Creating the "Ideal Hiring Scenario"

I know a lot of employers are reluctant to work with headhunters and executive recruiters because they can't justify the fees, particularly when it's for a service they believe they can do themselves.  To quote the indomitable Dwight Schrute, Assistant Regional Manager at Dunder Mifflin paper company on NBC's The Office: "Why would I tip someone for a job I'm capable of doing myself? I can deliver food. I can drive a taxi. I can, and do, cut my own hair. I did however, tip my urologist, because I am unable to pulverize my own kidney stones."

As a business owner, hiring manager, or human resource professional needing to fill a key management position within your organization, you want to ensure your recruiting efforts yields the best employee possible.  Most employers know the type of individuals they want in their management positions, they just don't necessarily know the best way to find and attract them.  So in an attempt to construct the "ideal hiring scenario", let's start with the desired outcome (a great new hire) and work our way backwards.

Imagine this: sitting in front of you are four impeccably dressed, highly qualified industry professionals eager to demonstrate why they're the best candidate for your job. One by one, you listen intently as each candidate outlines their previous positions and responsibilities, all the while drawing relevant parallels between their firsthand experiences and accomplishments to your expectations. You find each professional to be uniquely engaging and insightful, and the interviews feel more like free consulting sessions with industry consultants rather than the traditional employer/candidate Q & A interrogations.

Throughout this process, one individual stand outs from the rest. While all four candidates have strong track records of success in roles similar to the one you're hiring for, there is a feeling that this particular individual could potentially ramp up quickly with minimal hand-holding and ultimately exceed your performance expectations. We'll call him "Scott".  Scott appears to be a natural fit for the position, and not only is there strong chemistry between the two of you, his personality compliments the rest of your management staff.

Having narrowed the talent pool down to Scott and one other candidate, you arrange for them to meet individually with the other members of your management team.  Both receive overwhelmingly positive feedback, however, everyone is in agreement that Scott's experience, personality and motivation make him the clear favorite for the job.  You verify his employment dates and education and receive glowing feedback from his references.  An offer letter of employment is extended and he verbally accepts.  Scott works with you construct a package that ties his compensation directly to his performance objectives.  He signs the employment agreement and the two of you agree on a start date 2 weeks in the future.

I think most of us would agree that the end result of any candidate search is to hire incredibly talented and capable individuals like Scott, but how do you get to that point?  A better question might be, what are you willing to invest (time and money-wise) to create a scenario like the one I just described? 

I can assure you the logistics involved in coordinating an interview schedule for a group of high-level candidates is incredibly time consuming and laborious: there are literally hundreds phone calls, emails, IM's, text messages, and meetings over the course of several weeks, if not months, in order to make a recruiting scenario like I detailed a reality.  As a hiring manager you have to determine, first and foremost, whether or not you have the internal resources capable of identifying and reaching out to these highly sought-after candidates and secondly, can you dedicate those resources full-time to this project until it's complete?  If the answer to either of those questions is "no", then maybe it's time to look to an outside resource.

If it's the placement fee structure that's holding you back, keep in mind that the days of 25-30% of annual salary placement fees are all but over with and most search consultants will work with you to establish a pricing structure that meets both your needs.