It seems to be happening more and more. We’re receiving calls from clients asking us for help on their problem searches. “We can’t find the right people” is a constant refrain. And as we begin to investigate the mitigating factors it becomes more evident that there is far more involved than simply finding the right talent. Many companies seem to have adopted a “ready, shoot, aim” approach to their talent search and beginning an executive search before you know what it is you truly need and what you can actually acquire can be counterproductive and in many cases downright harmful.
In an effort to fill positions, companies should look before they leap. Put a strategic plan together before working on a key search, not during. While all searches undergo an evolution of sorts when the talent and competitive landscape become clearer, your company can avoid a great deal of pain and suffering if you look at your talent search from a strategic solution mindset, rather than simply filling a chair.
It is sometimes hard for companies to understand that with any search for passive talent, the talent is evaluating the opportunity as much as the company is evaluating the talent. A position that has been open for a prolonged period of time, a position where numerous contingent recruiters have flooded the market with re-posted job descriptions, a hiring manager whose difficult reputation precedes them in a market; these are all issues that need to be addressed prior to starting a search and can contribute to negative employer brand equity. The candidate market will have already rejected an opening if some or all of the above circumstances exist, which greatly reduces your chance of attracting the “A” candidate that could take your company to the next level.
If your company and opening is incredibly niche specific, your field of candidates is already reduced at the outset. Attempting to throw more candidates at a job opening that is intrinsically flawed does not make a job any more fillable than it was before and can count as another strike against your employer brand. Your opening does not exist in a vacuum, especially if you are a small or midsized company or are extremely specialized. The candidate pool in any industry will communicate with each other, either through professional associations or trade shows or via social media and networking groups. If your company has negative employer brand equity as a result of one or more of the issues cited above and you have continued to interview and reject numerous candidates, you can bet that those rejected candidates are further spreading the word about how difficult/challenging your company and position is. So make sure you do not add negative brand equity to a small pool of candidates, otherwise you may want to consider delaying the search for some time to allow the candidate market to recover.
“A” candidates are looking for “A” opportunities, if your company is currently not an “A”, work on the factors that affect your employer brand instead of trying to find more people that are going to turn down your offer. Taking your employer brand to the next level is what will make the difference between finding a solution and simply filling a chair.