The younger, up-and-coming generations of workers, those set to enter the workforce in the next few years and those currently just starting in their careers, get all the attention from professional blogs these days. How do you manage millennials? What do Gen Z workers prioritize?

But the real issue is at the other end of the sliding generation scale: there will be 75 million members of the Baby Boom generation, those born immediately after WWII, retiring in the next several years. With those workers go decades of experience and knowledge, but it will also leave open countless top-level executive positions needing to be filled. How will hiring managers handle this incredible amount of open positions and how can companies prepare now for the inevitable?

Recruiting entry- or mid-career-level positions is a far cry different from recruiting C-suite jobs, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips on how to change and effectively recruit these management-level roles and why starting now will have your company better prepared for the future.

Start with what you already know and have in place.

Odds are, your company has needed to recruit manager-level positions in the past. It might only have been a few times a year, but the team you have in place is capable of finding and bringing in experienced leadership to start the work of finding qualified candidates. Even if they’re not needed yet, rely on the team you already know and trust and start approaching passive candidates on LinkedIn and other networking sites to talk about potential openings in the future. This is a particularly good way to start the process in small to mid-sized businesses, where the turnover might not be as sudden or frequent.

Equip your recruitment team with new tools.

If you have a larger company, or if you need to ramp up your recruiting efforts now because turnover and retirement is already loudly knocking on the door, start by arranging for new training and resources to be available to your existing recruitment team. Make sure they know and have access to all the cutting-edge, top-of-the-line tools and programs that offer the best possible response right now.

Develop your future leaders from within.

Speaking of working with people you know, is there anyone within your current team that has the makings of a great leader? Someone with a few years of experience who shows great promise, a drive and hunger to continue to learn and grow, someone who is committed to their job and the company? That person might be the manager you need down the road. The benefit of promoting from within is that it can happen incrementally, with title changes and expansion of responsibilities adding up over time, while the person grows in confidence and experience. Plus, it establishes an aspirational factor for other career-minded employees who might not know exactly how their future could look or what opportunities might be available to them within the company in a few years’ time.

Know what you’re looking for.

The best way to find what you need in your next wave of leadership and C-suite executives and leaders is to know which qualities have helped your current managers succeed and excel. Understand their strengths, their quirks, their practices and tips for productivity and leadership and then look for candidates who share those qualities. Find out whether they belong to any networking groups, industry organizations or other associations that could provide leads on strong candidates for your top-level positions — the best way to find strong candidates who can do what your current leaders can do is to go where they go and learn who they know.

Take it to the professionals.

If your company has tried any of the other steps and continues to struggle to find the right C-suite-level candidates for your open positions, or if there’s a sudden increase in need for candidates right away, why not turn to staffing professionals? Recruiters are professional people-finders, skilled in all the tips, tricks and tools that help find strong candidates for any level position, from entry to leadership. Staffing agencies and recruitment specialists — like Bishop & Company — do nothing but find the right candidates companies need.

Did you know Bishop & Company specializes in finding C-Suite-level executives and leadership positions and is among the most highly-respected and capable executive search firms? We can provide the expertise and skill needed to find just the right candidates for your open positions — whether it’s one opening or 10, now or in the future. You don’t want to be caught off-guard when the Baby Boomer retirement wave hits! Contact Bishop & Company today to build your recruitment team now and see what else we can do for you.