Finding talent to populate the highest echelons of an organisation is unlike any other type of recruitment. It takes a unique and in-depth understanding of what drives a business at every level – the ideas on which it is built and the factors that have led to its success.
For the team at AGP, these are a commitment to offering the most meticulous, uniquely personal and highly specialised executive search service possible. Whatever underpins your business, we will work tirelessly to place it at the centre of our recruitment strategy when you are looking to fill an executive or C-suite position.
What makes executive search so different?
All forms of recruitment ultimately serve the same aim – finding the highest quality candidate to fill a role, ensuring that both the person and the position are a good fit for one another and setting them up for a long and successful career.
However, recruiting at executive level also means selecting people who will set and steer the course of the company’s immediate future. Finding the right person to fill an executive position is of critical importance, and requires a bespoke approach which is carefully considered at every step.
In addition, many people in executive positions are open to being headhunted, rather than actively seeking new employment opportunities. It is commonplace at this level for candidates to be recruited by other – often competing – companies without having had to undertake a job search. This in itself requires a different approach and mindset when setting out the benefits of the position to prospective candidates.
How to recruit successfully for an executive position
There are a number of steps which are crucial to an effective executive search strategy. Competition for the very best talent at the top level of any industry is always enormous, and the extremely high standard of candidates for these positions demands an approach of the same quality.
Understanding every facet of the role and the industry
Executive search takes an unwavering commitment to excellence and an extraordinarily in-depth level of research. Understanding exactly what the position entails, from its broadest aims to the everyday, is vital – and having a clear candidate persona in mind can help to unify those ideas. This needs to be someone who is a perfect fit for both the job itself and the company’s individual culture.
Making the best possible use of connections
Networking is a key element of recruitment at executive level. People filling other leadership roles within an organisation will have peers that they know and trust, as will other stakeholders such as board members, investors and former executives. Leveraging these connections and making use of the employee referral at this level can give you access to the highest quality candidates, and help to integrate them into the business once they are recruited.
Building a working relationship with each candidate
Recruiting the best people is about understanding every aspect of their experience to date – what drives them in their work and what has brought them to their current position. Knowing your candidates as individuals, rather than as CVs, qualifications or lists of achievements, allows you to match them with the organisation’s ethos as well as the specifics of the role. You can begin to understand how they will fit in amongst, and work alongside, the existing leadership team.
Exercising discretion at every step
Maintaining the highest level of confidentiality and professionalism is key to securing candidates at executive level. This is a specialised and complex process therefore investing time and effort into finding the right person is key. The market might be competitive and highly pressured, but with our coveted network of highly skilled candidates, our search pays off.
Ensuring a positive experience for candidates
This is a must in any form of recruitment, but at executive level where candidates are likely to have a wide variety of options it can truly make the difference. Adapt a personalised approach from the first meeting, demonstrate interest and show that you are genuinely invested in them and their career. This can mean being prepared to meet in the location they feel most comfortable, but for now, due to COVID restrictions, this will likely be held over video conferencing.
Speak to us today
At AGP, we offer unrivalled and industry recognised retail executive search services, hospitality & leisure recruitment, luxury recruitment, consumer goods recruitment and travel executive search across the UK and Europe. Our team would be happy to discuss any questions you may have about executive recruitment, so whether you are hiring or searching, contact us today by calling Tony Gregg on 0207 316 3146.
