Selection Through Advertising

• Wide targeted coverage
• Identifies employer (or industry sector)
• Provides details of job responsibilities and scope, location, package
• Quick timescale - typically 5/6 weeks from ad appearing to final assessment
• Effectively ensures potential candidates are interested and available
• Suitable for most jobs up to senior level

Selection Through Executive Search

• Particularly relevant when confidentiality is required
• Also when rare skills or talents are specified
• Search process identifies target companies & likely individuals
• Company/role may have to be 'sold' to potential candidates
• Longer timescales - candidates dictate the speed
• Significantly more expensive
• But identifies candidates not active in the market

Choosing a Method

• Is there a large target market?
• Is speed important?
• Is confidentiality crucial?
• Is there a critical difference in the cost?
• Is there a clear specification (job/person)?
• Is the final selection process agreed?
• Is the selection process timetable agreed?
• What are the sign-offs?

Summary

• Selection covers a wide, receptive market
• Selection allows timescales to be controlled
• Selection allows the final assessment process to be arranged in advance
• Search is closely targeted and identifies people not actively searching (but may inflate salary expectations)
• Search is appropriate for senior jobs where a personal approach may be required to 'sell' company/role to potential candidates
• Search may be more appropriate when the job/organisation is suffering negative publicity or when confidentiality is essential
• Search tends to 'dripfeed' candidates, which can create problems in terms of comparison and maintaining candidate interest
• Search may succeed when the selection process has failed to attract sufficiently high calibre candidates
• Search is generally more expensive, takes longer and covers a limited spectrum of the market