Slow & Steady Wins the Race inToday’s PR Hiring Market

End the Waiting Game

Plus, says Barry Shulman, the notion that you’ll find the perfect candidate is false. “The consensus among hiring managers is that they should be able to get everything they want,” says Shulman, of Shulman Associates Executive Search, which specializes in communications searches.

“When have you ever gotten everything you want in your life? It’s impossible. You’ve elongated the interview process, and ultimately you end up settling for the best candidate, not the perfect candidate.”

Skimping on Senior Execs

Shulman says hiring companies are costing themselves time and money by turning to search engines and job boards for high-level communications posts. Companies are skimping on the costs of a recruiter, Shulman says, since most already pay for job boards. But most companies end up paying for a recruiter in the end.

The message is admittedly self-serving, but companies like a major biotech company have had disastrous results posting senior PR roles on job boards. The company posted a high-level communications job on an online engine, was deluged with more than 800 applications in two days. HR now has to sift through the candidates, most of whom are under qualified, Shulman says.