Executive Recruitment
Can you outrun the Lions?
Two holidaymakers were on safari in Kenya when their vehicle broke down. Quickly running out of food and water they decided that there was nothing else for it but to walk to the next village. Three hours into their trek they came across a hungry looking lion starring right at them. The lion licked its lips, and started to approach. The first holidaymaker opened her rucksack and pulled out a pair of running shoes… the second holidaymaker turned to her and said “Are you kidding… you’ll never outrun a lion!” The second holidaymaker simply smiled and said “I don’t have to outrun the lion; I just have to outrun you!”
What has this got to do with recruitment? Well, actually quite a lot.
In today’s market experts keep telling us that there is fierce competition for the best staff. If you spend all of your time trying to attract the best employees you are at risk of only seeing half of the picture.
An important part of your recruitment strategy must always be to identify who is competing with you to try and attract your target employee. This includes your market sector, but also the employers in your geographical area. 
Try and find out as much information as possible about salary levels, benefits packages and any other information that you think might be relevant. Once you have all this you can begin to benchmark your own roles with the wider market and make sure that you are competitive in all areas.
When you have a clear idea of who else might be trying to attract your future employees and what they are offering (and this is the important part), spend some-time to put yourself ‘in the shoes’ of a potential employee. Ask yourself the question, “why would I work for me?” If the answer isn’t immediately obvious you need to start thinking.
Identifying your advantage in terms of the recruitment market is an essential part of the process. Often referred to as a ‘Unique Selling Point’ (USP) this should crystallise exactly what your employment offer is and should never just be about the size of the salary on offer. Your USP can cover a wide range of items from your company culture and team spirit, potential for progression, size of the business or wider benefits on offer as part of the package. Whatever your business’ USP you need to ensure that this is communicated to potential employees at an early stage and especially at interview as this can be the critical factor in a potential employee’s decision making.
So as part of any recruitment exercise take a few minutes to work out who your competitors are and what they are offering. Agree your unique selling point and competitive advantages and incorporate this as part of your recruitment drive and you should be able to stay in front of the lions!
For further information on the services of Sewell Moorhouse contact: nigel.brewster@sewellm.co.uk or call 01302 367444. www.sewellm.co.uk