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Headhunters: Industry experts in real talent retention

Headhunters. Recruiters. Talent access professionals. All of these terms are familiar to corporate leadership and HR professionals alike. 

Why are these talent and staffing experts used so frequently in virtually every industry, at nearly every level of employment, but especially at the executive level?

Simply put, headhunters prevent the costly mistake of a bad hire. On average, if a new employee doesn’t work out and leaves the company, the cost of filling that employee’s role is 30 percent of their annual income. Add to that the productivity costs and time needed to find a more suitable replacement, and employers are looking at losses far greater than the nominal fee most headhunters or recruiters charge to find those quality candidates who are selected based on their skill and their compatibility with a company’s culture.  

So, what are the benefits of using headhunters?

Results build reputation

A headhunter’s job is to find the candidate who completes their client partner, who fits with their culture and projected business goals. It is a headhunter’s job to envision the future of a business and to find those candidates to match. It is not in their interest to make rash decisions.

Placements have to be retained and these results must be repeatable.

Headhunters who don’t repeat their results or succeed initially probably will not get a call back. Successful recruiters are just that because they have a trained eye, practiced in critical analysis and constantly adjusting their process to meet their client partners’ specialized hiring needs.

Industry knowledge

Not all markets are created equal—in fact, none are. A good headhunter stays ahead of market trends. They know what the state of their current job market is and the most formidable talent active in the market.

The best recruiters don’t just provide knowledge, they use that information to position an employer, to assist them in gaining access to the best talent and to invest their time and resources in the wisest way possible.

Cameron Smith & Associates is a firm that has over 25 years of executive recruitment experience and works within major CPG sectors, striving to always remain at the forefront of market trends. We place the future of the CPG industry.

Faster project completion 

We only have so much bandwidth. When you begin a project or start building a whole new team or company, you need every resource available to be productive, to focus on the business or the project itself. 

Productivity equals profitability, and at no point is this more important than during moments of expansion and growth. Headhunters possess an industry knowledge, a bird’s eye view of your industry, allowing them to pull together appropriate teams more quickly than you would on your own, ultimately saving your business time and resources.

Headhunters network

Being a recruiting professional is about keeping a mobile presence, connecting with as many qualified professionals and organizations within your industry as possible and forming those relationships that continually extend your reach.

Whether you are new as a business or just trying to capture a new section of market share, the amount of time it will take to extend your influence on your own will be costly. Working with a headhunter comes with a premade, robust network of contacts to pull from and build your teams within.


At Cameron Smith & Associates, we believe the CPG industry needs a trusted partner who adds value by providing the best experience—and the painstakingly-built network—to every client, through customized search and personalized service. 

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