Perhaps one of the most underutilized (and most over-ridiculed) tools in a founder's recruiting arsenal is working with contractors and agencies. Though many can get a bad rap, finding a great firm (especially for key roles) can mean the difference between getting the role you need filled now, or 6 months too late. The right time to bring in external help is when you’re looking to hire a VP or Director level candidate and you need to capitalize on a search firm’s already built-out network for a specific position, or when you are filling IC / evergreen roles but you don’t have the internal resources to fully support your hiring efforts.
In the latest episode of Technical Recruiting Playbooks, Natasha Katoni addresses how you can pick and work with an external recruiter or search firm. She emphasizes that a successful partnership with an external firm includes strong calibration practices, reasonable expectations on the part of the hiring team, a smart payment structure, and previous success that allows you to feel confident in the firm’s abilities.
Topics For Discussion:
- Need for an external recruiter or search firm (1:00)
- How to make the best out of an external headhunter (3:54)
- Evaluating an external recruiter (5:43)
- Strategies for negotiation with external recruiters (8:22)
- Different payment methods for external recruiters (9:35)
