E-Recruitment in Local Government: Are We Missing the Opportunity of Talent and Fit?

In an era where digital transformation is reshaping every aspect of public service from how we deliver adult social care to how we engage communities in planning decisions one area remains conspicuously behind the curve: recruitment. Despite the proliferation of e-recruitment platforms, AI-powered applicant tracking systems, and the rise of professional networking tools like LinkedIn, many local authorities continue to rely on outdated, transactional hiring practices that fail to reflect the complexity and competitiveness of today’s talent market. This is particularly problematic when it comes to executive recruitment. Senior leadership roles in local government from Directors of Place to Chief Executives require a unique blend of strategic vision, political acumen, and values-based leadership. Yet the systems we use to attract and assess candidates often prioritise process over people, compliance over connection, and speed over suitability.

More than a decade ago, Stuart Longbottom’s MBA dissertation, E-recruitment: Missing the Opportunity of Talent and Fit (Durham Business School, 2011), sounded the alarm. Drawing on interviews with HR professionals, directors, and executive candidates, Longbottom identified a fundamental misalignment between the tools organisations were using to recruit and the calibre of talent they hoped to attract. His research revealed that many organisations failed to distinguish between recruiting for junior roles and executive leadership, applying the same online methods and criteria across the board.

“Organisations have a poor record of recruiting high-level people,” Longbottom wrote. “It is unclear whether they recognise the impending shortage of talent or have strategies for executive recruitment.”

Fast forward to today, and his findings remain startlingly relevant. While the technology has evolved, the underlying issues persist. Many councils still default to generic job boards, impersonal application portals, and agency-led processes that prioritise cost-efficiency over candidate experience. The result? A system that often fails to identify let alone attract the leaders who can drive transformation, foster innovation, and build trust with communities. In a sector where leadership matters more than ever, the question is no longer whether we can afford to modernise our recruitment approach it’s whether we can afford not to.

The Talent Crisis Is Real But Are We Ready?

The global war for talent is not a distant threat it’s already here. As local government grapples with rising service demands, financial constraints, and the need for transformational leadership, the ability to attract and retain top-tier talent has never been more critical. Yet, as Stuart Longbottom’s research reveals, many organisations are still unprepared for the scale and complexity of the challenge.

In his 2011 MBA dissertation, E-recruitment: Missing the Opportunity of Talent and Fit, Longbottom conducted in-depth interviews with 16 senior HR professionals, directors, recruitment consultants, and executive candidates. His findings pointed to a worrying trend: while the global economy was shifting rapidly driven by demographic change, technological advancement, and increasing competition for skilled workers recruitment strategies remained static, particularly at the executive level.

He referenced a 2007 McKinsey Global Survey in which finding talented people was identified as the single most important management challenge for the coming decade. Yet, despite this clear warning, many organisations including those in the public sector continued to treat executive recruitment as a transactional process, failing to distinguish it from lower-level hiring.

“Organisations do not necessarily see finding talented people as the greatest management challenge of the future,” Longbottom observed. “They rate hiring good people above hiring the best.”

This mindset is especially concerning in local government, where the stakes are high. Directors of Public Health, Chief Executives, and Heads of Service are not just operational leaders they are stewards of public trust, responsible for navigating complex political landscapes, driving place-based transformation, and delivering outcomes that affect the lives of thousands. Yet, if we continue to rely on generic job descriptions, impersonal application portals, and agency-led processes that prioritise speed and cost over strategic alignment, we risk missing out on the very people who could lead our organisations into a more resilient, inclusive future. Longbottom’s work challenges us to ask: Are we truly ready to compete for the best? Or are we still operating under the illusion that good enough is, in fact, good enough?

The Pitfalls of a ‘You Find Us’ Approach

One of the most striking insights from Stuart Longbottom’s research is the distinction he draws between two fundamental approaches to recruitment: “We find you” and “You find us.” The former is a proactive strategy headhunting, direct sourcing, leveraging networks and social media to identify and engage high-potential candidates, including those not actively seeking new roles. The latter, by contrast, is passive posting vacancies on job boards or corporate websites and waiting for applicants to come forward.

Longbottom’s interviews revealed that most organisations, including many in the public sector, default to the “you find us” model. This is particularly true in local government, where recruitment is often outsourced to agencies that rely heavily on advertising roles rather than actively searching for the best-fit candidates.

“UK employers do not actively search for employees on the internet but wait for applicants to approach them.” Williams & Verhoeven, 2008

This overreliance on passive methods is not just a tactical oversight it’s a strategic vulnerability. By focusing on active jobseekers, councils risk missing out on passive candidates: high-calibre professionals who are not actively applying for roles but may be open to the right opportunity if approached. These individuals often already in senior roles are precisely the kind of experienced, values-driven leaders that local government needs to navigate today’s complex challenges.

Moreover, the “you find us” approach can reinforce homogeneity. It tends to attract candidates who are already familiar with public sector recruitment processes or who have the time, confidence, and digital literacy to navigate often clunky application systems. This can inadvertently exclude diverse talent, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds or sectors, who may bring fresh perspectives but are less likely to engage with traditional public sector job boards.

Longbottom’s findings suggest that the most effective executive recruitment strategies are those that blend technology with human insight using digital tools to widen the net, but also investing in relationship-building, targeted outreach, and a deep understanding of what makes a candidate the right fit for a specific organisational culture. In local government, where leadership roles are not just about technical competence but about place leadership, political navigation, and community trust, the cost of a poor hire is high not just financially, but in terms of service delivery, staff morale, and public confidence.

The challenge, then, is clear: if we want to attract the best, we must go out and find them. Waiting for them to come to us is no longer a viable strategy.

Character Over Competence: Rethinking Selection Criteria

One of the most compelling and challenging insights from Stuart Longbottom’s research is the misplaced emphasis many organisations place on experience and qualifications when recruiting for executive roles. While these factors are undoubtedly important, they are often prioritised at the expense of something even more critical: character.

Drawing on the work of George Hollenbeck, Longbottom argues that the traditional executive selection model is fundamentally flawed. Hollenbeck proposes a revised hierarchy of selection criteria:

“The correct order of priority should be Character, Competence, Competencies.”

In other words, who a person is their values, emotional intelligence, integrity, and ability to lead with authenticity should come before what they’ve done or the technical skills they possess. This is especially relevant in local government, where leaders must navigate political complexity, build trust with communities, and lead diverse teams through uncertainty and change. Yet, Longbottom’s interviews revealed that this principle is rarely applied in practice. Of the 16 senior professionals he interviewed, 11 cited experience and qualifications as their top selection criteria, while only four mentioned character and fit. This suggests a systemic bias toward what’s easily measurable CVs, job titles, years of service rather than what truly drives leadership effectiveness.

This approach risks hiring individuals who may look good on paper but lack the adaptability, empathy, and values alignment needed to thrive in the public sector. As Jim Collins famously observed in Good to Great, the most successful organisations “get the right people on the bus” before deciding where to drive it. In local government, that means identifying leaders who not only have the right skills but also the right mindset to serve the public good.

Candidate Experience Matters More Than You Think

Beyond who we hire, Longbottom’s research also shines a light on how we hire and why the recruitment process itself can make or break our ability to attract top talent. A recurring theme in his interviews was the disconnect between the candidate experience organisations think they’re offering and the reality on the ground. Many candidates described recruitment processes as impersonal, opaque, and frustrating characterised by poor communication, lack of feedback, and a sense of being processed rather than engaged.

“The candidate perception of the organisation is affected by the recruiting experience they have… Everyone connecting with the recruitment process is a potential ambassador for the company.” Stuart Longbottom

In local government, this matters more than most sectors. Councils are not just employers they are civic institutions, entrusted with public resources and responsible for delivering vital services. A poor recruitment experience doesn’t just deter high-quality candidates; it can also damage the council’s reputation, erode trust, and undermine efforts to position the organisation as an employer of choice.

Moreover, in a competitive talent market, the recruitment experience is often the first and sometimes only impression a candidate has of your organisation. A clunky application portal, a lack of clarity about the role, or radio silence after an interview can all send a powerful (and negative) signal about how the organisation treats its people. In contrast, a well-designed, human-centred recruitment process one that values transparency, responsiveness, and respect can be a powerful differentiator. It tells candidates that your organisation is serious about people, committed to fairness, and capable of delivering a positive employee experience.

In short, recruitment is not just a process it’s a statement of values. And in local government, where values matter deeply, we can’t afford to get it wrong.

What Can Local Government Do Differently?

Stuart Longbottom’s research offers a timely wake-up call for local authorities: the way we recruit senior leaders is not just outdated it’s misaligned with the very qualities we claim to value in public service. If we are serious about attracting transformational leaders who can navigate complexity, inspire teams, and deliver for communities, we must be equally serious about how we find and select them.

Here are five practical, evidence-based steps councils can take to modernise and humanise executive recruitment:

1. Adopt a differentiated strategy for executive roles

   Not all recruitment is created equal. Executive roles demand a bespoke approach that reflects their strategic importance. Councils should move away from one-size-fits-all processes and instead develop tailored strategies that consider the unique leadership, political, and cultural demands of senior roles.

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3. Prioritise character and cultural fit alongside competence and experience

   As Longbottom and Hollenbeck argue, character including emotional intelligence, integrity, and adaptability is often a better predictor of executive success than technical skills alone. Local government must embed these attributes into its selection frameworks, interview processes, and assessment criteria.

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5. Shift from “you find us” to “we find you”

   The best candidates are often not actively job-hunting. Councils should invest in proactive search strategies, leveraging professional networks, social media platforms like LinkedIn, and specialist head hunters who understand the nuances of public sector leadership. This is especially important for improving diversity and reaching underrepresented talent.

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7. Invest in the candidate experience

   Every touchpoint from the job advert to the final interview shapes how candidates perceive your organisation. Clear communication, timely feedback, accessible application systems, and a respectful tone all contribute to a positive experience. In a sector built on public trust, how we treat candidates reflects how we treat people.

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9. Clarify ownership of recruitment strategy

   One of the most consistent themes in Longbottom’s interviews was the confusion over who owns the recruitment process. Is it HR? The hiring manager? The agency? Councils must establish clear lines of accountability, ensuring that those responsible for hiring have the authority, insight, and support to make informed, values-aligned decisions.

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Final Thought

“Executive selection in many cases does not work well. It can work much better if organisations can accept a differentiated recruitment model that recognises the scarcity, particular characteristics, skills and perceptions of the executive candidate.” Stuart Longbottom

Local government stands at a crossroads. The challenges we face from climate resilience to social inequality require bold, values-driven leadership. But we cannot expect to find such leaders if we continue to rely on outdated, impersonal, and misaligned recruitment practices. By embracing a more strategic, human-centred approach to executive hiring, councils can do more than fill vacancies they can shape the future of public service. The opportunity is there. The question is: will we take it?