Executive Search Drives Business Growth by Finding Top C-level Talent: How?

High-profile top management is one of the defining elements of the company’s success in the long term perspective. The top management’s decision-making makes or breaks the company in many ways. Because of that, it is a matter of utmost importance.

However, finding qualified top management is very unlike finding a cloud in the sky. Instead, it is a considerable challenge that requires a thorough insight into the company’s needs and available talent pool. 

That’s why executive search is a thing. There needs to be a total certainty that this particular C-suite executive is the right fit for the company whose involvement would be wholly beneficial.

In this article, we will break down what makes a great executive and how to find one.

The Real Impact of C-level Executives Explained

The main goal of every business is to maintain and gain competitive advantages in their field of operation. It happens via business infrastructure, various workflows, and organizational culture. 

• C-suite top management is instrumental in workflows, culture, and infrastructure.

However, having top managers in and of itself does not mean the success is sealed and signed. The way an executive fits into the company’s vision and culture defines how effective he can be in the position. 

But several common misconceptions can prevent it from happening. Here’s an example:

• The company hires a seasoned business executive with a solid track record and accomplishments. He passes through onboarding and gets to work. 
• But despite the credentials, the work doesn’t come together. The teamwork is messy; management methods are at odds with the company culture, results are too hard to earn, etc. The executive is a rock-solid pro in his field, and he does nothing wrong, but it doesn’t work out.
• Why does this happen? The answer is that executive search is not about finding “the best” executive out there. 

The executive search talent pool doesn’t work that way. An efficient and forward-thinking executive search is about finding the best executives who match the company’s values and culture. 

These things make them fit into the company and lead it to success. So, in a way, it is about tuning to the same frequency.

But how to pull it off?

Executive Search Challenges Explained

The executive search task “find executives who fit the company culture and share company values” seems straightforward. It only takes finding a candidate with whom a company can build a mutually beneficial relationship that will eventually bring the company to the next level. No big deal. 

Then why do cases like we’ve mentioned above happen? How to find the “right people for the job” and avoid turning them into bad hires? 

Let’s take a closer look.

Why do bad hires happen in executive search?

“Bad hire” in executive search does not equal a “bad hire” in marketing, sales, software development, or even HR. It is far less obvious and much more subtle. It is a combination of conceptual and organizational aspects causing the wrong result. 

Executive search “bad hire” is a twofold thing that involves both the company and the candidate. 

Executive search challenges on the company side

Inefficient workflow provides not enough information to make a well-informed decision. 

• A flawed interview process allows candidates to control the “narrative” and mislead the recruiters. 
• An outstretched recruitment process can lead to candidates getting job offers from another company. 
• Giving candidates too much time to consider the offer can lead to candidates betting job offers from different companies against each other and padding out the salary, benefits, etc.

Unclear requirements complicate the ability to determine whether a candidate is a good fit for a job. 

The lack of clarity generates risks that might or might not work out in the company’s favor.

• Lack of specifics in the domain expertise (knowing the niche, having a relevant contact network, etc.) can backfire on the executive not having a complete grasp on the situation, limiting his decision-making effectiveness.
• Vague managerial requirements can create an unnecessary hindrance in the workflow that will make everyone’s work harder than it should be.
• Having an Ideal Candidate Profile makes the executive search much easier and more transparent.

Unrealistic expectations make needless obstacles for new hires. 

It is like jumping through hoops when you need to dig in. Ultimately, it leads to frustration and disappointment on both sides, and then you need to find another executive. In the end, unrealistic expectations can turn job opportunities into a giant waste of time both for the company and the candidate.

• The absence of the ultimate goal for the executive takes out the conceptual backbone of the position. It can’t be just “lead the company” or “helm the department.”
• Instead, the position goal is to “reorganize the company’s hierarchical structure into a flat structure and establish a new approach to leadership” or “drive sales by revisioning the workflows and building a transparent metrics system.” This approach helps find people who can do the job and are also highly driven to accomplish it.

A haphazard onboarding process can bog down even the perfect candidate and derail his work from the get-go. 

• Dumping a whole lot of information on Day 1 won’t help adapt the new hire into the position. Instead, there needs to be a gradual rollout within a week. 
• Not providing all the relevant information at the start can bring a lot of confusion down the line. Such things as data access and schedules need to be taken care of first.
• It is grimly unwise not to present the new executive to the collective in some form of meet-and-greet, whether online or in-person. It can significantly affect teamwork.
• Similarly, it is short-sighted to expect that a high-profile professional can figure out how the company workflows function on their own. Instead, HR and fellow executives need to assist the new hire in wrapping his head around the company’s inner workings.

Executive search challenges from the candidates’ standpoint

Insincerity, embellishment of one’s achievements (the so-called “fake it til you make it” approach). 

The candidate overemphasizes his positives and embellishes his accomplishments. It is a reasonable thing to do when you want to land a new job. 

• You can’t avoid it by design. But the plausibility and accuracy matter too. The recruiter needs to question the candidate’s traits and achievements in relation to the position. The contextualization of experience really helps in determining how well the candidate can fit into the role.

The other way candidates try to pull a trick on recruiters is by overly detailing their experience to make ordinary responsibilities seem extraordinary. 

• Similarly, a recruiter needs to keep the narrative focused on what is relevant to the position. For example, asking practical questions regarding the job and emphasizing skills over history. 

The poorly-structured interview process generates loopholes that candidates can exploit. Because of that, some candidates manage to conceal information about their careers. In some cases, recruiters don’t even ask about that deep enough. 

• How to avoid that? Get thorough with the information you want to get from the candidate. Good things, bad things, takeaways, aspirations, drivers. The thing to look at is culture fit – how the values and candidate’s mindset fit with the company’s culture.

Reference Manipulation (also known as the “with a little help of my friends” method) and lack of verifiable information on crucial aspects of the candidate’s career background (career path, education, accomplishments, etc.).

• A background check helps to keep this trick at bay. But in and of itself, it can’t guarantee that a candidate is really that good. Whether credible or not, reference is second-hand information. Therefore, the recruiter needs to gather first-hand information to form an opinion regarding the candidate’s fittingness for the position.

In Conclusion

Finding the right top executives that would fit into the company and bring your business to the next level is one of the prime challenges the business faces all the time. Unfortunately, at this level, hiring the “wrong” candidate can have severe consequences for the organization.

The quality of the Executive Search Recruitment Process plays a significant role in securing hiring success. As such, it needs an approach that minimizes the number of unknown factors that affect the decision-making on the candidate.

The right tools (like Email finder) and proper framework can make the most out of the executive search process and find top managers who will get the company’s best possible future.