Insights

Spinning your talent on a Covid-shaped pinhead

Executive search is challenging at the best of times. To truly acquire the talent needed to lead a business in success, it takes insightful, targeted and laser-sharp focus. However, with the implications of Covid-19 in the mix, we find ourselves needing to do the same, but within even narrower confines – pretty much on a pinhead. Not only does talent search need to adapt to the restrictions (and opportunities) of the current climate, but it also needs to be undertaken in a way that positions the business and the individual for market recovery, and the opportunities beginning on the horizon.

It’s the organisations which are steering clear of fear-mongering headlines, but instead drill down into positive jobs market data, such as demonstrated by the Jobs Recovery Tracker from the REC, that will gain the advantage, in this narrow window of opportunity.

Don’t freeze your talent acquisition. Instead, implement three approaches which will help you weather the storm of Covid-19, whilst also benefiting from the talent which is now available.

Cast your net wide

One enormous benefit of the Covid-19 lockdown is that businesses have truly learned, through baptisms of fire, which roles work remotely and which don’t. The upshot is that many organisations have been shocked to learn that actually, geography has been a constraining force; remote working is frequently possible and beneficial.

This means that your talent pool has suddenly expanded. You are no longer limited to searching for talent within a limited geographical area based on your office location. You can get better talent for less, and with fewer overheads.

However, if you cast your net wide, you also run the risk of looking for a needle in a haystack. You need a talent mapping service which identifies the talent, without the constraint of geography. This is a notable and needed element of talent search in the current landscape.

The Stanton Keller mapping strategy enables you to cast your net wide, but in a highly targeted way. The result is executive search done more effectively.

Right now, be active and engaged in your talent search

Many businesses are simply following the fear of headlines and freezing their hiring plans without individualised thought. They further believe that searching for talent right now is hindered by the distanced nature of remote working.

However, this misses a trick. Executive search is more than possible during remote working. In fact, not only is your talent pool bigger, but it’s more engaged. The pool has been stirred up and we have found that more people are open and willing to enter conversations with us about their next move. This makes it an ideal time to make a move, before this talent becomes settled again.

Prepare for the future with strategic leadership succession

With a combination of changing customer needs and behaviours, a need for innovation and transformation, and current executives questioning their working environments and employers’ Covid responses, it’s more important than ever to future-proof your organisation. Central to this is careful strategic leadership succession plans.

Now is an excellent time to begin to identify the future successors who are primed and qualified. By doing this now, you will ensure that your organisation comes through this uncertain period ready to embrace the future, whilst others are still getting organised.

The Stanton Keller approach

We are tackling the current situation differently and more proactively than most. We aren’t leaving things to chance. Instead, we are using our flexible, research and data rich approach to deliver cost-effective solutions which are enabling our clients to weather the storm of Covid-19. This approach ensures that your business is ahead of the game, and takes advantage of the window of opportunity to use talent search in the wake of Covid-19 to maximum effect.

Please get in touch to spin your talent search on a pinhead, and make the most of the current opportunity.