Recruiting C-Suite executives: Are you on track with making key hires by the end of the year?

There are less than five months left to put 2024 to bed and so the upcoming months require strategic planning to make sure that businesses are on the right track.

This includes starting the search for C-Suite executives, if outgoing executives are planning to leave or retire by the end of the year.

On LinkedIn, Founder of FM Search and Sivenorem, Headhunter Fran Moisa highlighted that in this circumstance, recruitment should start now.

She noted that August and December are prime holiday months, affecting timelines and candidate availability.

Furthermore, she highlighted that most senior and C-Suite professionals typically have a three-month notice period.

She remarked that the recruitment process itself is lengthy as it takes around two to four weeks, under ideal conditions, to search for a candidate, four weeks for the full interview process and negotiations and resignation adds another week.

“If the role requires regulatory approval – well, I don’t need to expand on that more, do I?” she added.

The dos and don’ts for C-Suite hires

• Having a clear vision

Having a company with a clear sense of purpose and vision will ultimately attract the right candidates who share the same values. Furthermore, having a reputable company will make the recruitment faster as people would have already kept tabs on the company, even before the vacancy was made public.

Additionally, having the right social media presence can be an attractive quality that can widen the potential applicant pool, even attracting young talent.

• Exploring options

While it is crucial for companies to expand and welcome team members from all walks of life with different experiences, companies should also explore internal candidates that would be the right fit to be promoted.

• Finding the right fit

Apart from having values that align with the company, when hiring it is important to ensure that the executive understands their role.

To minimise wasting time, the job description should use the right keywords and tone that reflect the intentions of the company and what it is expecting in return.

In addition, when publishing job vacancies many recruiters recommend using inviting language that indicates the company’s intentions of attracting people from different backgrounds.

In another post, Ms Moisa points out that, aside from the technical competencies, when recruiting companies should evaluate practicality and adaptability.

This means asking questions like: “What was the biggest external factor that reshaped your strategy in the last 24 months?” and “what changes have you implemented to adapt these factors?”