An elevated level of attention is necessary when filling the senior-most roles in an organization. Such roles pose the highest risk and detrimental impact to an organization if a bad hire is made. If you’re contemplating using an executive recruiter, consider the telltale signs it’s time to call in a professional to lead this vital search for your company.
Referrals from employees and your own network are far and few in between
A well-established referral program can be an excellent source of talent for companies. After all, who knows the company culture and of the type of personalities that will succeed there better than a company’s own employees. But as the open roles become more senior, many organizations are often challenged to find talent through their internal referral process. Executive recruiters can effectively supplement internal referrals and diversify your talent sources. Networking is an executive recruiter’s super power.
A specific skill set is required
Hiring managers may have a limited idea where to begin looking when faced with finding top senior talent with specific expertise. But specialized executive recruiters have spent years cultivating a pipeline of talent across functional responsibilities, emerging skill sets, and in specific industries. They know where to source rising stars as well as well-known industry leaders – which events to attend, which organizations to join, and which competitors might have the talent you need. They keep tabs on who is where and who might be ready for a move. Additionally, they know how to access coveted, hard-to-reach, passive candidates. Their inside knowledge means they are more time and cost efficient than most hiring managers in identifying, recruiting and securing the exact executive needed to meet the client’s talent objective.
The role requires a cultural match
According to a Harvard Business Review study, external leadership hires fail most often because the fit with the company, and in particular, their team wasn’t right. Hiring fails at the highest levels of the organization can be very expensive – both from a bottom line and company morale perspective. Executive recruiters are experienced in interpreting a company’s cultural dimensions – mission, vision, values, goals, traditions, attitudes and practices – and incorporating it into the talent acquisition process for pivotal senior level roles. This is an especially important step in helping organizations find executives who will be agents of change – leaders who will need to balance the current culture with how the company is aspiring to evolve.
Download our latest position paper, 5 Signs That It's Time To Engage An Executive Recruiter, today.