Knowledge Based Article
How To Know When To Use Proactive Recruitment
In today’s competitive market place the need for talented and committed employees is greater than ever. Only by being proactive in the marketplace and searching for the
individuals that best suit a role can you be assured of finding the best candidates. Can you afford to take the risk of hiring a just acceptable candidate rather than the best one? So, when is a proactive approach more suitable? Here are nine situations where we would recommend using a proactive approach.
If it’s a Difficult Market
Even if via the advertised or contingency approach your vacancy comes to the attention of a suitable candidate, there is no guarantee they will apply. In today’s market many people are reluctant to move, fearing possible job insecurity in a new company. This is particularly true of top performers who know that no matter how difficult things become for their employer they will be retained over other people in the organisation. In a challenging market attracting people takes more of a sales effort and this can only be achieved by a proactive approach where time can be spent engaging with target candidates to sell the opportunity and reassure them about their concerns.
If the Candidate Pool is Small
If the number of people with the required profile is relatively small and in order to have a reasonable shortlist of candidates, high coverage and engagement of the target market is required.
If the Position Needs to be Sold to the Market
There is a much better conversion rate from numbers of people being informed about a vacancy to numbers of people applying for a vacancy, when candidates are approached directly rather than via an advertised/database contingency approach. Typically, contingency recruitment companies work on a model where they aim to successfully fill around 15% of the vacancies they take on, whereas at george james ltd with a direct approach we achieve a success rate of over 95%.
If the Position is Highly Leveraged
Would there be a significant difference to the bottom line between hiring the best person who can be attracted from a proactive recruitment approach and hiring an acceptable candidate sourced from a more reactive approach?
If the Ideal Candidate Doesn’t Exist
Whilst it’s easy to hire the perfect candidate most people have to hire the best candidate they interview. The question is “Is this person the best candidate in the market, or just the best candidate who has applied?” When you run a targeted recruitment project you are better able to make an informed decision about when and when not to compromise.
If Your Own Network, or Other Approaches Haven’t Delivered
If your own network has not turned up any candidates and other contingency companies can’t help, sometimes the only route to a quick hire is to proactively network. Advertising is an option, but it is now rather scattergun with so many possible places to promote your role, only the most proactive candidates
are likely to see this. To ensure a good range of candidates are made aware of your role, you need to go directly to the market.
If the Search Needs to be Confidential
There are many occasions when a search needs to remain confidential, for example, when a new hire may make changes to the organisation, if the existing role holder is being replaced, or you are about to announce or about to enter, a merger or acquisition, or the business is about to be sold. A direct approach to market enables you to share information with potential candidates that you would not necessarily want in the public domain.
If it’s a Senior Hire
When the position is senior enough that it is important for the company to be seen to be investing in its recruitment process to attract the right people. The recruitment partner chosen, and the methodology employed conveys a strong message to potential candidates. Top people with experience look for investment in the hiring process by the hiring company and can be put off applying if the way they become aware of the role does not meet with their expectations.