News & Insights

When I started working in executive search in 2001 the perception was that you had a little black book and operated in the shadows, having covert meetings with senior executives in clandestine locations.

The reality was far removed from this. It involved working through the yellow pages to identify companies, piles of CVs and cover letters stacked up beside your desk in badly organised folders, and lots and lots of phone calls. The most clandestine activity I think I undertook was to arrange for a note to be left in a target candidate’s locker, asking him to call me.

The proliferation of the internet, personal emails and social media have made the process more streamlined, but what are the steps involved? Let me walk you through it.

Any process starts with a client meeting. Often these meetings can take place before the role or process has been communicated internally. We meet with the client to understand their needs and clarify or advise on their ideal type of candidates required. This also allows us to understand the culture and key challenges within the organisation. We then detail a timetable of key dates for the process to allow everyone to work towards.

From the client meeting, we would detail a job description and person specification for the role. This allows us to produce a detailed candidate information pack providing details on both the company and the opportunity. We then begin to proactively identify organisations where relevant candidates are likely to be working, and target potential applicants within these organisations. We will also discuss the likelihood of any internal applicants and the best way to handle this.

Our existing network and connections allow us to reach out to potential sources who could be suitable or are in a position to recommend others who might be interested in this role.

In parallel with the active search, we advertise and promote the role across a variety of different channels, including social media, local job boards, relevant websites and any required printed media. This gives the process as much visibility to the active marketplace as possible, assuming it isn’t a confidential search.

Following the closing date, we will screen all candidates and arrange interviews with those who meet the criteria. Having this interaction with the candidates in the process allows us to build a relationship and therefore handle any queries before they become an issue.

We meet with the client to give an overview of those who have applied and how the role and/or company was received by the market. Detailed information on candidates’ relevant experience is given and a recommendation of who should be brought forward to the interview stage is given. From this we can also assist with interview questions or sit on the interview panel.

We can facilitate psychometric testing, support the client through the interview process and advise on additional methods of assessment if necessary.

Once a successful candidate is chosen we will conduct reference checks, present job offers and assist in offer negotiations, as required. Our relationship with both candidate and client at this stage ensures this is a smooth process.

We also provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates, collate monitoring data and ensure the process is managed effectively and to a successful conclusion.

If you would like to discuss an executive search process with us, please do not hesitate to contact us at any stage for a confidential discussion.

By Neal Lucas, Managing Director