How do you acquire the best employees? Your human resources department will tell you what they look for in a job candidate. It is likely they’ll cite things such as key resume phrases, and of course solid references. This technique is perfectly fine for filling most job billets, but it is inadequate for those jobs that require a certain level of experience and expertise.
A strategic human resources plan needs to be executed when a company is looking for new employees to take on executive jobs at a senior level. Many times, these potential new hires will require a certain degree of enticement to leave their current position for another. Another direction is executive search consultant services are also valuable when a business is attempting to diversify their employee base for better performance. Hiring with this aim in mind requires finesse.
In a recent survey of 1,400 executives undertaken by Robert Half, the reasons why an employee may turn out to be a failed hire were discussed. Analyzation showed that about one-third of those surveyed believed that a poor skills match was to blame, after accounting for any notable performance issues. A close follow up of 30% of executives believed providing the employee with unclear performance objectives caused confusion, resulting in unmet expectations. This implies that a failed hire can result due to a misunderstanding of what a job entails as well as how one’s success at the job will be measured. Either way, an issue in understanding can waste time and money on both sides of the job.
If much of an employee’s failings can simply be a result of inadequate communication, what is the solution? Clearly then, communication ranks high on the factors that lead to a good hire. Executive search consultant services at times act as the mediator in the hiring process, by finding the best candidates and then ensuring those candidates understand what will be asked of them at work. Doing so weeds out those candidates that may look perfect for the job on paper, but under pressure reveal their inadequacies.
Executive search consultant services are also used by many employers seeking to increase the diversity within their employee base. Other than being the decent and fair thing to do, promoting ethnic diversity within a company was proven by McKinsey to increase performance by 35% as compared to peer companies. Gender-diverse companies were also proven to outperform less diverse companies by about 15%. Different perspectives are essential for company growth and vitality.
The old model of having prospective candidates come to you works for some business models. When a job does not require much technique or experience, it is simpler to train the employee to be what the position requires of them. But for those companies that want to stay competitive and hire the best fit for a highly technical job or to fill a senior level position, it might take a different approach to acquire the right employee. In that regard, the task might be to go out and find them, at least before your competitors do.