February 9, 2022

Looking for candidates for management and executive positions? This type of position can be especially difficult to fill because these sought-after candidates are often happily employed and not looking. And once you find candidates, you need to be sure they’re just right for your company. After all, these are the people who you’re relying on to lead you forward toward a bright and successful future. Hasty and poor hiring decisions can result in the high cost of turnover, especially with candidates at this level.

Develop the right hiring plan

With the right techniques, you can find the management and executive employees you need. It’s all part of your hiring plan. Follow these techniques for help filling high-level positions:

Create clear and accurate job descriptions.

This is one of the top ways to weed out candidates who don’t quite fit. Write job descriptions that clearly describe roles and responsibilities, and what it’s like to work for your company. Is the culture one of socializing and bouncing ideas around, or one of quiet work within a cubicle, with meetings to brainstorm? Culture greatly affects a worker’s comfort level and productivity. In your qualification section, lead with the top must-have skills and experience, and include nice-to-have qualifications in their own section.

Involve employees.

Talk with other leaders in the department, plus senior leadership within the company, and involve them in the hiring process. What skills and personality will help an employee thrive in the position? Conduct multiple levels of interviews, where different key people meet the candidate, ask their own questions and form their own opinion about how well the person is suited for the position.

Focus on accomplishments.

When reviewing a candidate’s resume, the skills and experiences they list aren’t as important as what they’ve been able to achieve. Listen for clues as to how the candidate contributed to the end result. Look for major contributions to projects, leadership abilities, awards, recognitions, deals closed, accounts won, and anything that can be quantified with numbers.

Ask about challenges.

How well does the person perform under pressure? This will be a key skill at a high-level position and should be part of your questioning during the interview process. Look for evidence the person has taken on challenges and can perform well under pressure and ask key questions about the biggest challenges they’ve faced and how they handled them.

Use your instincts, to a point.

Yes, going by your gut is important. If you get a good or bad feeling for a candidate, these feelings can serve you in your hiring decision. And getting along with a high-level candidate is important to the person fitting into the company culture. But don’t allow yourself to be swept up by a candidate’s charisma, causing you to overlook skill gaps or other red flags. Try to remain as objective as possible in your decision process.

Work with an expert


When it comes to hiring high-level candidates, it can help to partner with someone who knows. And Inter-Connect is a staffing agency in the Tri-State area who specializes in the placement of executive candidates through our executive search services. To learn more, contact us today!

https://www.inter-connect.com/temp-to-hire-companies-contact-us/


 

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