Recruiting Senior Talent

As with all recruiting, hiring the best person for the role is fundamental.  

However, with hiring senior talent the stakes are higher as the successful candidate will be an integral part of the company and will help dictate the future of their department and the overall company. Therefore, it is essential to get it right.  

1. Define The Role 

Create a clear description of the role and identify the core competencies the ideal candidate should have; the responsibilities, skills and experience. This will allow the job advert and description to have a precise direction and attract the right candidates.  

Importantly, ensure the role aligns with the direction and goals of the company and mention if there are certain projects the successful candidate will be working on to achieve these.  

2. Employee Value Proposition 

Employee Value Proposition or the ‘what’s in it for me’ is key to recruiting senior roles, at this level senior talent has plenty of institutions to choose from so you need to set your company apart and clearly state the benefits that set you apart from others and keeps you competitive. 

Also, when employees get to the senior level, they are looking for a job that does more than pay fairly.  

Think about other forms of compensation you offer; a good pension scheme, bonuses, raises, etc.  

Highlight career prospects and improvements such as training and education., 

Other benefits such as generous annual leave allowance, insurance, remote work and flexible hours.  

3. Cultural Fit 

Linked to the Employee Value Proposition, ensuring you find a senior employee who fits into the company culture is vital as they are at the level where they can directly impact it.  

Similarly, if you are looking to change the culture, recruit someone with the experience of shifting a company’s values or who has embodied them in previous workplaces. 

Cultural fit goes both ways, you need to be able to show that your institution has a positive culture and atmosphere. This can be demonstrated through your messaging on social media, your website, news and the job advert.  

4. The Interview 

Interviewing for senior talent may differ from recruiting at lower levels.  

It is common to have multiple interview rounds.  

There might also be an emphasis on in-person interviews and panel interviews as many stakeholders could be involved in working with the successful candidate. 

As with all recruitment, is it important not to make the hiring process overly long or complicated.  

It is also good practice to give feedback to candidates and communicate effectively their progress. Failure to do so, could negatively impact your company’s reputation and contradict your messaging.  

At this level the candidate is interviewing you as much as you are them to assess you are the right fit for them and can offer what they are looking for, so put your best foot forward. 

5. Utilise Recruitment Expertise 

Given the critical importance of successful senior-level recruitment, avail of the expertise of recruitment specialists.  

jobs.ac.uk can create tailored recruitment campaigns, to fit your recruitment goals. See our Senior Roles Package to attract the ideal senior candidates to your organisation.  

With jobs.ac.uk you can reach a wide audience of senior talent combined with your bespoke recruitment campaign. 

Our senior management Jobs by Email services has 10,963 subscribers* and the average monthly page views of the Senior Management category is 17,590**.  

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*jobs.ac.uk 1st Aug 2023 – 31st July 2024 

**GA4 1st Aug 2023 – 31st July 2024