Search Process

Our search process is designed to be fast and accurate – we complete searches between 90 and 110 days typically and our “redo” rate is near zero.  We achieve this result by focusing from the beginning on getting agreement and consensus around the Position Specification.

Assignments fail, or are delayed for two primary reasons: first at the outset not enough time and knowledge is invested in defining the position within the organization and deciding the right level of skill necessary to achieve the desired results; or second, there is a failure to communicate and truly partner.

The ideal Position Description will address the following parts:

1. Strategy: How does the position contribute to achieving the overall organizational objectives?  What are the desired outcomes short term, mid-term and long term?  Is the position described in terms of outcomes as well as in terms of activities?  How much time is available to achieve the desired results?

2. Organization: How does the position relate to the rest of the company?  What are the critical interfaces and what are the expectations that others (subordinates, peers and superiors) in the organization have from this position?  What resources are available to this position, both in terms of people and money, and are these resources sufficient to achieve the desired results?  Are there elements within the organizational design that make the position more demanding?  Are there changes that can/should be made to the organizational design so that the total organization would be more ideally suited to achieve the overall organizational goals?

3. Culture: How would one describe the culture of the organization?  How do people behave? What behaviors are rewarded?  What behaviors are not? What policies are relevant to this position (including of course, but not limited to, compensation policies)?

By answering all of these questions, the Position Specification emerges.   And the Position Specification quite logically leads one to define the Candidate Specification with very few additions.

While all of these questions should be answered from the company’s point of view, it is also important to answer them from the candidate’s point of view.  This will largely determine the ‘attractiveness’ of the position.  Throughout it will be our responsibility to give you feed-back on how a certain job content will be viewed in the market and what type of response you should expect.

If we do our work properly, we will know exactly what you are expecting and we can also tell you exactly what you should expect.  Any discrepancies can be addressed when they arise (and they often will), rather than months later.