Executive Search: Finding The Candidate Who Isn’t Looking

We recently contacted an executive about one of our searches.  Her response was one we hear regularly: ‘Thank you, but I'm not looking for a new position.’ Our response? ‘That's OK.  We weren't looking for someone who was looking.’

That’s why they call it Search

This is one of my favorite sayings.  There is an enormous difference between finding people who are looking for a job and searching for the person an organization should hire.

Let’s define terms as we use them:

• Applicants – people actively looking and raising their hands.
• Candidates – people whose backgrounds fit the position.
• Recruited candidates – successful executives who weren't looking, didn't apply and perhaps hadn't even considered leaving.
• The right candidate – an executive who may come from a company or industry the client never initially considered (one of many definitions).

Being happy in your current job does not mean you can’t listen.

My personal favorite is when a candidate is busily, gainfully and happily employed.  They are not looking for a new role.  They are not updating their resumes or proactively checking job postings.  In fact, they are quite successful and comfortable where they are.  My hope – that I can make them happier.  My additional hope (and goal) – that they are open to a conversation.

There can be a real value in talking with us when we reach out: 

• It could be a great role for you. 
• It could be a great role for someone you know. 
• It could also be a wonderful connection for the future. 

If you take our call, we will likely call you again.  The opportunity or timing, however, could be better the next time. 

There is a big difference between looking for a job and being open to listening to an opportunity.

We are rather discerning when we decide to reach out to someone.  We have looked into their background, including their professional or industry involvement.  We have looked at public professional information on you . . . . . LinkedIn and beyond.  When we reach out, we have already determined you could be a fit.  We do, of course, have much to learn through many interactions with you. 

When we are approached by someone actively looking for a job, the process is different. Applicants understandably may see possibilities in positions where their experience doesn't completely align with the client's criteria.  We need to take additional steps to determine whether there is truly a fit.  Ultimately, the client is the hiring organization and its leadership.  It is all about them – and the fit that can exist.  That fit will help ensure success for both parties.

For employers, there is another lesson.

If your recruiting strategy reaches only people who are actively looking, you are evaluating only a portion of the potential talent pool.  We often refer to this as ‘post and pray’ – you post a position and pray that the right people will find it. 

The question shouldn't be ‘Who is Available’ but rather ‘Who is right?’  A successful executive who isn't looking generally isn't going to move simply because someone offers another job.  Something about the opportunity needs to be compelling:

• A bigger challenge
• Greater responsibility
• A different culture
• Better leadership
• An opportunity to build something
• Ownership or equity
• Career growth (the chance to do something they haven't done before)

And sometimes the answer should be ‘No’.

You contact a successful executive.  They listen.  They learn about the opportunity.  And they decide their current position is still better for them.  That's okay.  Executive search isn't about convincing everyone you call to leave their job.  It's about creating a conversation that otherwise wouldn't have occurred and determining whether there is a potential fit.

For candidates, perhaps the lesson is simple:

• You don't have to be looking to be open to listening.

Let me end with what I think is the rule for a strong, successful retained executive search:

• The purpose of executive search isn't simply to find someone who wants the job.  It is to find the person the organization should want in the job. 

That person may not be looking for you.  That's why we search for them.

And that's why they call it Search.