Insight Blog

Our recent executive search blog series covered a variety of topics from how to find firms that specialize in your industry to how to maintain the momentum of an executive search. If you are still wondering what a retained, specialized search consultant can offer you and your organization, read on. Let’s be honest – any recruiter can find candidates and provide resumes. But a true executive search process involves much more than that. When performed properly, searches entail analyzing your organization’s culture, structure, strategy and business operations as well as prospective candidates' mindsets, personalities, career motivations, and family situations.

An experienced search consultant brings value to the talent acquisition process by:  

• They work collaboratively with you, taking time to understand your organization and its unique corporate culture, style, and structure before initiating search activities.

• They understand how to develop strategies and solutions that navigate the challenges and limitations of a given talent pool.

• They provide insight on your market and your competitors (compensation programs, organizational structures, and corporate cultures).

• They advise you on the type of candidate you can expect to secure based upon the role, its salary structure, and opportunities for growth.

• They assist you in determining how to represent your organization and its opportunity to make both appealing to candidates.

• They assess the personal attributes and cultural fit of candidates, providing intelligence beyond resumes that includes professional comments about candidates, their backgrounds, career motivation, hot buttons, family issues, and why they are motivated to pursue your specific opportunity. They will coach a secured candidate through their resignation process to help ensure a smooth transition.

• They act as a sounding board for you and candidates, providing a buffer zone to allow communication to flow freely and honestly. During the interview process and negotiation process, this reduces the formality and focuses on key issues.

Beyond offering these search competencies, what can an experienced, retained search partner do?

• They can assist in strategic planning, assessing and solving business challenges as they relate to talent acquisition.

• They can assist you in leveraging your firm’s experience and capabilities by securing talent that strengthens your executive team and thus potential in target markets.

• They can assist in developing position descriptions with well-defined objectives and competencies.

• They can introduce companies and professionals who could benefit from each other's expertise.

Specialized executive search firms and consultants who offer the above capabilities can add tremendous value to a search process as well as to your organization’s talent acquisition strategy. Developing a relationship with a consultant who understands your industry, as well as your organization and its objectives, can allow you to attract and secure talented professionals who provide value, add strength to your team, and fit within your corporate culture. And that can mean future success and prosperity for you and your organization.

*Note: Since the release of this blog, our posts on recruitment were noticed by Cleverism, a leading educational website. If you're involved in recruitment, don't miss their article From Good to Great: How to Become a Badass Recruiter. We highly recommend it!