Successfully hiring the best candidates available in the marketplace is one of the most important things that a company can do. In fact, it could be argued that it’s the most important thing a company can do.
If you think in terms of professional sports, the team with the best players usually wins. Companies need to hire the best talent to give them a “leg up” over their competition.
However, successfully hiring the best candidates available in the marketplace is also one of the most difficult things that a company can do.
The reason, of course, is that the process involves so many phases, including the following five:
- Identification of talent
- Recruiting of talent
- Hiring of candidates
- Onboarding of employees
- Retaining of employees
As you can see, there are phases both prior to hiring and after hiring has occurred. However, onboarding and retention are just as important, since successfully hiring top candidates doesn’t mean much if you can’t keep them.
Perhaps the most difficult part of the process can be found between steps one and two, between the “identification of talent” and the “recruiting of talent.” It’s important to point out that these two steps are not the same and they can’t be combined.
This is especially the case with superstar candidates, those top candidates that every company would like to hire. There are a few reasons for this:
- These candidates are not actively seeking a new employment opportunity.
- If they are presented with a premium opportunity, they have to be convinced to leave their current position (since they’re almost certainly employed).
- Not only must they be convinced to leave their current position, but they must also be convinced to take your opportunity. That’s because there’s a strong possibility that they’re being wooed by multiple companies.
THIS is the value that executive recruiters provide to companies.
Identifying top candidates can be a daunting enough task, especially since those candidates are not actively seeking out your opportunity. However, even if you identify the talent, you still have to recruit the talent. Don’t assume they’re going to automatically be interested in the opportunity.
You must compel them to be interested. You must sell them on all aspects of the position. And you must infuse them with enthusiasm and excitement about the prospect of working for your company.
Executive recruiters do all of this and more—they also manage the process from beginning to end, ensuring a successful fit and a smooth transition once the candidate is on board.
Successfully hiring the best candidates available in the marketplace is both the most important and the most difficult task for a company. The value that an executive recruiting firm provides is the key to overcoming that degree of difficulty . . . and hiring the people who will make a real difference.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of organizations. If this is something you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.