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The UK executive search business is essentially a mode of management consultancy, although few clients ask for more than the shortlist of candidates as its end product. The reason believed is that the majority of clients lack understanding of what goes into a search. Rather, it is seen as a mysterious list of contact names involving “insider recruiting”.
Although this view is not eagerly corrected, the majority would rather clients know the real truth: that executive search UK is a sophisticated market research project, involving the systematic assembly of information regarding industries, companies and individual reputations. As clients pay for this they are entitled to share the knowledge from the search, with the exception of privileged and confidential information. The value of the search exercise ultimately depends on how carefully you structure the questions, as well as covering the fundamental ones such as “things I always wanted to know about the job, but never dared to ask.”
JOB SPECIFICATION
What is the real job specification? The actual content of jobs can be distorted by changing circumstances in the market, organisational politics, advances in technology and by personal strengths and weaknesses. So should the specification be re-tailored, or will the job have to be brought back into line with the induction process? To formulate a view on this the professional job hunter requires as much information as possible. It is vital for the parameters of the job to be defined at the outset. Changing the real content or not coming clean about the following issues is very likely to lead to the search failing:
- Key business issues: what challenges does the company face and how will these affect the appointment?
- Reporting relationships: what are the boss/subordinate and consultative relationships in the job?
- Problems: Concerning human resources, who will be passed over if an external appointment is made, and what will their attitude be towards their replacement? Consequently, in the short term, how might that affect reporting relationships and the specification of the appointment?
- Chemistry: It is better to be open about certain candidate types who do not fit the organisation; however one must be aware of racial and sexual discrimination.
SALARY LEVEL
Salary levels are important in relation to the market. Leading UK executive job search firms tend to be more in the know than most companies and producers of salary surveys. You may be told that you are considering paying too much or not enough. A definite mistake is trying to appoint someone for a job who is over-qualified.
Despite seeking a high quality candidate, as expected from an executive search company, during discussion with a recruitment consultant that expectation can be adapted to match what you feel able to pay. In fact the management recruiter may establish that an all-round genius is not required, and that the job could even prove dissatisfying for them. At Allery Scotts this is part of a process which we describe as managing the clients’ expectations.
CONFIDENTIALITY
The major problem of working with more than one executive head hunter is confidentiality. Some clients believe that by working with a number of head hunters they can prevent competitors that are using the same search company from swiping key executives. However, an unwritten rule deems existing clients off-limits. In addition, the term ‘client’ can be defined differently by others, for example a rival recruiting company may not view a firm which only places infrequent assignments as a ‘client’ in the true sense.
Highly confidential information should be kept so. However, in order to complete an assignment properly, the head hunter needs some information. Where more than one search firm is involved, the harder it becomes to keep aware of the restricted material’s circulation. The choice of partner is crucial if you intend to have a continuing and open association with the executive search consultant.
KEY QUESTIONS
It is essential to consider questions such as how the total staff recruitment would be carried out and whether the resources to conduct this are actually available when seeking an executive search company. In Allery Scotts’ experience, some important issues have emerged that are common to all:
Success rates: not every UK executive retained search succeeds. Beware of claim rates that seem too high because few UK head hunter firms will admit to a low figure.
Time scales: the length of a search depends on many aspects such as how specialised the specification is; a time estimate should be provided by the executive job search firm. An Economist survey quoted up to eight weeks for a shortlist outline and twelve for the chosen candidate to receive the offer. At Allery Scotts we expect to produce a shortlist of qualified and interested candidates approximately five to seven weeks after completing the briefing.
The executive search consultant’s industry knowledge: the executive head hunter must have line management experience of the search sector and knowledge of subtle differences in terminology relating to the nature of the appointment. However, beware of the executive search consultant who appears to know a sector so well that they gossip about your competitors. They may proceed to gossip about you.
How research is to be conducted: this should be open, for example the head hunter should be able to describe what telephone research and personal contacts accomplishes. It is important who an executive search firm can find through existing contacts. In addition, the independent assessment of internal candidates is one of the most valuable by-products. But the prominent aspects to look for are their creativity and imagination demonstrated in a thorough market search.
Reference checking procedures: taking informal references on candidates is vital; the candidate needs to be traced back to early in their career. The executive search consultant should talk to former colleagues not mentioned by the candidate to build an accurate picture; most people could find a couple of people to sing their praises.
Policy if the executive search fails: the executive search firm should pledge itself to see the job through even if the shortlist is rejected or the appointed candidate proves to be a failure in the job. At Allery Scotts we offer a guarantee of success - that is, if an appointed candidate leaves a client within 3 months we will re-do the executive search at no additional fee.
Fees: these tend to be a third of remuneration; however the executive search company should make known how they value bonuses and other benefits. A fixed-fee may be arranged through mutual agreement, although these will usually be equal to one-third. Some firms charge an hourly rate, but the fees should be considered in the light of the value brought to an organisation by a successful appointment.
Understanding of the brief: this is a key factor in executive search success because the head hunter must clearly demonstrate an understanding of the client’s aim and how to achieve this aim in order to be successful.
Internationalism: It is becoming increasingly important for an international head hunter to be familiar with the qualities which make the best international managers. Curriculum vitae cannot display these qualities; an international criteria list is required to apply to candidates to ascertain how ideal they are for the international position. An international recruiting agency must be able to evaluate these key criteria accurately. |
