The best way to land high flyers
When a company is looking for a highly qualified, experienced executive to fill a top position, advertising directly is usually not the best way to go about it, as the typical job ad will attract surprisingly few appropriate responses, while also targeting only a very narrow segment of the potential universe of candidates. This is according to Debbie Goodman-Bhyat, MD of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters.
Goodman-Bhyat says there is a vast difference between what she refers to as “response handling” and headhunting – one being a passive process, based very much on luck, the other being an active search for the best talent.
Response handling
“Response handling is the process of placing an advert in various publications which an employer hopes a prospective employee, within a specific industry, may read. The employer or recruitment agent then must sift through the CVs of those who happen to respond and choose the best from this group of active applicants.
“However, the usual experience is that more than 60% of the responses are from ‘chancers' – individuals who are completely inappropriate, lacking the relevant work experience and having inadequate qualifications, but who have decided to try their luck anyway. Typically less than 10% of those responding to an advert will be within the general sphere of appropriateness for the job.”
And, Goodman-Bhyat adds, of this 10% who may be suitable, you are getting a mere snapshot of the talent available in the market at any one time.
Bird shot versus sniper's bullet
“Remember, those who respond to an advert are usually active job seekers and, although you may be lucky enough to find stellar talent this way, it is the equivalent of choosing bird shot over a sniper's bullet when aiming at the high flyers. At a junior to mid-tier level, the ‘ad response' approach may suffice in some instances, but is definitely not the ideal method of recruitment if one intends to source technical specialists or senior management talent
“We know that less than 20% of employees in any designated market sector are actively looking for jobs at any one time, and those are the ones that will respond to job advertisements.
“Of the remaining 80%, a surprisingly high number – approximately 75% – are passive job seekers who are open to hearing about alternative career opportunities if approached by a professional headhunter. This is a huge group of talent that is completely missed by agencies that place ads and hope for the best.”
