Strict job requirements causing you to bypass great candidates? These executive search hiring tips will ensure you don’t miss out on a great applicant.

The labor force is shrinking while many sectors have improved significantly.  Currently, approximately 63% of Americans have a job or are actively seeking work.  The participation rate is dropping because older Americans are retiring, younger workers are returning to school and many workers are simply discouraged.   Could you overlook a great candidate by valuing stability more than performance or by requiring only industry specific experience?  Most workers spend an average of only 4.4 years in any position and will have approximately 11 different positions throughout their career. Your hiring requirements could actually be preventing you from interviewing a great employee who will have a long tenure with your company. These three flexible executive search hiring tips can help you ensure that you don’t miss out on a potentially great candidate by simply viewing their application in black and white .

Tip #1 – Focus on the candidates skills, attributes and how they could add value  Don’t let a recent or short period of unemployment automatically eliminate a candidate.  Gaps of employment or a couple of short term jobs may be attributable to something like serious illness of a close family member or simply a bad career decision.  If the candidate demonstrates results, it may be worth your time allowing them to explain the gaps or job changes.

Tip #2 – Weigh the pros and cons of each candidate  Weigh quantifiable achievements and past performance against any period of unemployment or multiple job changes to get a better picture of the performance capabilities of the candidates.

Tip # 3 – Think outside the box If the candidate is not a perfect match or is from a different industry, are there transferrable skills that can be applied in your company?  A motivated candidate with a good foundation of transferrable skills may have more positive impact.