By Shuna Boyle, Principal Supply Chain Recruitment Consultant, at Escape Recruitment Services 
A stable work history is something I'm regularly asked to look for when recruiting across Supply Chain, Planning and Procurement.
Hiring managers will often tell me they'd ideally like someone who's spent a good few years with their current employer. They value the commitment, depth of experience and stability that can come with that.
It's completely understandable.
But there's another side to that requirement that I think is worth spending just as much time considering.
If you specifically want someone who doesn't tend to move jobs, what is going to make them move for you?
A reason to apply isn't always a reason to leave
Someone who's actively searching for a new job has already made at least part of the decision.
They've decided they're open to change. They may have thought about what they want next and what isn't working for them now.
A candidate who's been happily working for the same organisation for six, eight or ten years can be in a very different position.
They might not have been considering a move at all until someone approached them, or they might have spotted your job advert by accident and not yet thought through what it would mean to make such a big move.
That means I think we need to understand more than what would make the opportunity attractive.
We also need to understand what that individual would be leaving behind.
They're leaving more than a job
Spend several years in the same organisation and you build up all sorts of things that will never appear on your CV.
- You know how things really get done.
- You know who to call when there's a problem and which person in another department will somehow manage to sort it.
- You understand the personalities around you. You know how your manager communicates, how different stakeholders operate and how your team works together.
- You've developed internal relationships and networks.
- People know you. They know what you're good at. You've built a reputation and earned trust.
- You know the systems and processes without having to think about them. You understand the busy periods, the recurring problems and the little quirks of the business.
Even your working day probably has a familiar rhythm. There are the colleagues you speak to every morning, the person you grab lunch with, the routines you barely notice because they've simply become part of working there.
None of that means their current employer is better than yours. And none of it means they won't move.
It simply means that when someone has been settled for a long time, changing employer involves giving up familiarity and starting to build many of those things again.
That's easy to underestimate when you're looking at a CV and thinking someone would be perfect for your vacancy.
How should you approach these conversations?
Start by understanding what they already value, then look at your opportunity through their eyes
Once you understand what matters to somebody, you can have a much more relevant conversation about your own organisation.
This isn't about trying to replicate everything they already have.
Some things can't be replicated immediately. A five-year relationship with a manager can't be replaced by telling somebody your manager is nice. A reputation built over eight years doesn't transfer on somebody's first morning.
Instead, think about how you can help the candidate understand what they could build next.
Download the Settled Candidate Conversation Guide
I've put these ideas into a short practical guide for hiring managers recruiting experienced people who may not have been planning to move.
It covers the questions worth exploring, what to listen for and how to use what you learn to help a candidate properly assess your opportunity.
