Tasked with recruiting a Head of Global Treasury Technology for a renowned luxury fashion brand in New York, we faced a unique challenge. Despite the brand’s prestige and a high volume of applicants, finding the right fit proved difficult.

The Challenge

Initially, the brand’s strategy was straightforward: advertise the role on their website, LinkedIn, and internally. This approach, effective for generalist positions, flooded them with applications. However, the quantity overshadowed quality and failed to attract the right talent. After 8 weeks and more than 250 applicants, the team struggled to find a candidate with the necessary technical proficiency and interpersonal skills for this high-profile role.

Our Solution

That’s when we stepped in! We knew we needed a ‘blended’ approach, they had already reviewed over 250 ‘wrong’ people, how were we going to identify the ONE ‘right’ person.

We insisted on an exclusive partnership, where we were able to review who wasn’t right from the previous extensive search.

Then we leveraged our 25 year knowledge of the treasury sector meaning we identified and reached out to a pool of potential candidates many of who didn’t even have LinkedIn profiles or if they did they were 10 years out-of-date.

These are what we call the “passive candidate talent pool” – treasury candidates who are not actively looking for a new role, but might be tempted if the right opportunity comes along.

I describe that in greater detail in my article Fishing In The Passive Candidate Pool.

The Result

Our targeted approach where we approach candidates not actively seeking a role but open to their next career step yielded results.

From an initial list of only 6 , if that seems a small list then that’s because it is!

Why?

Because they were 6 candidates who all wanted the role, they wanted to make a move, they were NOT actively seeking a role BUT they had been identified, screened, and we had gained their commitment to being considered for the role.

These candidates weren’t on other agencies databases. Three of them didn’t have resumes – we had to help them create them.

Why? Because they were not seeking a role BUT they were open to an opportunity that we approached them with.

Our client chose a shortlist of the four that they felt were the closest match in terms of potential qualifications and background

Amongst them, there was one particular candidate who they immediately thought stood out, in terms of the companies they had worked for already resonated with their own brand’s values and they were a complete match with the requirements of the role itself.

So background and skills were an ideal fit, and they were promptly offered the position. Within three weeks, he accepted and integrated seamlessly into his new role, proving to be an invaluable asset to the team.

Conclusion

This recruitment effort underscores the significance of a specialized approach, particularly for high-level, niche roles in the treasury field.

It highlights our expertise in not only understanding the specific needs of our clients but also in efficiently identifying and attracting the right talent who need to be sought out – they’re not on LinkedIn!

That’s why we save our clients both their time and internal resource and how we ensure a perfect fit for both employer and the candidate themselves.