Everyone agrees that executive recruitment is truly a world within itself, especially when scouting abroad. While there’s certainly no shortage of challenges, executive recruiters don’t need to worry about is candidate coaching.
Or so the rest of us thought.
InterExec released some studies that demonstrate that like everyone else, executive candidates can struggle with basic concepts throughout the recruitment process.
Let’s start with CVs. According to the survey of 100 of the UK’s executive headhunters, 63% say that executives commonly fall into the most basic trap: listing their responsibilities without mentioning achievements. Just over half of those surveyed say too much irrelevant information is their main pitfall, while more than a third complain about seeing non-sensical jargon and abbreviations. Shockingly, 25% of recruiters critiqued executives for not pay enough attention to their CV. That means formatting errors, and yes…spelling mistakes. Ouch.
Photo Credit: Thirteen of Clubs
Those candidates that actually end up winning face-to-face interviews aren’t fairing much better. Most stumble due to their arrogance, followed closely by poor communication skills. Inadequate preparation, lack of focus and poor personal presentation also featured in the results.
Remember, this is corporate leadership we’re talking about.
The recruiter’s challenge is three-step: Identifying if this executive truly has what it takes to fill the position. If so, pinpointing where the candidate needs help in the recruitment process, and then coaching them along the way. After all, just as star executive candidate doesn’t necessarily equate to a competent executive, a poor executive candidate doesn’t necessarily equate to an incompetent executive.
Recruiters, save the day. Save the economy.
