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Talent Management Articles
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You might be familiar with the old English proverb that says, “when the going gets tough, the tough get going". The phrase has become popular over the years and also became the name of a song recorded by Billy Ocean, a popular 1980’s rhythm and blues performer. However, in 2011, the saying still applies and is a stark message that when things do get tough, you simply need to work harder to meet the challenge.
And such is the case with recruitment and selection in today’s marketplace. With the increasing number of senior executives retiring, and a lack of fully qualified candidates to fill these roles, recruitment is becoming more and more difficult; in fact, “tough” sometimes doesn’t even begin to describe the difficulty a corporation can face when looking for new leaders. And so, this in turn requires both internal as well as external search professionals to sit down and evaluate the strategies used to attract attention to important opportunities.
First of all, query your newsprint advertisements and ask whether or not they are effective in today’s marketplace. Many companies simply call the advertising department and place an ad. This oversimplifies the process as there is much more to advertising than meets the eye. For instance, you need to pay attention to the size of the advertisement; what size will catch the reader’s attention? Psychologically, the reader perceives the size of your advertisement as a direct reflection of the importance of the position. In other words, a small, understated advertisement for a senior executive role will discourage people from applying. One reason is that size of an advertisement signals to the reader what level of support the potential employer is prepared to provide. And, if the title and role don’t match the apparent dollars spent on the ad, a “psychological disconnect” is created and highly qualified people will simply not apply.
Recruiters need to take time to work with their advertising vendors to discuss not only the size of an advertisement to ensure it reflects the level of responsibility, but also its placement within the newspaper. For instance, if the advertisement is buried along with everything else, it may be missed by the reader. Think outside the box, be unique and negotiate a special placement within the newspaper and/or advertise on unusual days in order to attract attention.
As well, your advertisement must be interesting, appealing and attract attention. A standard setup that is, quite frankly, boring, is just that...BORING! Create a script that shows some excitement about the opportunity. Put yourself in the candidate’s shoes... what would they be looking for that your job can provide?
At the same time, your recruitment strategy needs to be multifaceted as one strategy alone is no longer sufficient. Combine your newspaper advertisements with internet and social media strategies and vice-versa; each strategy needs to complement one another rather than compete. Provide links and connections between each of the advertisement mediums so that the reader is in touch with each media strategy.
At the same time, recruiters need to examine the application of networking strategies to discover those candidates who are typically happy in their job and are not currently looking for a new opportunity. Most frequently, this requires the utilization of research personnel who search the internet for names and contacts who might know of others who are interested in an opportunity. Once names have been collected, the recruiters make the networking calls and present the opportunity to the contacts. Most often, the individuals will refer the caller to others. Be sure to send these networkers a copy of your candidate profile and advertisement so that they can circulate it through their network.
Recruitment in today’s marketplace is challenging. People have become more security-conscious while employers on the other hand are being creative in applying various retention strategies. As well, the supply of highly-qualified professionals is diminishing quickly as many baby boomers decide to move on to the next stage of their career.
And so, when the “going gets tough, the tough get going." To succeed, you must develop and apply a comprehensive combination of effective advertisement strategies that will reach out to potential candidates no matter where they work, where they live or what they do.
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