Many companies today look to outside recruiting firms to fulfill their talent requirements. As Michael Dell of Dell computers says, "The ability to find and hire the right people can make or break your business. It's as simple as that." Having been involved with hundreds of downsizings and re-engineering of companies in the last decade, I have been exposed to both sides of the talent wars; the overabundance of people in the marketplace and the shortage of qualified and specifically talented personnel to fill specific and critical positions. I am not alone in my thinking; here is a survey about what clients expect from an executive search firm.

Below are the reasons I believe a company should hire an executive search firm to fill their vital roles within their organization. Many companies feel that they could just advertise or use their own contracted workers to find people. But I would submit to you that you should not be cavalier in your efforts to find the very best talent for your vital and critical roles.

1. Experience. Retained search firms (RSFs) have been around for decades. They have built their businesses around relationships. Those relationships allow them to find talent that would normally not look at advertisements for "new" jobs. They have a litany of contacts and databases available to them that make them global players in the "relationship" business of search.
   
   
2. Confidential. What happens to a public company's stock or market share when news is revealed that a "major" player in the company is missing? Retained search companies are discreet in finding talent inside other companies.
   
   
3. Commitment. Retained search companies employ rigorous techniques to find candidates for your company. They also work on "your" search exclusively. Your company is buying their exclusivity, which allows them to focus on your search, which produces quick results with qualified candidates.
   
   
4. Expediency. Proactive search techniques allow for quicker time to placement. When looking at the cost of a vacant critical position within a company, this could literally be thousands of dollars per day.
   
   
5. Top Candidates. Retained search firms can find the right people for the right job, specially if you are looking for a specialized talent or a candidate that can bring your company his/her proven ability.
   
   
6. Higher ratio of resources per candidate. On average most in-house recruiters are a one-person show. With retained search, a company may assign up to 8 people to assist with a search.
   
   
7. It is more cost effective. With more resources available, the position will probably be filled faster. This saves cost associated with vacant critical positions.
   
   
8. Retained search firms are professional. If you are looking to partner with someone that has your best interest in mind and will handle things for your company in a professional manner with honesty and integrity, you should definitely use a RSF.
   
   
9. Retained search firms provide additional value-added services. Some of these may include screening candidates, background checks, performing pre-interviews and giving assessments. Still others may include reference checks, compensation surveys, job specification creation, relocation assistance and trailing spouse employment assistance.
   
   
10. Lastly, as third parties to their customers, RSFs don't have problems asking candidates to reveal information about salary history, reporting or organizational structures, relocation and other perceivedsensitive topics.

Even the next generation of executive search consultants agree with the mission critical issues listed above, according to a report about topics that the industry feels is important moving forward.