The process of identifying, recruiting and hiring candidates is just a small piece of the overall talent acquisition experience. Successfully attracting and assembling “A-Teams” requires deep commitment. When you overlook steps or fail to give them enough time and attention, that’s when your executive recruitment efforts are most likely to falter.
When glaciers break and send an iceberg floating into the ocean, 90 percent of the icy mass remains underwater. Most of their power is hidden from view – talent acquisition works much the same way.
People often ask us what the difference is between Allegro Group’s talent acquisition process and what most people see as simply recruiting or being a headhunter:
- In basic recruiting and headhunting, often times the process is simply matching a job description to a resume.
- In talent acquisition, we seek to understand the business and organizational goals and we work to connect that business with leaders who have motivations and experience that align with those goals. It is a consultative partnership with both the business and the candidates as we advise each of them on navigating these important next steps. We still recruit and “headhunt”, but we go much deeper.
Today’s typical recruiting practices — job ads, digital resumes, and automated screening processes — are terribly impersonal. Many high-performing leaders who are concerned with confidentiality won’t respond to an online posting, especially in smaller markets. Targeting them for leadership-level marketing jobs in Minneapolis, finance jobs in Fargo ND or IT jobs in Minneapolis will require more thought and potentially even in-depth strategic planning.
Navigating change and career transition is challenging. After interviewing thousands of leaders, we have learned that highly qualified people often desire more from their current position. They aren’t unhappy in their current role, but they have a feeling that they have more to give to the world. They crave challenge and advancement but often don’t know how to begin determining the next step in their career. As a result, they tend to remain where they are.
Our role as talent acquisition specialists is to serve as a trusted business partner and career advisor. We get to know leaders well, understanding their experience, leadership competencies, attributes and values as well as the criteria they have for advancement. We build a strong relationship before we ever present them with a potential new opportunity.
As with an iceberg, there is depth to a solid talent acquisition process that includes, but goes beyond, basic executive search, contingent recruiter or headhunter services. The strategy and work beneath the surface supports success for everyone involved.