How The Iceberg Will Improve Your Talent Acquisition Strategy
“We can’t seem to hire the right people into our business”.
Can you relate to this?
It’s a statement I often hear. Especially during the last 12 months. Contrary to popular belief, Digital & Growth Marketers with niche, highly-sought-after skills are harder to hire than ever before. They’re being closely held onto by their employers, and many are unsure of making a move in such an unstable market. Not being able to hire the right talent is a big frustration. It results in wasted time, money and resources; commodities that for some, are already thin on the ground.
Perhaps you’re not exploring enough of the Iceberg.
Let me explain… In my experience, I find the companies who've been unsuccessful in hiring share a common theme. Nothing to do with salary, benefits, or culture, but the recruitment strategy they decide on...Contingent recruitment services. The no-win, no-fee service that has no commitment from either side.
Think about the Iceberg for a moment. Just like the picture, only roughly 30% is on show, above water. Just like any given talent pool, only 30% is active. This means there’s only 30% that will respond to LinkedIn messages or emails. But that leaves a huge 70% of the talent pool not engaged with.
Rushed Recruitment Can Limit Who You Reach
When several recruitment agencies compete to fill the same role, the pressure to submit candidates first can take priority over a thorough search. That can mean focusing on people who are actively job hunting, with less time to identify and engage those who aren’t looking.
These passive candidates may be open to a move, even without an “Open to Work” badge on LinkedIn. Reaching them takes targeted headhunting, relevant outreach and time to explore what would make an opportunity worthwhile.
For specialist and leadership hires, a rushed recruitment process can leave valuable candidates out of the conversation. Your shortlist should reflect the people best equipped to deliver what your business needs, including those who need a compelling reason to consider moving.
Contingency recruitment promotes a race like approach to the process, meaning time is of the essence and the recruiter(s) you work with don’t have your commitment, the time or bandwidth to carry out a rigorous and robust process that's required. You end up hiring from the 30%, when in fact your best hire would have required more time and engagement.
So how do you change this?
At Acquire Search, our services give specialist and leadership hiring the focus it deserves.
Exclusive Search combines targeted headhunting, structured candidate evaluation and a dedicated search lead to reach people beyond the active job market.
Retained Search provides deeper market mapping and dedicated research for senior leadership, confidential or particularly complex appointments.
Co-Branded Search builds on Exclusive Search with tailored employer-brand content, giving potential candidates a clearer picture of your business and a compelling reason to explore the opportunity.
Each approach creates space to understand your ambitions, engage relevant people and assess what they could bring to your next stage of growth.
Planning your next hire? Let’s talk about the search approach that suits your business.
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