Heidrick & Struggles discusses the evolving landscape of talent acquisition, emphasizing the need for executives who can adapt in a VUCA world and highlighting the ineffectiveness of traditional recruitment metrics. The document underscores the importance of behavioral competencies and cultural fit over mere technical skills, noting that nearly half of new hires fail within 18 months. It also touches on the significance of diversity and inclusion strategies in enhancing recruitment processes and ensuring retention.

1. Prepared by Ahmad Hassan
September 2014
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Heidrick & Struggles: Talent Acquisition Trends

2. 1
Talent Matters: A reality check!
Heidrick & Struggles is a global Executive
Search and Leadership Consulting firm, we
believe that successful companies execute
strategy and drive outstanding performance
through leadership, and we add value to our
clients by
► helping them find executives who will make an
impact on their businesses
► Advising them during and after periods of
significant transition
As a Partner in the Global Technology
Practice, I can only share
► My observations that are influenced by
interaction with senior leaders at the
clients with work with.
► My personal opinions that are formed by
working in the Technology sector, which
might not be representative of all sectors!

3. 2
What happened to the “War for Talent”?
We see companies outsourcing manufacturing,
offshoring operations, “right”sizing their workforce,
restructuring, refocusing and transforming their
businesses
Unemployment is high, many managers are unhappy
with their current roles, and young graduates have
difficulty finding their first job…
So what happened to the War for Talent ?
From a Search and Leadership Consulting perspective, we
still have difficulty defining the “right” executives who can
thrive in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and
Ambiguous) world.
In this “new” world, executives who are better than
others at learning and adapting (ie at continuous
learning), engaging their teams, and influencing change
will typically be more effective at creating more value for
their companies (and enjoy successful careers!)

4. 3
Talent Trends
Business Needs Talent Trends Potential downside
► In-house recruitment teams,
embedded (agency) recruiters
3090236
► Exponential growth of Linked-in
usage creates unqualified data:
Talent Maps, Funnels, Lists…
► How can we acquire talent faster
and cheaper ?

5. 4
It is not about IF you use LinkedIn, it’s HOW you use it!
I personally find LinkedIn an extremely useful two-edged
tool that needs to be used carefully…
• What is your own profile like ? Candidates will
check your profile to evaluate if they should call
you back, (Or if you yourself are open to a new
position !!*)
• What you see is the professional image that
candidates want you to see…
• Let us discuss the “Bonbeur” profile*
• In many cases it is professionally acceptable that
(senior) executives are connected to Executive
Search consultants (we are also career coaches),
but could career inhibitor if connected to the Talent
Acquisition Manager of a direct competitor !*
• Overall it is an excellent tool for an unreferenced
(what we would call an unqualified) list.

6. 5
Talent Trends
Business Needs Talent Trends Potential downside
► In-house recruitment teams,
embedded (agency) recruiters
► Metrics and KPI’s
3090236
► Exponential growth of Linked-in
usage creates unqualified data:
Talent Maps, Funnels, Lists…
► Some studies indicate that 46% of
new hires fail within 18 months…
► How can we acquire talent faster
and cheaper ?
► Are they staying ?

7. 6
What we think we do might not be what we actually do…
► Skills
► Experience
► Achievements
► Organizational fit
► Potential
What many
companies
believe they
look for in an
interview
The survey indicates that the top influencing factors for managers in hiring candidates are:
► A candidate’s sense of humour (27%)
► A candidate’s involvement in the community (26%)
► The better dressed candidate (22%)
► Candidates with whom the hiring manager has more in common with (21%)
► Candidates who are physically fit (13%).
What a 2013
survey by
Harris
Interactive
revealed they
actually did:
There might be an assumption that someone else has done the
“basics”,
and that the current interview is to see if there is the right
“chemistry”

8. 7
Skills and Competencies is just the start…
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► According to a Leadership IQ study in 2013, 46% of new hires will fail within their first 18 months
► Same survey found that only 11% were due to lack of Technical Competence
► This might be pessimistic, however, it is food for thought !
1. Coachability (26%): The ability to accept and implement feedback from bosses, colleagues,
customers and others.
2. Emotional Intelligence (23%): The ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions,
and accurately assess others’ emotions.
3. Motivation (17%): Sufficient drive to achieve one’s full potential and excel in the job.
4. Temperament (15%): Attitude and personality suited to the particular job and work
environment.
5. Technical Competence (11%): Functional or technical skills required to do the job.
The 5 biggest
reasons why
new hires fail
(Leadership
IQ Study)
The Basics are not enough
We need to do things differently

9. 8
Talent Trends
Business Needs Talent Trends Potential downside
► In-house recruitment teams,
embedded (agency) recruiters
► Metrics and KPI’s
► Focus on more than Skills and
Experience with CBI
3090236
► Exponential growth of Linked-in
usage creates unqualified data:
Talent Maps, Funnels, Lists…
► Some studies indicate that 46% of
new hires fail within 18 months…
► Behavioral Competencies and
Culture fit becomes an issue !
► How can we acquire talent faster
and cheaper ?
► Are they staying ?
► Are we getting the right Talent
into the organization ?

10. 9
Key Factors for Success
Key Factors for Success (KFS) is a summary tool utilized by Heidrick & Struggles that
focuses on the critical success factors for candidate assessment.
This tool allows us to assess candidates on three levels:
As the Key Factors for Success are being developed, there is a constant link back to the
position specification developed by Heidrick & Struggles and the client. It is this continual
linking process that ensures a unique reflection on the client and the position. After a
candidate has been interviewed by Heidrick & Struggles, the KFS summary is utilized in
creating the assessment document provided to the client.
Key Factors for
Success
We have found that
the Behavioral
Competencies are
the best measure of
“fit and stick” in a
position. These
competencies are all
about what people
do and how they do
it. It is the measure
of behaviors required
to effectively perform
a role in the
organization and to
help the business
meet its strategic
objectives.
Behavioral
Competencies
Personal
The “Must Haves” Characteristics
► Qualifications
► Experience
► Knowledge
► Technical Skills
► Functional
Competencies
► Leadership and
management
behaviors
► Values
► Motivation
► Personal style
► Personality traits
Confidential 9

11. 10
Talent Trends
Business Needs Talent Trends Potential downside
► In-house recruitment teams,
embedded (agency) recruiters
► Metrics and KPI’s
► Focus on more than Skills and
Experience with CBI
► Quotas for Gender Diversity
3090236
► Exponential growth of Linked-in
usage creates unqualified data:
Talent Maps, Funnels, Lists…
► Studies indicate that 46% of new
hires fail within 18 months…
► Behavioral Competencies and
Culture fit becomes an issue !
► Inclusion, development and
retention becomes an issue.
Diversity is not only about gender.
► How can we acquire talent faster
and cheaper ?
► Are they staying ?
► Are we getting the right Talent
into the organization ?
► Do we have enough diversity
► Talent Acquisition is becoming closely aligned with Succession Planning, Onboarding and Inclusiveness

12. 11
Diversity tactics or strategies which could help…
Strong Focus on Diversity as well as Inclusion
► Companies that have a higher success rate at attracting Female or Diversity candidates are also those who have a
strong Inclusion program (to on-board, integrate, then develop those Diversity candidates)
► These executives can then be the ones who are the best magnets for new talent.
Practical Focus based on Talent availability
► Alongside a quota system of one female on each shortlist we would suggest focusing in on areas where a successful
diversity higher is more likely.
― Parts of the Consumer technology has a higher number of successful female executives. One suggestion is to
have a higher number of female candidates on certain shortlists
― The traditional enterprise software space however has few successful female executives. So for searches for
certain business units (such as Dynamics) diversity quotas may result in sub optimal short lists
Have Diversity Executives on the Interviewing panel.
► Most Diversity candidates (Gender or other) are not excited about being the “Diversity hire”! They would like to be
convinced of the potential career paths afforded to them. Having a non-diverse interviewing committee will not help
us convince them.
It takes two to tango !
(Avivah Wittenberg-Cox: How Women Mean Business)
http://changethis.com/manifesto/76.01.ForgetCinderella/pdf/76.01.ForgetCinderella.pdf

13. 12
Talent Trends
Business Needs Talent Trends Potential downside
► In-house recruitment teams,
embedded (agency) recruiters
► Metrics and KPI’s
► Focus on more than Skills and
Experience with CBI
► Quotas for Gender Diversity
► We want to recruit “different”
profiles… but we all have a
tendency to recruit people similar
to ourselves!
3090236
► Exponential growth of Linked-in
usage creates unqualified data:
Talent Maps, Funnels, Lists…
► Some studies indicate that 46% of
new hires fail within 18 months…
► Behavioral Competencies and
Culture fit becomes an issue !
► Inclusion, development and
retention becomes an issue.
Diversity is not only about gender.
► If too close to culture, then
becomes part of system, if too far
from current culture will not be
integrated
► How can we acquire talent faster
and cheaper ?
► Are they staying ?
► Are we getting the right Talent
into the organization ?
► Do we have enough diversity
► Can we transform our business
with the Talent we have ?
► Talent Acquisition is becoming closely aligned with Succession Planning, Onboarding and Inclusiveness

14. 13
Maybe what worked well in the past is not enough for the future

15. 14
Doing things differently

16. 15
A personal view of Talent Acquisition and the impact on Executive search
Emerging New Candidate Paradigm:
― More executives with high impact but more career changes versus career longevity.
”Always-On” Recruiting Model for Talent Development
― External pipeline development will be integrated with internal succession planning
Technology will enable Professional Networking Platforms even further and will make most Executives even
more visible, however
― Just because it will be easier to have a quick Talent Map of executives in a particular sector, it will not give a
good indication of their leadership abilities, real impact on the organization, style and cultural fit
― Ability to get good recommendations from other high performing executives will be critical
― Effective “soft-referencing” to keep track of high potential and upcoming leaders will be more difficult
Executive visibility will not necessarily result in Executive Accessibility
― Successful senior executives have least time and yet they are the ones who are most solicited
― We already see a tendency that the more senior executives are more selective in their responses (mainly to
those they know and trust)
Candidate Care and the overall Candidate Experience becomes more and more critical
Remember: The candidates are choosing your company as much as you are choosing them
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17. 16
Concluding question
What does a (good) Executive Search
consultant do a lot of towards the end
of any search project ?
Hint 1: Something that most Applicant Tracking Systems
cannot do properly
Hint 2: Something that many internal HR leaders tend to
not do much of either ?
Hint 3: Something that Consultants do not enjoy doing!

18. 17
Ahmad Hassan
Ahmad Hassan is a partner in Heidrick & Struggles’ Paris office and is a member of both the
Global Technology & Services and Leadership Consulting practices. He also co-leads the firm's
Software Practice for EMEA.
Ahmad focuses on search, assessment and talent development projects at the CEO, COO and
Managing Director level for multinational companies. He has also conducted Board level
assignments within the technology sector.
Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Ahmad spent almost 12 years with another global
executive search and assessment firm where he was a Managing Director with a well-established
practice in telecommunications, software, hardware, and the convergence sectors.
He was an executive with AT&T prior to leaving the corporate life for executive search. One of
his last roles with AT&T was to lead service delivery for their Outsourcing Division across
Europe, the Middle East and Africa. His early career was with IBM where he spent 10 years in
sales and consulting roles.
Ahmad has two US patents in the area of digital imaging and transmission and is co-leader of
the Career & Solidarity function for the INSEAD Alumni Association in France.
Ahmad received his MBA from INSEAD and his engineering degree from Cairo University. He is
fluent in French, English and Arabic.
40 rue de Courcelles
75008 Paris
France
tel: +33 (0) 1 44 34 17 00
ahassan@heidrick.com

19. 40 rue de Courcelles
75008 Paris
+33 1 44 34 17 00
www.heidrick.com
Link to Ahmad's bio
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