Are you in the market for a new executive? Whether you are seeking a mid-level or senior executive, now may be the time to begin your search! A recent study by BlueSteps.com, found that as many as 76 percent of senior executives were willing to make a career change immediately for the right opportunity. Beginning with the recession almost five years ago, employed candidates of almost all levels have shown less confidence in pursuing an active career search due to lack of security with a new organization. As the economy has shown it’s stability in the past two years, that is quickly changing.

While most candidates who are employed at an executive level are far less likely to engage in an active career search, there are ways to attract this level of professional. Chances are you are not going to come across a senior executive’s resume on a job board or through your standard application system. Most executives have built their career using a diverse network and lean on that network and recruiters to help them find their next career. So how do you land a passive executive candidate? The majority of passive executive candidates can be recruited through three channels; your employment brand, networking, and hiring a professional level recruiter.

Maintaining and marketing an employment brand that speaks genuinely to your organization’s goals, priorities, and the reasons that set you apart from other employers can quickly attract talent that aligns themselves with your goals. Google was ranked by Forbes in 2013 as the “Best Company To Work For”. How do they do it? They deploy a number of strategies to publicize why someone would want to work for Google, which includes a wide variety of reasons ranging from working with the latest technology to continuing education and non-profit involvement. Their employment brand has grown so tremendously it has motivated candidates to take extreme measures such as creating websites and video interviews to get the attention of Google’s hiring team as well as become the basis for the new movie, The Internship featuring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn. Looking for some great ways to promote your brand? Visit their careers page that includes videos, testimonials, and a multitude of recruitment tools that identifies their employment brand.

Building an employment brand takes time, research, and innovation. If you are looking to hire someone today and you currently haven’t spent much time investing in an employment brand, your immediate search is best tailored towards networking or partnering with a professional recruiter. Are you ready to get your network working to assist you in your search? Start by letting them know you are interested in hiring someone for an executive role. Share with them the benefits of working for your organization, your strategic goals, and what types of skills would make someone a great fit for the position. Next, motivate them to begin thinking, reaching out, and referring their professional network to you. Some great ways to encourage others to help you are offering referral bonuses, gift cards, or other forms of recognition for the person who is able to refer the right candidate to you. Most often times your professional network will be happy to help you and their peers, especially if they are armed with the information that sets a career opportunity with your organization apart from other opportunities.

Even the most heavily networked executives are often hesitant to share with their peers that they may be looking for a career change. The potential repercussions of word getting back to their employer may be reason enough for them to not offer up their interest or resume to even their most trusted colleagues. So how do you reach them? Because most executives are very familiar with delegating duties and have worked with executive recruiters to help them fill positions within their organization, they often times have a high level of respect and confidence in a recruiter representing them in a confidential career search. Executive recruiters are known for their ability to locate careers that are often times not marketed through traditional means, work interviews around the executive’s current employment schedule, and are able to provide candidates with inside information as to what career opportunities may be best for them. Most experienced professional recruiters or executive recruiters represent more passive candidates than they do candidates who are engaged in an active career search and who are posting their resumes online.

Are you a stand out professional, executive, or technical professional seeking contingent, temporary, or long term career opportunities?  Visit our job seekers section for more information!  Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professionals and skilled workers? Contact us today!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide.