International Association of Corporate and Professional Recruitment (IACPR) Releases 2012 Trends in Recruitment & Hiring
(Beverly Hills, April 25, 2012) For 34 years, the International Association for Corporate & Professional Recruitment (IACPR) has been dedicated to providing the senior-level recruitment community with opportunities to network, share best practices and build cutting-edge expertise within a collaborative environment.
Each year, the organization releases findings and best practices to better prepare recruitment professionals for the ever-changing work climate. According to IACPR Executive Director Kay Kennedy, “In these times of economic hardship, talent acquisition decisions, especially at the C-level, have enormous ramifications on the future of a particular company and on the national economy. These are the trends in hiring and retention that our members have identified as top-of-mind for 2012.”
Embrace New Ways of Working Together
Recruitment gurus have predicted for years that a new model of retained search is right around the corner. However, it seems rather than a complete reinvention, search models are readjusting, gradually and quietly, to fit the needs of the times. Corporate recruitment and retained search professionals are combining forces in non-traditional ways to get an executive search done – sharing the responsibility for different parts of the process as it makes most sense, for example, and focusing on the ultimate success of the placement, rather than just search completion.
Make the Candidate Experience Paramount
The news is full of the dismal unemployment figures – but as everyone in recruitment can tell you, it is just as hard to find truly top-quality executives, as it was when McKinsey first introduced the War for Talent almost 15 years ago. Leadership skills are still at a premium – and in the current environment, it can be even harder to convince top executives to make a move.
Communication with the candidate is essential throughout the process and beyond, whether or not the executive was hired. Every company should collect and consider candidate feedback carefully. Former candidates can be the best (or worst) ambassadors for an organization – and can have a major impact on how a company is perceived in the hiring marketplace.
Focus on a Compelling Executive Value Proposition
Why do executives choose a company, want to stay or decide to go? According to Kay Kennedy, “Our members tell us that senior executives are looking for satisfaction, trust and respect. Their top reasons for choosing or staying with an organization are the manager they work for, strong senior leadership, a high level of autonomy, challenging work, and exciting products and services.”
Studies continue to show that a strong executive value proposition – where reality does actually match the corporate verbiage – not only has a positive impact on recruitment and retention but also has been linked to better financial results, increased customer satisfaction and higher analyst ratings.
Understand the Changing Nature of Diversity
In the global marketplace, a company that employs a diverse workforce is better able to understand the demographics it serves, and is thus better equipped to thrive, in good times or bad. Diversity today encompasses the whole human outlook – age, culture, personality, skills, training, education and total life experience.
Explains Kennedy, “Companies’ diversity initiatives need to be geared to hiring and developing talented people who have the skills to succeed in a multi-cultural, borderless business environment. Our members emphasize that diversity hasn’t been put on the back burner during the economic downturn – but the definition of diversity and how companies are handling the challenges have significantly changed.”
Measure…Measure…Measure…But Strategically!
More than ever, human capital measurement is essential to building a successful talent management process – whether it’s analyzing employee engagement, turnover, cost per external vs. internal executive hire, on boarding impact, diversity, compensation levels or a host of other potential statistics. But in all cases, measurement has to be tied to your strategic intent – with the goal of determining the real impact of your talent decisions. Measurement merely for the sake of measurement won’t move you forward.
About the International Association for Corporate & Professional Recruitment (IACPR)
The IACPR’s mission is to provide the senior-level recruitment community with opportunities to network, share best practices and build cutting-edge expertise within a collaborative environment. The organization’s members are professionals whose current and primary responsibilities are focused on executive-level talent acquisition and retention. For additional information, please visit www.iacpr.org. Media inquiries please email agnes@iacpr.org.
