By Jerry Angowitz
It’s a given – client companies want speed from their executive search recruiters and staffing partners – especially in this challenging recruitment marketplace.
They want their open position(s) at the very top of our list of active search engagements.
They want their staffing partners to harness all resources, present their job to our candidate pipeline, focus on their requirements and screen and qualify down to the best candidates in the market and present best in class talent – and they would like it done yesterday.
Sound about right?
As the head of LLoydSearch, I’m about to share with you what might be demotivating your search partner and slowing down your hiring process.
Hiring managers typically use multiple recruiting firms because they believe it helps them cast a wider net in the candidate marketplace and will get them faster, better results. NOT TRUE! This thinking, while common, is actually working completely against you! First of all, it is very likely candidates are being contacted by multiple recruiters from different firms all for the same position. It devalues the role because candidates perceive it as desperate and unimportant – i.e. why are so many recruiters calling me about this position – it must be a tough company to work for… or worse – each recruiter is presenting the company or the impact of the position differently.
In a candidate’s market when speed. quality and availability are important and time is scarce, trust your search partner to engage and recruit and present the best active or passive candidate for your role. By doing so, you allow your own team to recruit for other critical positions or to just focus on other projects and not be cornered by multiple emails and calls for the same search from multiple search firms. When your recruiting firm AND your internal corporate recruiters are competing it’s chaos and works as a disincentive. What works best is a clearly defined committed partnership with a hyper-focus on a recruitment where the priority is delivering speed and quality.
Competition among search partners doesn’t guarantee success; it just causes a burst of activity and a rush to make a referral before anyone else. What you really want is a dedicated, thorough search by a committed recruiting partner to ensure you are getting the best candidate(s) in the market.
The multiple search firm methodology can create damage in multiple ways – it puts the client employer’s brand (and employee value proposition in question), it diffuses the importance of the position to prospective candidates, and it causes concerns about confidentiality with excellent candidates, particularly those passive individuals who were carefully sourced, who are not on the open market. Overall, it diminishes the chances of attracting the impact-type talent all companies want because it shift’s the recruiter’s priority to speed over quality because of the pressure of a ticking clock and competitor at your heels.
If you really want to maximize the effectiveness of your search firm, give your recruiting partner an exclusive search (meaning you do not share your opening with other firms) and see what happens.
We are confident you will see the following results…
- Time and Energy
The effort spent coordinating the activities of multiple search firms can be exhausting. This effort is better spent creating a partnership and a shared vision of the right candidate with one search firm who will work according to your scheduling demands and an established protocol. - Guaranteed Commitment
Your exclusivity guarantees a total commitment on the part of your recruiting partner and signifies your confidence in their abilities. This puts your search in a position of high priority. Their search for candidates will move beyond a search of an existing database and onto a broader, more targeted network and the identification and sourcing of passive candidates. - Deeper Qualifying
Rather than racing to present candidates before another firm, more time will be spent on the vetting process to ensure the candidates referred to you are worth your consideration. You will see candidates who meet the skills criteria and are also better suited to your corporate DNA and culture. - Elite Talent
Research shows that the highest quality and more experienced candidate will only consider an opportunity that is presented by a recruiter as an exclusive search. Confidentiality and the importance of a position are key to a candidate’s perception of the opportunity and how it is being filled. An exclusive search preserves confidentiality and assures the candidate a sensitivity that cannot be guaranteed in multi-firm search. - Enhanced Branding
Today’s candidates put an emphasis on a company’s employment brand – i.e. the market perception of what it’s like to work for that organization. An exclusive search means your company and position will be presented exactly the way you want to be portrayed. By developing a partnership with one firm, you are able to control the message you want projected and you convey a seriousness about how you select talent and it helps elevate a position’s importance. This feeling of importance means the hiring candidate is already engaged by the time s/he on-boards.
Convinced? Are you ready to make smarter, more impactful hires?
We encourage you to consider exclusivity in your next candidate search to improve the process and the outcome.
As automotive tycoon Henry Ford once said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”
About the Author:
Jerry An
gowitz, Managing Director, LLoydSearch
Gerald (Jerry) Angowitz serves as the Managing Director for LLoyd’s Executive Search practice specializing in Retained Search for senior leadership and the placement of Interim Professionals for projects, consulting engagements and change management transitions. Jerry and his team work with start-ups, as well as multi-billion dollar giants to attract Board Directors, C-Suite Executives and Functional Leadership to a prestigious roster of client companies. Jerry is the former Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Administration for RJR Nabisco, Inc. (a Fortune 60 company). At RJRN, he reported to the Chairman and CEO, served on the Company’s Executive Committee, and chaired its Pension Investment Committee. As a key advisor to the CEO and Board of Directors, Jerry teamed with top management on a wide range of human capital, strategic, operational, and organizational initiatives. Jerry is Senior Vice Chair of the Gurwin Healthcare System where he also serves as Chair of the Compensation, and Pension Committees, as well as Chairing the Gurwin Foundation. He also serves as a Board Secretary of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America and holds a J.D in Law.
Contact: JAngowitz@LLoydSearch.com
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