Call them executive recruiters or simply headhunters, they are the people whose radar you want to appear on if you are a rising star in just about any business. Not unlike a Hollywood talent scout, executive search professionals look for middle- to senior-level managers and executives who have a record of success and are looking to tackle their next challenge.

Executive search firms act as consultants to companies in search of talent and often specialize in a particular industry or occupational field, from nonprofits to sales and marketing. Contingency firms receive payment only when a candidate is placed, whereas retained firms are paid for conducting the search, not only for the placement.

Several Lansing-area firms specialize in executive search and recruitment and have been very active in several high-profile searches, including those for top spots at Lansing’s Board of Water & Light, Capital Region Airport Authority and the local United Way.

“We specialize in human capital consulting. Human capital is similar to buying a piece of equipment, but we think a lot more important to a business. Picking the right leaders is crucial to the success of any organization,” said Sandy Soltysiak, director of executive search for Hiring Solutions/Varnum Consulting, LLC in Okemos.

Soltysiak said each search should begin with an assessment of a company’s or organization’s goals, talent needs and culture.

“We consider ourselves talent scouts who get clients to think outside of areas they normally would. Most often our clients simply do not have the time or expertise to recruit then interview multiple prospects. We have the network in place to find the ideal candidate,” Soltysiak explained.

Hiring high performance employees at top levels of management is directly related to the success or failure of many companies, she added.

Hiring Solutions, which Soltysiak founded in 1987 and then merged with Varnum Consulting four years ago, works locally with clients such as Sparrow Health System, Lansing Community College, Michigan Retailers Association and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

“We are very strong in nonprofits, banks, associations and manufacturing. Our strength is in the assessment part. The fit is what matters,” she said. “People are hiring attitude; they hire people who are motivated and have initiative. They want people who have personality and are willing to learn. Sometimes those traits are more important than the technical skill set.”

Charles Blockett, Jr. was responsible for the classification and selections system for the

State of Michigan’s classified employees before retiring from the State and founding his own executive search firm in 1997. His firm, Charles Blockett, Jr. and Associates, Inc. in Lansing, serves clients in the private sector, governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations.

“We search databases and online sources for our clients in search of the ideal candidate. We look specifically at the target audience we are trying to reach in our recruitment. For instance, if we are looking for a fire chief for a municipality, we will go right to the trades and websites associated with that career. The Internet is a way for us to direct our energies,” said Blockett, who admitted that advertising in newspapers is costly and less effective than electronic recruitment tools.

Like many executive search firms, Blockett and Associates receives a large volume of résumés. Blockett said he will hang on to many of them, occasionally weeding out unqualified candidates.

“My clients are looking for managers with people skills, have the ability to adapt and have vision, someone who can pull all the resources of an organization together and move the organization forward,” Blockett said.

Blockett and Associates, which also does classification and compensations studies, assessment testing and examinations, charges clients a fee based on the annual salary of the position they are searching. An executive search can last from 40 days up to three months, depending on whether the organization is public or private.

“In the public sector, searches take longer because you have to abide by the Open Meetings Act, which adds a another layer of scrutiny,” Blockett added.

Most executive search firms will interview potential candidates, pitch candidates to the employer and then negotiate the compensation package, said Ken Glickman, senior vice president of Harvey Hohauser & Associates in East Lansing, which has filled upper management positions at Ingham Regional Medical Center and the Michigan Auto Dealers Association.

“The negotiation process is crucial and is a big part of what we do. We want to make sure the offer is accepted. Money isn’t always the biggest deciding factor to some people, yet to others it is everything,” Glickman said.

The boutique firm offers in-depth search services that focus on determining the exact candidate qualifications for each client. That includes interviewing the client’s management before doing initial screening and then presenting three to five qualified candidates.

“[Executive search] is the most important service a company could ever buy. Companies are so use to putting money into marketing and capital improvements, but unless you hire the right people, it really is all for naught. The success of a company usually doesn’t hinge on the building it purchases, but rather the leadership it has,” Glickman said.

The executive search firms in the area say Michigan’s lagging economy has impacted their business by making clients even more hesitant about making hiring decisions.

“That makes our role in executive search even more important. The cushion for making a hiring mistake is gone,” Glickman said.

Hiring Solutions’s Soltysiak is worried that attracting high-caliber candidates will become more and more difficult considering Michigan’s economic climate.

“I don’t think we are bringing in the diversity of talent from across the region like we once did. Diversity isn’t just gender and race. It’s diversity of thought and background and experience. I think many are going to other states right now,” Soltysiak said.

Nonetheless, Blockett said the Lansing area remains attractive to many executive job seekers.

“On the whole, I believe the area is doing OK considering the number of insurance companies and associations based here. The hardest part of my job remains telling qualified candidates they didn’t get the job,” Blockett said.