Proactive search and relationship building: How to reach the best senior candidates

The most attractive candidates are often passive

In the senior segment, there is rarely a shortage of candidates who can technically fill a position. The challenge is to reach those who are not actively applying, but who could still be the right choice for the role. These candidates are often well established in their current positions and do not think about changing jobs in their daily lives, but that does not mean they are unavailable. Many of them are open to an interview if the conditions are right. To be interesting, the role must represent a clear career step, not just a lateral move.

The business must have a strategic direction that engages and the timing must be right. A message that comes too early or too late rarely lands, no matter how good it is. This is what makes senior recruitment a different exercise from traditional recruitment. You can't wait for the right candidates to find you. The dialogue often needs to start long before a concrete process is underway, built on relationships and trust over time rather than a job advertisement and an application deadline.

Search provides access to the actual candidate market

Through systematic search, relevant companies and competence profiles are mapped across the market, not just among those who happen to see an advertisement at the right time. This provides access to a broader candidate market than advertising alone can offer. Our experience shows that a significant proportion of the most relevant candidates in senior processes are identified through targeted search. When the candidate market is mapped broadly and structured, the likelihood of identifying profiles with the combination of experience and competence that is actually needed increases, rather than limiting oneself to those who are actively looking for something new.

Relationships create access and trust

When working with senior profiles, it is no secret that relationships are often crucial. Candidates with high demand in the market regularly receive inquiries. What determines whether they choose to enter into a dialogue is not always the opportunity itself. What determines whether they choose to enter into a dialogue is the trust in the person making the contact and the experience that the inquiry is relevant to them. An impersonal message from an unknown advisor hits differently than a conversation that builds on a relationship that has already been established. Through continuous relationship building, networks and candidate dialogues are developed that can be valuable when the right opportunity arises. Over time, continuous dialogue makes it possible to understand what actually drives the individual candidate, where they want to go next and what prerequisites must be in place for a job change to be relevant. That insight is difficult to achieve in other ways, and it makes the entire process more precise when the right opportunity first arises.

Better decision-making basis for businesses

Systematic search and candidate dialogue also give businesses a stronger basis for decisions. Through ongoing insight into the candidate market, an understanding is built of what competencies are available, what expectations experienced candidates have of roles and responsibilities, and how different companies and environments develop over time. This insight makes it possible to shape roles and mandates in a way that better matches the market, and which increases the likelihood that the right candidates will actually want to join the conversation.

Recruitment as strategic work

For organizations looking to strengthen leadership teams or critical specialist communities, recruitment is increasingly a strategic endeavor. Proactive search and long-term relationship building make it possible to identify and engage candidates who would otherwise not be available in the process. This is often the difference between filling a position and making a hire that strengthens the organization.

Original publication by Capus: https://capus.no/proaktiv-search-og-relasjonsbygging-slik-nar-du-de-beste-seniorkandidatene/