When a company hires MarketPro, the leading executive search firm for marketers, they are serious about finding the right candidate. They come to us, because as a team of former marketers, we are uniquely qualified to separate “A” talent from the rest. But inevitably, the question almost always is, “How quickly can you get us someone?”
That’s not to say they don’t want the best candidate, they do. But they want the best candidate NOW. In fact, many times they have already tried to fill the role themselves unsuccessfully, and the work is piling up from their lost time trying. And given the fast-paced movement of candidates in and out of the job market these days, they are a bit frantic. Their brain tells them that going through an extensive process will deliver them the best candidate, but their emotions tell them that every minute that goes by without someone in the role, the more hectic their life becomes.
So How Do You Strike the Right Balance to Find the Best Talent in a Timely Manner?
We are biased, of course, but hiring a marketing executive search firm like MarketPro, who specializes in the exact type of role you are looking to fill is a great first step. We have the resources, and we dedicate teams to scour the market for individuals that can meet your current business challenge. Obviously, there is a benefit to having a team solely dedicated to finding talent combined with a team that is an expert in the field.
When we conduct an executive search, we employ a proprietary research process that identifies individuals who, on paper, could functionally do the job. But that’s just the beginning. We then conduct screening interviews, deep dive on technical competencies, and do a second interview on culture fit, leadership, executive presence, and more marketing prowess.
Bob Van Rossum: How Long Should Marketing Executive Search Take?
Because all our team members are former marketers, we are able to separate candidates who talk a good game from candidates who can fundamentally impact your business.
Keeping in mind that less than 15% of candidates we engage with make it through our process, we typically start presenting candidates to our clients by week 3 or 4. Then it’s a matter of how long it takes the client to get through their internal process.
Generally, that means we are placing executive level candidates in a 10–12 week period, which is a relatively quick, dedicated process, and roughly half that of the industry average.
The Cost of Speed vs. Quality
Still some firms will try to go even faster to give you the “first available” candidate without undergoing a rigorous process such as ours. It reminds me of an old saying from Benjamin Franklin:
“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”
Of course, we aren’t talking low price here, but we are talking about sacrificing quality for speed. Rushing the process and getting the wrong executive can have a lot of negative implications for your business including:
- Staff disruption
- Employee morale suffering because of high leadership turnover
- Increased cost to recruit and onboard
- Lost time
What’s really concerning is that conducting an executive search doesn’t guarantee success. When selecting a marketing executive search firm, it’s important to understand the company’s success rate. How many of the executives they place are still there in six months? One year? Longer?
We’ve been focused exclusively on marketing executive search for 25 years and have a track record that really is second to none. In addition to placing candidates faster than the industry average, we are also proud to say that +98% of our candidates are in the job 6 months after placement which is 8% higher that the industry average.
Author: Rob Collins