For many companies recruitment remains a thorn in their side, something they are forced to do against their will and so they simply want to fill vacancies as quickly as possible and get it off their desks. These businesses are unlikely to have reviewed their recruitment processes for many years and are probably being left behind by their competition. They are also likely to be making bad hiring decisions that either cost the business or fail to achieve sought performance or objectives. 

The recruitment landscape has changed beyond all recognition during the last decade or so and this article provides some great ideas on how you can embrace these changes and steal a lead on your competitors.

It suggests that we consider recruiting people as a 3 legged stool.

Leg 1 - The Strategy Leg: Supply versus demand determines the talent strategy

So many companies we meet believe there is an abundance of talented candidates that are queuing up to work for them. In today's economy, this is an absolute myth. If there are only a few really high calibre candidates to choose from then you need to consider how to attract them and why they would want to work for you. You need a very personal, customer orientated approach focused on building a relationship as opposed to the usual "transactional" approach that doesn't value each touch point because you are playing the numbers game. Think, why would you join your company and what will your career look like in years to come? Prepare your story and make sure you tell it well.

Leg 2 - The People Leg: Offer career moves, not lateral transfers

The high calibre candidates that you seek are unlikely to be motivated by a lateral move unless they can see tangible evidence that it will fuel their personal growth and career plans. You are not trying to place a square peg in a square hole but rather be agile enough to attract someone who will align to your company's purpose, vision and prove a great success for the future. You should dig deep to understand their motivators, intrinsic values and personal drivers. They could solve a long-term problem and not just fill a short-term vacancy but you need to dig deep to find out.

Leg 3 - The Process Leg: Not duct tape

Stop developing recruitment processes focused on minimising a mistake rather than identifying high performing individuals of the future.

Overall the advice is to assume that you can only interview 3 candidates and have to make a decision on one. With this limitation, you will undoubtedly develop a different recruitment process!

Read our blog on how to recruit managers with board-level potetntial:

http://www.collingwoodsearch.co.uk/our-insights/recruiting-retaining-talent/how-to-recruit-managers-with-board-level-potential