It could potentially help your organisation broaden knowledge, expertise and outlook. Is staying in sector playing it safe?īy only recruiting in sector, is your organisation impeding growth, development, inspiration and potential new opportunities?īy ruling out those from outside your sector could you in fact be overlooking potential talent that could deliver a significantly greater ROI in the long run?Ĭross sector recruitment could bring a fresh perspective and boost innovation.

However, at Barron Williams we admire the fact that John Lewis were brave enough to take it, in a sector that is notorious for ignoring out of sector talent.Ĭlearly they’ve seen in her the vision, leadership, drive and creativity needed to sail the partnership forward through choppy waters. Of course that appointment brings with it risk, and only time will tell if it was a good decision. Yet the career civil servant has been entrusted with steering one the country’s best-known retail chains through probably its greatest period of disruption. She’d never held a senior executive post in British retail, or in any other commercial business for that matter. Take the recent appointment of Dame Sharon White at John Lewis, a true industry outsider, and a great example of recruiting out of sector. However, talent is talent, skills are transferable, and broader out of sector experience can be advantageous. True, sector experience is an excellent indicator, and an in sector candidate will require less time to get up to speed with the role. They want to see demonstration and understanding of their product/service, customer base and the nuances of their industry. Excellent candidates are rejected on the basis they simply don’t have sector experience.Ĭlients will tell us they’re looking for somebody that’ll hit the ground running, add value and deliver an immediate ROI. In two years time, who will be best placed?Īt Barron Williams we see it time and time again.

Brave williams recruiting