Every CEO says they want the best people. But most of them still hire like operators, not like owners of the game. And hiring is a game.
Regular CEOs hire to support their business, but the CEO of a top headhunting firm hires because hiring is the business, so they own the whole process.
If you hire like an operator, you’ll get operator-level talent. If you hire like an owner of the game, you’ll get the people who change it.
If you want game-changing results, you have to copy the mindset of the people whose business is finding game-changers.
Here’s what executive headhunter firms know about hiring that you don’t:
The Top 10% Don’t Apply to Job Ads
The best hire you will ever make for your business probably won’t come from a job ad because the A+++ talent you want isn’t out there applying. They already have a good job and they are too busy being exceptional. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be open to a new opportunity if the right one came along, it’s just not something they are chasing. If you are only posting job ads and reviewing incoming applications, you are limiting yourself to people who are actively looking, and the top performers aren’t there.
Headhunting CEOs Know: A+++ Gets Approached
At the highest levels of performance, the best people have a different presence in the market. They are stable, confident, and well-networked, which means opportunity finds them and they expect to be approached. You have to meet them where they are. They don’t chase, and CEOs of headhunting firms know that. They live in that reality every day, so they do not wait for talent to come to them. They go out and find people who might not be looking, but should be, and start a conversation about what else is possible for them from there.
Most Hiring Teams Think They’re Headhunting… They’re Not
Most internal hiring teams believe they are “headhunting” when they send a handful of cold LinkedIn messages or ask their network for referrals. That is not headhunting and it shows. True headhunting is a craft that is built from doing it every single day, at a high level, for years. A CEO of a headhunting firm lives and dies by their ability to find and secure the best talent in the market, so they don’t just dabble in outreach. They run a disciplined, high-precision search with the sole focus of landing the exact person they want, and that is why they consistently reach a level of talent others cannot even get on the phone.
Executive Search Logic Is Not Just For Executives
Executive search used to be reserved for the C-suite, but today every role is highly specialized and the gap between an average performer and an expert is wider than ever. Every department has roles that are critical to growth, so when you hire like a CEO, you hire with the mindset that every seat needs to be filled with the best possible person. That does not happen by hiring whoever is “available now.” It happens through a direct, proactive, and targeted approach to identify and engage the highest level of talent in the market. A+++ companies are built by A+++ players, and the supply of that talent is limited. The companies who win are the ones who treat every key hire with the urgency and precision of an executive search.
If You Want to Hire Like a Headhunting CEO — Work With One
Unless your business is a top headhunting firm, you will not have the time or infrastructure to run a search at this level. That is why the fastest-growing companies work with Boutique Recruiting. We treat every role like it is critical. We build the list, make the calls, and close the deal. We do not just find someone who can do the job, we find the person who will change it.