No matter what type of company you run, it is important to have the right people on board if you’re looking to succeed, especially when hiring senior-level employees.
As businesses continue to grow, they often struggle to find qualified candidates who match their hiring criteria. This has led to a rise in contract workers, temporary employees, freelancers, and consultants. While these options provide flexibility, they also come with drawbacks. In addition, some companies don’t want to invest time training new hires because they see them as a sunk cost.
There are pros and cons to each option, but ultimately, the decision comes down to whether you want to maximise short-term profits or retain talent and invest in company growth in the long run.
People also refer to senior-level employees as ‘veterans’ or ‘experienced.’ They bring with them years of experience and knowledge within their chosen industry. Companies who opt in getting through all the trouble of recruiting one often have long-term growth agendas in place or respect the knowledge that comes along with this type of appointment.
Why top-level employees are vital for success— and what makes them so hard to find?
Technology is evolving at a rapid rate causing more and more industries to experience disruptive innovation. You can’t leave it up to technology all the time. Businesses still need skilled labour and expertise to survive the tougher demands of today’s landscape.
As opposed to hiring employees for entry-level positions and baseline work, the entire task of hiring senior-level professionals is much more challenging and time consuming because of all the demands and factors that must be considered. Given the fact that the future of a business rides on the outcome of a hiring decision, businesses now face even more pressure to step up their hiring practices as they go through pools of skilled candidates. Fortunately, you can mitigate the necessity of a hands-on approach and the difficulties faced by implementing the right hiring practices and partnering with the right talent.
To ensure that you avoid having a senior-level position candidate who fails within the first 18 months of assuming their role, here are three headhunter-endorsed practices to take into consideration:
1. Know who you’re looking for and be clear about it
With an added amount of pressure and the future of your business on the line, it will help to be much more specific about who you’d like to fill the open position in question. A common problem in hiring senior-level managers is ending up with a candidate who doesn’t meet the requirements.
Specify your business needs in the job listing by asking for case studies, certifications, recommendations, or previous experience. This can reduce the time it takes to find a prospective candidate. In cases like these, it also helps to be much more descriptive and elaborative on what you need, so a detailed write-up will definitely suffice!
Clearly define what you need to accomplish and identify the type of professional or expert your business will require to get things done efficiently. Through thorough assessments, you can gauge these metrics. Resilient Management doesn’t compromise any requirement and qualification in finding the most suited senior-level candidate for your business. After all, a successful appointment could take time.
2. Expand your search by searching for employed candidates
For most businesses, the perfect candidate is often already employed by their competitors. If this is your case, then it’s time to switch up the headhunting approach by “pirating” a candidate instead.
Rather than waiting for a professional to leave their job, it’s more optimal to pursue an employed candidate if the current pool of job seekers isn’t sufficient. If you’re new to pirating a candidate, it’s essential to remain discreet. Limit contact to social networks or private emails to avoid tarnishing your reputation.
3. Pitch your position with a compelling spiel and outline it with a compelling or moving case
Today’s skilled senior-level professionals find growth and significant opportunities more attractive than salary increases and benefit packages. Instead of relying on common tactics, the best way to hire candidates who will excel is to go beyond monetary incentives. Focus on deeper-level benefits, such as:
- Longer parental leaves
- Greater opportunities to network and scale careers
- More ways to leave an impact on the world
- Opportunities to lead a team of highly-motivated professionals and establish oneself as a lauded stalwart in the industry
Final words
Although hiring for a senior-level position is challenging, an executive search organization can make it easier. With our team of highly-skilled headhunters, Resilient Management Solutions can improve your process of hiring senior-level professionals. We’re a UK-based bespoke executive search service, get in touch with us to see how we can help.
Resilient Management Solutions is a UK-based ‘Pure Search’ practice. If you’re in need of executive, leadership, or critical hire assistance, get in touch with us today!
