What makes “The Right Ingredients” for our candidate searches?

Growing up, my aunt used to make a dessert that everyone in the neighborhood raved about. She called it her 1- 2- 3- 4- 5 Cake and as the name implies, it required 5 ingredients—in exactly the right sequence—to achieve the desired outcome. It occurred to me recently that my aunt’s cake in many ways resembles the method with which an effective search is conducted.

Many of you are aware that our firm has conducted a number of online polls of human resources and senior executives about the changing economy and business models we face today. Two major outcomes of these surveys are that:

A) executive talent for emerging business models in the Church will be found outside current client networks, and

B) most HR executives feel that their current recruiting strategies need to be enhanced in order to find and attract this talent.

With this in mind, what are the best ingredients and in what sequence should they be combined to create the best recruiting outcomes? Just like my aunt, nearly 30 years in this business has convinced me that if you want the best you need to follow the right steps. In recruiting this means:

• A specification for the position that clearly outlines the skill sets and functional experiences required
• At least 2 or 3 compelling reasons why your organization—with its mission—is a great place to work
• Determine how to include passive candidates not on job boards and social networks.
• Target markets and/or organizations from which to recruit (from where someone could better acclimate to your organization’s culture)
• A reasonable and realistic compensation package
• A recruiting strategy (run ads, hire professional, use in-house staff, etc.) 

When my aunt’s neighbors celebrated a really important occasion, they would ask her to bake one of her cakes rather than risk the outcome of their event to chance. Somehow, she always found time to oblige. At Catholic Recruiter Associates we understand just how important having the right executive talent is to your strategies. Let us help you create the best outcome by conducting your search “by the numbers.”