Not all executive recruiters are made equal.

Finding candidates to fill C-level positions isn’t easy, and working with an executive recruiter can help to streamline the process and ensure that you end up with the right candidates to choose from. However, the kind of candidates you end up with is directly related to the recruiter you hire, and it’s important to realize that they’re not all made equal.

The executives you hire play such a huge role in so many different parts of your organization. There’s a lot on the line, and the last thing you want is to have to go through the whole process again because you hired the wrong person. But, finding the right candidate means finding the right executive recruiter.

Hiring a CEO, CIO, CTO, or CFO isn’t something you do every day, which means that you probably haven’t spent a lot of your time working with C-level recruiters. Finding the right executive recruiter means knowing what to look for. Luckily, there are a few skills that all great recruiters have in common.

What Skills to Look for in an Executive Recruiter

#1. Communication Skills

When you’re new to the executive recruitment process, you might not know what you’re looking for in a candidate, or you might have an idea but are unsure of how to put it in words. The right executive recruiter will have the communication skills to get to the bottom of what you want and need in a candidate.

Not only are communication skills essential for understanding what you’re looking for in a candidate, you also need to know that your recruiter will keep you in the loop every step of the way about the process. This will help to ensure that you end up with the right candidate, and you’ll want to be in the know about the progress being made.

#2. General People Skills

Recruiters work with so many different people and in all different industries and organizations. They need to have a presence that makes clients feel comfortable enough to express what they really want and need in a candidate. And, they also spend their days talking with and getting to know different candidates.

General people skills are a must in any recruiter, but they’re especially important in an executive recruiter. Finding the right candidate means fully understanding that candidate, and in order to do that, the recruiter needs to be able to put them at ease.

#3. Organizational Skills

There are a lot of moving parts to the recruitment process, and any recruiter you hire needs to be able to juggle them effectively. In order to effectively manage the recruiting process, a recruiter needs to have all of their ducks in a row.

Next-level organizational skills are important for any successful recruiter to have. These skills will help to ensure efficiency in the recruiting process, as well as attention to detail, both of which are essential.

#4. Sales Skills

CEOs, CIOs, and other C-level executives aren’t applying for jobs on Craiglist. Most already have jobs and aren’t actively looking. When you have a position that needs to be filled but not many candidates to fill it, you need to rely on a recruiter who can sell your business and the position to the right candidate.

The term “sales” doesn’t always have the greatest connotation, but it’s important to realize that being a good salesperson doesn’t mean being able to sell something for the sake of selling it. It means providing people with the information they need and guiding them in the right direction.

#5. Curiosity

Executive recruiters are a lot like matchmakers. And, like any good matchmaker, executive recruiters need to be able to fully understand the needs and the culture of the client, as well as skills, personality, and attributes of the candidate. In order to do that, any recruiter needs to ask the right questions, which means that they need to be curious.

The better your recruiter is able to fully understand what your business is all about and what you’re looking for in a candidate, the better the pool of candidates they’ll be able to provide for you.

Find the right candidate by working with Colorado’s top executive recruiting firm, Riderflex

At Riderflex, your success is our success, and we’re dedicated to helping you find the right candidates for any C-level positions, as well as a wide variety of other positions in a variety of industries. Learn more about our recruiting process and what we can do for you today.