The search process alone, however thorough, is no longer enough to assure the best return in a market where 40% of executive hires fail in the first 18 months

There might have been a time when recruiting was one-dimensional.  You needed to fill a position, the candidate was qualified, you hired the candidate.

Not now. Today, challenges in recruiting are multifaceted, especially in the high-risk field of leadership and high-value positions. It is a complex undertaking that starts before you know you need someone and continues long after you have engaged the “perfect person”.

The drivers are not hidden. Good candidates want attention from you and a personalized experience. Leadership qualities now include a high degree of technological knowledge. Fast-moving markets make strategizing more critical and more difficult.

To meet this challenge, executive recruiting firms need to be both more diversified and more specialized at the same time.