OUR APPROACH TO EXECUTIVE SEARCH
Key hires can transform your company: securing the right executive colleague is critical
Acquiring and retaining high-quality talent is critical to an organisation’s success. As the job market becomes increasingly competitive and the available skills grow more diverse, companies need to be more selective in their choices. Poor recruiting decisions can produce long-term negative effects, among them high training and development costs to minimise the incidence of poor performance and high attrition rate which, in turn, impact staff morale and retention. At worst, the organisation can fail to achieve its objectives thereby losing its competitive edge and its share of the market.
We partner with our clients when appointing key roles on their leadership and senior management teams. We commence every client assignment with an unbiased ‘blank sheet’ and use our extensive network and research to source both locally and internationally based talent. We provide diverse and balanced shortlists of exceptional candidates to help empower organisations to foster more diverse and inclusive cultures.
Our track record of assignments spans a variety of industry sectors and includes C-Suite appointments, Head of a function and senior management.
Return business from existing clients represents over 70% of our fee revenues. Our ability to deliver diverse shortlists through a wide-ranging candidate network that has grown with us since 2005 and our refreshing approach to business, explains why clients choose to work with us on a long-term basis.
THE EXECUTIVE SEARCH PROCESS
STEP 1: CREATING POSITION AND CANDIDATE SPECIFICATION
After the initial discussions with our client, we draft a description of the position, detailing its reporting relationships, responsibilities, and objectives. The candidate specification details core competencies, preferred experience, and soft skills — the personal qualities that sought in the ideal candidate. The document serves as a touchstone, defining all the requirements of the role and preventing searches from veering off course. Once the client approves the document, it is also used as a marketing tool with candidates.
STEP 2: SETTING RESEARCH STRATEGY
The search team develops a strategy of targeting companies most likely to yield a successful candidate, including the initial list of target companies. The strategy considers the level and scope of comparable roles as well as other key data points: office location, corporate culture, and each company’s ranking. Companies that are off-limits are also delineated — companies out of which the firm will not recruit due to sensitive client relationships or because the firm has client blockage.
STEP 3: CONDUCTING ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Using the strategy as a blueprint, the search team conducts original research to identify and profile ideal candidates, mapping the reporting relationships and often building out org charts of target teams. We will also query our own candidate database, proprietary information services, and social networks such as LinkedIn to yield prospective candidates.
STEP 4: QUERYING SOURCES
We sound our network of sources for candidate referrals and calibrations. Sources include journalists, professional associations, and other relevant groups. Prospects that meet the requirements of the role are added to the initial list of prospects.
STEP 5: QUALIFYING PROSPECTS
The search team contacts prospective candidates to determine whether they meet the primary requirements of the role and gathers details on the candidate’s motivations — what it would take for that candidate to make a move to a new company. The search team reviews the list of qualified, interested prospects to determine whether more research is necessary or it is time to schedule in-depth interviews.
STEP 6: INTERVIEWING AND PRE-REFERENCING TOP PROSPECTS
The search consultant interviews and evaluates top prospective candidates in a deep-dive interview that steps through the candidate’s career history. The executive search partner evaluates the candidate against the candidate specification through in-depth, in-person or video-conference interviews. Taking great care not to jeopardize candidate confidentiality, we pre-reference candidates whenever possible to verify past performance and essential soft skills. Those who are not a fit are closed out.
STEP 7: WRITING CANDIDATE PROFILE
For those candidates we present to the client, we prepare a written Candidate Profile. A Candidate Profile is a report that details the candidate’s education, career history, honors, and awards. The report also serves as an analysis and appraisal of the candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, and appropriateness for the position. Additionally, this is where the recruiter will highlight any key motivators, issues, and deal-making details essential to closing the candidate.
STEP 8: PRESENTING CANDIDATES AND TRACKING PROGRESS
We present candidates at regular progress meetings. Working closely with the client, the list is refined to a slate of 3 to 6 strong contenders for the client to meet. Client-candidate meetings are then scheduled.
STEP 9: SCHEDULING CLIENT INTERVIEWS
Client interviews of the candidates are scheduled to winnow selection down the two or three finalists. Those that are eliminated are closed out.
STEP 10: CHECKING REFERENCES
The search team checks the candidate’s references, contacting the contacts provided by the candidate as well as other sources available to the firm. The team makes every effort to ensure discretion and confidentiality. Verification of employment and academic credentials is often performed by third-party services. It is the consultant’s responsibility to ensure that such checks have been conducted.
STEP 11: EXTENDING THE OFFER
When a final candidate is selected, the search consultant works closely with the client and candidate to position the offer with the candidate, and to negotiate a package that is agreeable to both parties.
STEP 12: CLOSING THE CANDIDATE AND SEARCH
The search ends when the executive accepts the offer, agreeing to join the company. We then close out the engagement by thanking those involved for a successful outcome. We will continue to stay in touch to ensure the executive has a smooth transition into their new role.