and do your own due diligence on the hiring company.
Find out all you can about the company’s culture, how the vacancy has come about.
If it’s a new role, ask how it fits in to the business objectives and company’s growth plans.
You might find this article helpful:
Five questions to ask an Executive Search Consultant in your first call
This will inform your own decision-making and understanding of whether the role matches your skills and ambitions.
Questioning the opportunity, will help insurance headhunters decide whether you’re a suitable candidate to advance through the process.
If you do progress through the recruitment process, insurance headhunters will be there to help ensure a smooth process.
You will be able to lean on their knowledge of the hiring business to address any concerns you may have and agree a compensation & benefits package that works for both sides
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