Do executive recruiters getting results because of their experience or do they have a secret arsenal of tricks give them the edge? Michael Morell, managing partner at Riviera Partners, says it’s both.
“There isn’t a shortage of talent… there’s a shortage of folks who have enough experience to be really good at recruiting great talent.”
At HireCamp 2014, Michael shared three key things that executive recruiters do to land big kahunas:
Success is Never an Accident
Morell stressed there has to be a process – no matter how simple.
“I emphasize prioritizing the top 3 or 4 requirements, then present a few candidates that meet them to be sure the hiring manager really wants what they say they want.”
Morell also expounded that a feedback loop that requires everyone to vote on candidates individually without seeing what other people said… this helps to avoid groupthink problem which derails many searches.
Create Brand Ambassadors
Every person who walks into your company should have a great experience, even if you don’t hire them. You want everyone to leave excited about what you do and why you do it. Morell described an experience with a company that was being turned down by great talent. No one seemed to want to work there, so Morell went to to visit the company’s HQ to see why.
“Wanna guess how many people said hi to me? ZERO.”
Morell contrasted this with his visit to Zappos where they give every visitor an identifying flag so team members could welcome them and take fun polaroids they could take home with them.
Show Candidates What They’ll Get
Candidates want to know they can thrive at your company. Let them know what kinds of problems they’ll be solving, where your company is going, and what’s in it for them.
“People want to work with smart and passionate people, so when you set up the interview process find folks who are the best representation of your culture and your organization… and put them in front of your candidates,” Morell said.
Click below to listen to Michael Morell’s chock-full of wisdom talk from HireCamp 2014.
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