March 1, 2022

Hiring, Part II

In this edition, I continue my investigation of proactive, network-focused hiring. These pieces contain some on the job reflection on a growing number of limited retainer searches I've been asked to do lately. These have been all front end projects, essentially shoe leather work in recruiting candidates from my network and reasoned guesses, with an overlay of social media net tossing. The school is responsible for writing the position description, forming the search committee and organizing that group's work. My work augments the school's customary efforts: their own postings and use of resume-providing consultancies. The searches are almost invariably "rolling" searches; that is, even schools with strong brands who were in the market early this fall found too few high quality candidates for senior administrator positions to feel comfortable running a tightly calendared funnel search. 

Identifying consultants who are willing to and capable of functioning in these kinds of searches (and in any other kind of engagement) relies on some essential precepts of interviewing and engaging consultants which I also write about in this issue. It's understandable why consultants with "proven formulas" might be attractive, but the truth is that the real magic is in the relationship between consultant and client.