This is the continuing saga of Cityville 

The last of the snow had finally melted in the town and evidence of spring being sprung was everywhere. The City Manager Stan Smartastheycome was whistling a happy little tune as he walked down Main Street.

 

It was said about Stan that he was a man of strong opinions...but very wise and also that he came by his surname honestly.

 

This particular spring morning Stan was on his way to meet Mayor O'Shaughnessy Mayor of all the people of Cityville. They were set to have their regular Monday morning meeting ...on today's agenda was "how to find a new Director of Planning"

 

The Mayor was a man of strong opinions too so he and Stan often clashed over the silliest things...like the day O'Shaughnessy bet his lunch that the Leafs would win the Stanley Cup.

 

On this day the Mayor went first "...I think we should run an ad Stan", O'Shaughnessy postulated. That immediately got Stan's attention. "Well Mayor, that's the dumbest idea yet. I thought you'd know that by what happened last time? Don't you remember the pile of resumes you got and not a qualified person in the bunch!

 

"Mayor, haven't you heard that the baby boomers are turning 60 at the rate of 1 every 75 seconds and that most towns and cities across Canada are looking for exactly the same people at precisely the same time. The fact that every one of our neighbouring municipalities is looking for a Director of Planning should tell you something".

 

The Mayor was quick to respond, "I heard that Podunkville got a Director of Public Works last month and Mayor Nosealot told me they did it with advertising."

 

"Well that's where you aren't getting good information Mayor. Did Nosealot tell you that they got the Engineer from HELL...nobody bothered to tell them that he had made his last town miserable with his shoddy work. You must know your Honour that there just aren't as many up-and-coming municipal managers as there were 10 years ago ...things are different now". There's a Perfect Storm Brewing.

 

"Anyway Mayor, do you know what you get when you advertise? I'll tell you, you get the absolute best of the unemployed unhappy people"

 

This is an election year. Lets use our heads!

 

The Mayor shot back "Well what about calling Rah BundleStein or  PrommiseYouAnything, they are a couple of good executive search companies, aren't they"?

 

"Mayor wake up" said Stan "all they do is feed you finger food and buy you booze at trade shows and in the end they just put ads in the paper ...and big ads too that cost us a fortune They advertise with our money promoting themselves then deliver the same group of unhappy municipal retreads."

 

OK Mr. Smart Guy "what do you suggest?" "Well Mayor, I knew you were going to ask me that and it so happens I have an answer."

 

Over the past four years I keep running into Bruce Malcolm of Ravenhill Group at ALL the Municipal Conferences I go to. All I get from him is straight talk. I have seen him at CAMA, ROMA. AUMA, SUMA and even ICMA, just to name a few. He has had great success recruiting for towns and cities right across Canada and do you know what Mayor he doesn't believe advertising works. He maintains that ethical head hunting really works. I like their focus 

 

At Ravenhill Group they go out and talk to people who are happy and working hard. Bruce told me a great story about how he recruited Bob... I understand that as many as 10% of all happily employed people would consider a job change if one was presented to them, but they are not looking for one."

 

"Stan, now you are being the dummy! Don't you know that all executive search firms are the same?"

 

"Mayor there you go again saying silly things. Ravenhill offers a 365 day guarantee and that's unheard of. Another guarantee, they never recruit from their clients. Plus they have some really unique ways of discovering the best people through their ASK Selection Process and best of all they specialize in municipal recruiting in fact that's all they do!"

 

"Call Ravenhill Group today,they know what municipal leaders like you need to know" said Mayor O'Shaughnessy. "It may be April 1^st, Stan but I am no fool"!