Executive Recruitment Advertising – Does it really work?

So you’ve identified a need to recruit.

Maybe it’s because one of your key members of staff is moving on. Perhaps you’ve restructured and this has driven out a need to bring additional talent into the business. Whatever the reason it’s important to decide the most effective way of attracting the best talent to your organisation.

So what are your options for attracting new talent?

1. It’s very easy to advertise the position yourself on either LinkedIn or one of the many other jobsites available. You might even choose a specialist industry magazine and then internally deal with the responses.

2. You could instruct a recruitment company to advertise the position. They can filter the responses and send you the best candidates for the role within the parameters of their professional experience.

3. Instruct an advertising agency to write the ad and place it for you.

Whilst these are all valid options you might want to consider several key issues that might affect the outcome of going down these routes.

Disadvantages of DIY recruitment process

Advertising can be a key element of the recruitment process. However, over the last fifteen years the Internet has impacted massively on this traditional approach

You only have to look at the appointments section of The Sunday Times. Fifteen years ago it was a standalone supplement quite often numbering 30+ pages. Now it is down to one page tucked away in the back on the Business section.

1.There are literally hundreds of online jobs boards. Industry bodies typically have a careers page on their web site, LinkedIn has over two hundred thousand jobs advertised in the UK alone and in excess of half a million in the USA. So the first decision to make is:

Where on earth is the best place to advertise?

With so many choices open and no guarantee of success it can quite often be a difficult decision to make.

2. Secondly, you have to question who will be scanning the jobsites or press for a new role? The answer is: candidates who are actively looking for a new job! But there are many reasons why potential candidates are actively seeking new employment:

· they could have been made redundant

· a contract has come to an end

· their career is beginning to plateau in their present organisation

· they don’t like their boss, the list goes on.

So, while advertising will, on some occasions, attract some quality candidates the question you have to ask is; is it likely to attract the absolute best in the market?

Other disadvantages of online advertising

Many online portals will require the candidate to complete various lengthy sections before being allowed to submit their CV. If the candidate is busy this can be extremely off-putting not to mention very impersonal.

The issue of confidentiality has to be considered.

If a candidate is gainfully employed they could well be cautious about submitting a CV online as in reality they do not know who will have sight of it. More often than not a recruitment advertisement is a condensed version of the job description and may not contain sufficient information to entice a candidate to apply.

Salary is also an important point.

With many organisations their policy is not to state salary on an advertisement. This may be for valid reasons. But because every company has different job titles for similar roles the job title itself may not be reflective the actual status of the vacant position. For example, Marketing Leader in one organisation could be Marketing Director in another and Marketing Manager in another. The message can be very confusing and could potentially lead to the best candidate simply not applying as they are unsure what the role really entails.

Estimating salaries can be misleading

Some job sites allow you to post an advertisement within a set salary range others but LinkedIn, for example, will estimate the salary based upon the job title. This has the potential to be very confusing for potential candidates. For example when a job paying £125,000 has an estimated salary of £32,000 or pays £80,000 while having and estimated salary of £140,000 it’s not ideal. This impacts on the number of candidates applying for the role and also candidate quality.

Advertisements have a shelf life

Advertisements whether placed on-line or in other media are only live for a set period of time, usually anywhere between one week and one month. If the best candidate for the role does not actually view the advertisement and apply you either select from candidates who have applied or even re-advertise the position at additional cost.

Reputational issues are important.

If for whatever reason the hiring company has had some adverse media coverage; whether justified or not, this could cause potentially interested parties shelve an application or simply dismiss the opportunity.

How do you overcome the many challenges of relying on recruitment advertising?

How do you overcome selecting from the best of those applying rather than the best in the market place? Yes recruitment advertising may well be effective is this the most efficient way of hiring senior executives in to your organisation? The short answer is NO!

The only way to guarantee identifying the best talent in the market place is to take a proactive approach to your recruitment needs: hire a recruiter!

1. By utilising the services of an experienced executive recruiter who has experience of identifying and approaching the best candidates in the market you will be in a position to make your hiring decisions based on the knowledge that no stone has been left unturned.

2. A seasoned recruiter is often viewed as an industry insider with extensive knowledge of a sector and the key individuals within that sector.

3. Unlike advertising active search does not have a shelf life; many of the best candidates in the market are extremely busy and could potentially be travelling extensively. It takes time patience and skill to be able to track down and make contact with top talent.

4. An experienced recruiter will undoubtedly have the connections and tenacity to be able to do this with good effect.

5. Experienced recruiters understand the dynamics of successful recruitment

6. The fact that a candidate is not actively seeking a new opportunity is usually a good indicator that they are being successful in their present role.

7. This does not necessarily preclude them from exploring another opportunity that would allow them to take their career to another level. To attract this type of high achieving candidate requires a significant amount of gentle persuasion. We need to share sufficient information to convince them a new opportunity is worthwhile taking a closer look at exploring in more detail.

8. An experienced headhunter will promote the hiring company, their growth plans and the potential for this role to take the candidate’s career to another level.

9. Also during discussions an experienced recruiter will easily identify potential time wasters who would just want to use the opportunity to increase their salary with their existing employer.

10. The role of the recruiter is to act as an ambassador on behalf of their client.

11. The approach of the Head Hunter is always done with extreme confidentiality and therefore allows initial discussions with candidates to be open and frank, covering off such issues as salary expectations, reputational issues and the need to submit one’s CV to a faceless online portal.

To conclude:

It is very easy to see how the direct professional approach will give a hiring organisation access to a far higher quality of candidate. Throughout the whole recruitment process candidates will be dealt with professionally and personally which also enhances the reputation of the hiring company. Isn’t it time you thought carefully about your next role?

If you need assistance then Meyrick Consulting may well be able to help you out. Why not book a call and talk through your specific food industry recruitment needs.

1. Click here to book an appointment directly with me Click Here

2. Call me for a no obligation discussion on + 44 7793 526078