Restarting a stalled search with a sharper employer story
Some searches do not fail for lack of effort. They fail because everyone is doing the same thing. By the time a role has been live with several agencies, the same candidates have heard the same pitch more than once, and they have switched off. Grid-Link, expanding interstate, had a senior Regional Lead role for Queensland in exactly that position.
8
Profiles in the reset shortlist
6
Progressed to interview
1 yes
From a candidate who had said no
This is how the search was restarted, and why a sharper employer story did what more outreach could not.
The challenge
Grid-Link was ready to expand interstate and needed a senior Regional Lead for Queensland. The problem was that the role had already been live with multiple agencies at the same time. Outreach fatigue had set in, and without a compelling employer narrative, candidates were disengaging. When other agencies gave up, the position stayed open.
The approach
Rather than repeating what had not worked, we stepped back. Together with Grid-Link, we diagnosed why the search had stalled and agreed on a different path, including a full reset of the outreach strategy and a formal return to market.
The reset centred on building an Employee Value Proposition for the role. A clear, differentiated message about what Grid-Link stood for, where it was heading, and what the position would mean for the right person's career. Only then did the search relaunch. The shortlist that followed included eight profiles, with six progressing to interview and three reaching a standard where Grid-Link would have comfortably made an offer.
The result
The person eventually appointed had been approached for this role before, and had passed. Through our knowledge of Grid-Link's business and the newly developed value proposition, that same individual was re-engaged and appointed.
It is worth sitting with that for a moment. The candidate did not change. The role did not change. What changed was how the opportunity was framed. The result came from repositioning, not from sourcing harder.
Ben demonstrated a high level of diligence, professionalism, and responsiveness throughout the process. He took the time to clearly understand our requirements and worked patiently and persistently with multiple stakeholders, both within Grid-Link and externally, until a suitable candidate was successfully appointed. We were very satisfied with the quality of service and the outcome achieved. Based on our experience, we would confidently recommend Ben for complex, strategic, as well as business as usual recruitment assignments.
What this tells you about a search that has stalled
- When a role stalls, more outreach rarely fixes it. The problem is usually the message, not the effort.
- An Employee Value Proposition is not a nice to have. For senior roles it is often the deciding factor between a yes and a no.
- A previous no is not always final. Reframe the opportunity and the same person may give a different answer.
