Welcome to the Alexander Hughes blog, a chance to – hopefully – share our thinking and engage the marketplace in genuine debate about executive recruitment.

To kick things off, as we launch our blog, we thought it might be interesting to look at how the market has changed since we created the practice, and the context of the hybrid executive recruitment solutions we offer.

At the time we launched our business in 1994, there was a clear division in the market between the search and selection models. We launched Alexander Hughes Selection against the backdrop of the recession that had started in 1989 and was only just starting to fade. The recession was deep and even companies who entered it in good shape had been hard-hit. Consequently many good people were actively on the job market. As a direct result, the market was extremely receptive to high-level advertised recruitment.

Our proposition was to build a model providing what we called “search-quality advertised recruitment”, a practice diametrically opposed to the database-led, volume-driven model adopted by some of the biggest names in the industry at the time. Our idea was to listen to our clients’ problems, and look at their issues, before advising them objectively on the most appropriate engagement model for them. Most of all, we wanted to challenge the assumed prevailing wisdom that dictated that anything at a certain level of seniority had to go to search, whilst anything beneath that level should be advertised. This kind of thinking is flawed for a number of reasons. Firstly, search becomes extremely difficult in a diverse and fragmented market with people spread over a number of different sectors. It is the same problem if the role you’re searching requires specific technical expertise where candidates, although “gurus” in their chosen field, are often embedded in organisations, and hard to identify. Finally, some industries like the public sector have a policy of open advertising.

As these three examples show, there are a number of very valid reasons as to why an organisation would need to advertise rather than engage a search firm.

Back in 1994, there were a limited number of national or vertical publications in which we could advertise. Fast forward to 2006: we have seen a significant migration from print advertising into dedicated websites, which offer a low cost advertising solution to reach an extremely targeted audience. This is a very compelling proposition, and has had a dramatic impact on the way we can engage talent on our clients’ behalf. Because we’ve researched every single one of the channels available, we know what works and what doesn’t in each of our sectors of excellence. Some might say that there are some similarities to the executive search approach but for us, the search element implies working in a clearly-defined and quite narrow market, where the players are visible because of their seniority and profile. In some sectors, such as Hotel/Lesuire, there is a risk of “the usual suspects” appearing on a shortlist again and again. We believe our approach actually combines the best elements of selection and search, so we can provide the best resourcing solutions even in an extremely fragmented marketplace.

Obviously, it is all very well to use the term ‘hybrid solution’ and explain “it all depends on what is best for each client”, but what do we really mean by ‘hybrid’? Well, we use it to describe selection with a strong, proactive networking element. On the ground, that means any tool that allows us to engage with the right talent in the most appropriate way at the most appropriate time, be it blogging, candidate networking, smart use of the internet, or print and online advertising. We may use one or all of these tools – it all depends on what is going to deliver the best outcome for that particular requirement.

Client and candidate mapping has become an essential part of the AHS approach. By mapping, we mean we make sure we stay as close as possible to the culture and commercial drivers of a client’s business and also to the aspirations and credentials of candidates, tracking how their careers are developing so that we can grasp the drivers of talent in the marketplace at any given time. By demonstrating a genuine understanding of your needs and the dynamics of your market, we can tailor an approach that meets it. Our approach is progressive and dynamic, a multi-channel engagement programme that allows us to connect with the available talent in any given market. What is certain is that our model won’t deliver the usual suspects.

It is great to be able to use the web to outline our thinking, and talk about the changes to the market that have shaped the Alexander Hughes Selection proposition today. But a blog is a conversational medium, and we’d like to know your thoughts on the subject.

For example, from a media perspective, what will happen next? Would the Sunday Times comment on the market today – and what it holds for tomorrow? Has online recruitment reached a plateau?

As a candidate,do you still browse the Sunday papers, or would you search exclusively online? How were you last approached by a competitor organisation? What did you make of it?

Finally, if you’re a recruiter, what do you make of this?

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