Hiring The Right Executive Talent

Hiring The Right Executive Talent
Tel : +91 8010772772 , vijay@cornerstone.co.in

Get, Keep, Grow is the mantra for organizations as far as talent is concerned. It’s an n
exhausting race for organizations when it comes to finding talent. The race is even tougher
for emerging markets in BRIC nations (Brazil, India, China and Russia). All over the world,
firms are feverishly competing for finding the right people.
Every industry, every firm is in the hunt for talent. Veteran leaders of well established
organizations also comment that the war for talent has assumed gigantic dimensions, like
never before. Finding fitting talent can be time-consuming and exhausting to say the least.

This is where most large and medium size organizations seek expertise from executive
search firms across the world. Begun in the 1940’s as an offshoot of the consulting
industry, Executive Search firms play a significant role in providing fitting talent thus lifting
the pressure off organizations.
Right from competency mapping to interviewing and personality-job fit determination;
search firms make the process of finding human talent a painless one for companies round
the globe. By following a set process and exhaustive selection processes, these Executive
Search firms ensure overall success in talent hunt.

In Asia, alone things are fast emerging in the arena of talent management. Today
opportunities and scope for expansion are many more compared to the last three decades.
Today employees look much beyond just making a living.
They are conscious of employer Brand and the total rewards that accrue from an
organization. A strong employer brand is linked to opportunities of personal achievement
and more so when a brand is associated with inspirational leadership.

Lucrative opportunities also lure employees to join an organization. They translate into
challenging work assignments, continuous learning and development and attractive pay
plans besides an accelerated career track.
Many high-potential employees are also motivated by the prospects of Purpose in an
organization. They prize firms with a game-changing business model, where they can be
part of a fundamental, root shaking change that makes them a part and parcel of an
organizational redefining moment and phenomenon!

Another factor that drives talent management is a company’s culture. Its brand guarantee
should be compelling and genuine. An organization following a culture of rewarding merit
too lures talented prospects. Employees need to feel part of the team and lat but not the
least the culture should be talent centric.
In short the organization that is Human Capital Centric wins the game of talent. Thus
getting and keeping talent may well translate into promises made and promises kept by the
organization. Only a fat salary and big brand may not be enough to attract and retain
talent.

These factors coupled with challenging opportunities and a meritocracy may go a long way
in attracting and keeping good people. As economies of emerging nations like India and
China continue to grow with the advancement of new businesses, finding talent becomes
increasingly daunting.
The gap becomes even more yawning when it comes to pivotal leadership positions.
Leadership Hiring expertise provided by executive search firms may well come to the rescue
and provide organizations with the much needed aid as they deal with myriad
organizational challenges.

Hiring the right people for the right assignment has always been the aim of the hiring
manager. However hiring the best is not easy and requires planning like any other
endeavour. Few managerial decisions are as crucial as hiring since wrong hiring can cost an
organisation a lot more than just time and cost as human capital is the differentiating factor
between competing firms.
As they say hire a bunch of top class employees and you will preside over a top class firm.
Even expensive coaching and training provided to average calibre individuals does not
provide the same results as hiring star performers. Hiring is a business process and success
at every step ensures a good hire.

The first step in hiring translates into determining requirements for the job in question. It
may take some analysis to determine the personal and professional attributes required for
the job. Other crucial things are knowledge, skills, experience and the overall attitude.
Competencies such as analytical and conceptual skills, relationship building, organizational
awareness, confidence and above all a high degree of emotional intelligence are important
for any key position. Sometimes a person’s motivation and energy levels along with a
positive attitude score over educational degree or experience.

Gathering access to qualified candidates with a successful track record is crucial to good
hiring and this is where executive search firms prove their might. They tap across industry
and geographic segments to provide client organisational with the best available talent.
Their fool proof exhaustive selection procedures ensure only the best human assets are
provided to client firms.
Such a detailed hiring process may be difficult for organizations to follow at all times as
myriad business processes and decisions run daily. To begin with after inviting for positions,
screening resumes is the next big step. The cover letter and resume of a candidate is the
first introduction available. The content and maturity of these two documents goes a long
way in screening prospective employees. Up next is the quintessential “Interview” process.

There are various kinds of structured and unstructured interviews. Some stress interviews
gauge the pressure threshold of the individual in challenging situations. Telephonic
interviews may be followed up by in person screening and later in-depth interviews. Many
organizations also appoint a psychologist on panel or may have a psychologist interaction as
a final selection tool.
Unstructured or meandering style interviews are often adopted by novice interviewers.
Most savvy interviewers are flexible with their questions and do not put the interviewee
under undue pressure.

Personal enquiries such as those based on marriage, sexual orientation, relationships are
best avoided and do not provide any valuable information on professional competence;
they can only bias the interviewer and produce unpleasant situations. Skilful interviewing is
significant to good hiring.
Psychometric tests such as Hogan and reference checks are the next steps. Job offers and
onboarding follow once candidates are selected. Thus Good Hiring consists of holistically
following an exhaustive and correct selection procedure. The organizational performance
depends heavily on human assets and the process begins with right hiring.

Hiring The Right Executive Talent

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Cornerstone India

More from Cornerstone India (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Hiring The Right Executive Talent