Executive search in a digitally networked era: Talent pools and recruitment

The revolution is here, and it’s changed the way organisations plan and acquire executive talent.

Over a decade ago, recruiters and HR departments talked about creating talent pools. Databases of people who previously applied for positions within a company, archived and stored in order to be mined at a later date. The talent pool would be accessed when those positions for which qualified candidates applied became available. Today recruiters often turn to LinkedIn to access its 200 million users from more than 200 countries. This is the new talent pool.

In the same way Apple transformed the music industry and Amazon changed how we read, LinkedIn has revolutionised how recruitment has traditionally been done. This shift begs the question, what role does a search consultant have to play in recruiting executives when the industry is trending towards social media?

The advantages and disadvantages of LinkedIn for Executive Search

Thomas Fuller, MD of the executive search and talent management consulting firm Epsen Fuller Group, has observed the rising influence of LinkedIn on internal recruiting functions, recognising its effectiveness within specific contexts.

Fuller says, “When internal recruiting is caught in a transactional situation where they have 150 open job requirements and they have to fill them, LinkedIn can certainly help in the candidate search.” However, Fuller also sees LinkedIn’s limits, where, “For the retained executive search arena it plays less of a role.

Companies, when they are looking to fill a senior, executive or other highly specialized position, benefit from strategic consulting to ensure they are attracting and acquiring the right people for the job.”

Next time, ‘The ongoing importance of executive search compared to online recruitment’ … 

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