A recruitment firm can help you tie the threads of a close negotiation with an interesting potential candidate. In the current context, this is more essential than ever!
A bit like real estate
Currently, filling executive positions can be similar to what is happening in the real estate market. The game of supply and demand transforms the world of work as it transforms that of real estate. Of course it’s not the same.
As you know, the real estate market has seen a surge in prices in recent years. The pandemic has done nothing to make things better. The demand for houses, in the city and in the countryside, has increased considerably. The market has seen a significant increase in transactions because many people who are entering early retirement and have accumulated substantial savings have decided to take advantage of it a few years earlier. Confinement, the impossibility of travel and teleworking have also contributed to this.
In today’s workforce, at the executive level, certain major trends are complicating companies’ efforts to find the right people they need to grow their business. This is true at all levels of the company and slows down the development of companies. Recruitment and hiring are becoming major issues.
One in four executives
Well, according to the article Executive Wellness and Resilience Jeopardize Workplace Recovery from the Pandemic published by Lifeworks Wellness Solutions and Deloitte Canada, nearly a quarter of Canadian executives are considering quitting! What for?
In today’s labour market, the level of control of senior managers would have decreased, due to economic uncertainties and changing government regulations that require them to continually adapt, and demotivate them. Do these problems inherent in a more complex world of work lead us to a disaffection of managers for their work?
It seems that the recovery of economic activity after the lockdown episodes due to the pandemic has not been smooth for some leaders.
Isarta, the specialized media of communications, marketing and HR, makes a good summary in the article Should we expect a wave of senior executive departures? According to this article: ” The most striking figure is certainly this: more than half, or 51% of respondents plan to change jobs or rhythms in the future! ยป
The pandemic has complicated labour relations. Sometimes you feel that people have their nerves on edge. This whole health episode has developed on a landscape already changing in terms of the conception of work today: the men and women of Generation X see the world of work differently. From work-life balance to quality of life in general, people no longer live to work but work to live.
So what do we do?
We must find a new point of balance in the game of supply and demand.
Finding the balance
In the area of recruitment, the balance between supply and demand has changed. In addition to the natural attrition accentuated by the pandemic, the interest of executives in new professional challenges in a company other than their own decreases. The headhunter must work harder to put together a list of good candidates ready to “move”. In short, the supply has decreased.
On the other hand, companies want to return to recovery and growth. Demand is “sustained” for a “strong” economic recovery but “they lack people” at all levels… Not just at the bottom of the ladder where the “CERB hurts us,” they say.
To put it in other words, it’s not going well.
I will not go by four ways, in the current context, it is often necessary on the side of the employer to improve the “global offer” so that an interesting potential candidate … becomes interested. Remember, the overall offer is not limited to remuneration. But it does not exclude it either!
In some cases, it may clearly be a question of adjusting the wage offer if it is clearly below the market average for this type of skill. But in other cases, you have to go around the candidate’s personal garden and find what can tip the balance of pros and cons. It is necessary to ensure that the candidate finds the overall offer enticing.
I know this is not a pleasant thing for employers to hear. But “We have a problem.”
In a context where insecurity, remuneration, ambition and quality of personal and family life give a new meaning to the word “work”, employers have an interest in listening to the advice of a headhunter specializing in the recruitment of executives.
In collaboration with the employer, we can find a balance between the expectations of potential candidates and its overall offer. It is necessary to get out of the “job description” and use all the know-how and experience of the headhunter in the negotiation.
Its key asset is precisely the art of negotiation.
Negotiate on all levels
The art of negotiation is first and foremost the art of conversation and listening. It is also a great practical experience of human psychology in a context of negotiation that involves important choices for the person.
Employers must put water in their wine.
Companies that leave with a fixed idea like, “I have so much money. Not a cenne more! ” do not have the right attitude in the current context. Thanks to the talents of the recruiter, they can benefit from a methodology to identify the expectations of candidates, salaries, and others, and find a point of balance in the negotiation.
Concessions must always be made on both sides.
Recently, I had a situation where the salary offer was clearly below the market average. We had to adjust on the employer’s side. This was not done by snapping fingers. We had to discuss. In this particular case, obviously, it was remuneration. But it’s not always just that. Sometimes there are blind spots. And it’s up to the recruiter to discover them. This may be an issue that is important to the candidate and of lesser importance to the employer. Then…
This is precisely where the work of a headhunter takes on its full value.
Before proposing a candidate or a list of candidates for an executive position, I do an exhaustive review of his or her personal situation. I also want to know the company well. It’s a balancing act.
In addition to the dimension of skills, work organization and achievements I methodically explore the family, cultural, geographical, generational and psychological dimensions.
The pitfalls of in-house recruitment
Honestly, it’s almost impossible for an employer to get such an objective picture of a candidate’s expectations. It does not have the necessary distance (or time!) and there are often biases that blur the tracks.
Often, everyone sticks to their positions. There is a lot of unsaid and there are always points that are outstanding or that will be systematically avoided so as not to offend the other party.
This is normal. Everyone thinks first of their interests and protects their point of view. In such a context, the conversation can lead to a superficial understanding that may be less lasting, because not all the stones have been returned.
It may also happen that an expectation of the candidate (or information) is not expressed or considered “credible” by the employer. It seems far-fetched. In this case, the recruiter can do his little investigation and bring a little objectivity into all this.
If such precautions are not taken, at one time or another, the small disagreements may start to “popper” and everything will have to start again. That is the last thing we want. Of course there are exceptions where employer and candidate find the way to happiness on their own. Hallelujah!
Currently, employers have much to gain from listening to the advice of an experienced recruiter to find the right balance in a negotiation to hire an executive in a context of tight supply and demand.
He is their best ally in an uncertain world.
To find out how Recruscope can help you fill your executive positions and negotiate job offers that will be accepted, do not hesitate to contact us by email or at 438 870-7075.
