Hunting or go angling? That is the question!

When you need to fill in a new function, there are mainly two very different ways to proceed: either selection or recruitment. There is a huge difference in both approaches.

- The selection approach

In this case, a classified ad will be placed in magazines/papers and or internet sites, candidates are supposed to read. The interested candidates who will be reacting are already in an active research process either because they are willing to leave their current employer or have already left.

Many CV received are usually of poor quality because some candidates have a tendency to follow the JIC approach (Just In Case).

Most of the candidates, who could possibly fit the profile but are not ready to make a career move, will not react to this classified ad which is a rather heavy restrictive factor for the quality of the candidates’ short list.

- The direct approach

Candidates are directly contacted by head hunters without knowing whether they will be interested. The approached candidates should normally meet a rather large number of the sought criteria (sector, function, experience, etc ….) for they belong to targeted sectors where such profiles are to be found. Here the quality of those criteria plays an essential role in the final success of the search.

Those candidates are normally not in search of a new job and will have to be convinced of the opportunity to make the cut for their career.

With the direct approach, it is the hunter who leads the procedure. To a certain extent, the candidate is initially passive. Before the call, he was not asking for any career move.

The richness of the candidates’ short list directly depends on the chosen criteria and the quality of the head hunter work.

The elapsed time is slightly longer (a matter of a couple of weeks) than with the selection approach.

In some cases due to corporate policy, it is mandatory to start with the Selection before proceeding to the direct approach. In this specific case, lead-times are simply adding up!

How to choose the best option for your recruitment?

Well, it will depend on the manager profile. Let’s take a clear-cut example.

If the recruited person is expected to act as a top executive, it is by far better to use the direct approach.

If the recruited person is supposed to play a minor role in the company development, then it might be reasonable to use the selection process.

Conclusion

The major difference between Selection and Direct approach is the same as between going angling or hunting.

In the selection process, your final result will very much depend on the quantity and quality of fishes in the fishpond. If the fishpond is poor so will be your final result and there no measure to improve the final result because the quality of the response doesn’t directly depend on the angler!

Whilst in the direct approach, the number of approached candidates is far bigger and therefore the choice “richer”.