Several years ago, I attended a conference on executive recruiting. Leaders from several of the world’s top executive search firms participated and led workshops about their approaches for evaluating talent.
While the conference featured high-quality information, I could not help but feel that there was a glaring omission in regard to the event’s content. The presentations only talked about assessment methodologies. None of the speakers provided any recommendations on how to actually recruit an executive and encourage someone to consider a new opportunity.
The world’s best assessment methodology is useless if a candidate chooses not to participate in your interview process in the first place. The best candidates are usually not looking for a new role. As a result, they need to be courted and persuaded to consider something new.
Executive recruiting requires a delicate balance of evaluating and recruiting. Many hiring managers and recruiters focus too much on the former and not enough on the latter.
Evaluating vs. Recruiting
“Evaluating” refers to anything that you do to determine whether someone is qualified for a position. Typically, that includes asking the candidate a series of structured questions about their prior experience. Ideally, it also includes structured reference calls and having the candidate complete a Stronger Simulation, which is my term for a carefully designed activity that mimics the primary responsibilities of the role that you are trying to fill.
“Recruiting” refers to anything that you do to encourage someone to consider a new opportunity. That includes asking a candidate about their career aspirations, educating a candidate on why an opportunity is compelling, and answering questions that the candidate has about the opportunity.
Emphasize Recruiting First
The first conversation with a candidate should be much more about recruiting, rather than evaluating. Start by asking about the candidate’s current role and their future career goals. Then, tailor your pitch for your opportunity based on what the candidate shares with you first. Give the candidate a chance to ask questions as well. Assuming that the candidate is open to learning more, you can send some more information for review.
If the candidate reviews your materials and expresses interest in continuing the discussion, the next conversation will have a bigger emphasis on evaluating. As you move a candidate through your interview process, decide in advance how much of each conversation should be about evaluating and how much should be about recruiting.
A Specific Example
Recently, I helped a company complete an executive search for a Head of Business Development. Here were the six main steps in the interview process for the eventual placement, along with my estimated percentages of evaluating vs. recruiting at each step:
- Phone call for Pete and the candidate: 75% recruiting and 25% evaluating
- Interview for Pete and the candidate: 25% recruiting and 75% evaluating
- Interview #1 for hiring team and the candidate: 75% recruiting and 25% evaluating
- Interview #2 for hiring team and the candidate: 50% recruiting and 50% evaluating
- Sample project/presentation by candidate for hiring team: 25% recruiting and 75% evaluating
- Presentation of offer to candidate: 90% recruiting and 10% evaluating
While these percentages are rough estimates and this is just one example, most successful searches follow a similar pattern.
Note: I also spoke with the candidate before and after each of their interactions with the hiring team. Most of those conversations had a much bigger emphasis on recruiting than on evaluating.
Summary and Final Thoughts
As you move a candidate through your interview process, decide in advance of each conversation what your approach will be. For all conversations after the initial one with a candidate, it’s good to start by asking about the candidate’s current mindset. Say something like, “Where is your head right now at in regard to this opportunity?”
The candidate’s answer will provide clues about how sold he is on the opportunity. If he seems hesitant to move forward, or he has a lot of questions about whether the opportunity is right for him, that’s a sign that you have a lot more recruiting/selling to do.
You should also consider the following two factors:
- How happy the executive is in his current role: The happier someone is in their current role, the more recruiting you will have to do. Passive candidates require much more recruiting than candidates who are actively seeking a new role.
- How compelling your opportunity is: The less compelling that your opportunity is, the more recruiting that you will have to do. If you aren’t offering a step-up in responsibility, compensation, leadership team, and/or employer brand, you will have to work much harder to encourage someone to consider your role.
Executive recruiting requires a delicate balance of evaluating and recruiting. Many hiring managers and recruiters focus too much on the former and not enough on the latter.
P.S. Looking for more help with your company’s executive recruiting efforts?
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About the author: As the Founder of Stronger Talent, Pete Leibman recruits exceptional leaders for innovative sports, fitness, and wellness companies. Throughout his career, Pete has helped clients recruit exceptional leaders at the Board, C-Suite, Senior Vice President, Vice President, General Manager, Managing Director, and Director levels. Pete’s work has been featured on Fox News, CBS Radio, and Fortune.com, and he is the author of two books and over 250 articles on career management, peak performance, and executive recruiting.
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