As you’ve discovered if you’d tried to hire any senior level person, the process for hiring leaders for these critical spots is much different than hiring everyone else for this one simple reason:
“You need them more than they need you!”
This mindset changes everything. Here are a few ideas on how to get started:
- Tell stories rather than list “must have” skills in your job postings.
- Sell the career discussion, not the job. This is akin to permission marketing.
- Negotiate the best multi-year compensation plan, not the biggest start date offer.
- Only source semi-finalists. Don’t waste your time talking with non-leaders.
- Make sure that 50% of your candidates are referrals. By converting strangers into acquaintances before they become candidates you only need to source 8-10 people to hire one great person.
- Use the interview to find some career gaps. Even lateral transfers can be career moves if they fill enough holes in the person’s upward career path.
- Surprisingly, leaders score a 3.5 or better on all of the 10 best factors predicting success using this Quality of Hire Talent Scorecard. Average candidates only score a 2.5. Implementing this idea alone changes who you’ll be hiring in the future and who you shouldn’t.
Hiring leaders from professional staff to senior executives requires a high-touch process. However, by spending more time with fewer people – as long as they’re the right people – it’s possible to not only be more efficient but also more effective. It all starts by recognizing that the best people don’t need you as much as you need them.