What is Executive Search?
If you have ever been in the enviable position of being proactively contacted regarding a job, then the likelihood is that you will know exactly what an ‘Executive Search’ is.
Executive search is a specialised recruitment service that many organisations choose in order to enhance their pool of executive talent.
Rather than advertising for a specific role themselves, an external specialist is engaged to search, select and approach potential candidates who are believed to fit the brief!
At OutThere we are experts at encouraging people who are not actively in the market, to explore the opportunity to progress elsewhere. Thanks to an established network we are able to tap into our highly talented pool of candidates, to provide our clients with the best people for the job.
How can an Executive Search specialist help you?
When you recruit for Senior Executives, Managers or Directors, standards and expectations are high. You may not be looking for the next Bill Gates to direct your IT company or Martin Lewis to manage your finance team, but it is important that you find top talent within your industry. This is where an external executive search specialist can help.
After all, a bad hire can cost companies considerable amounts of money. Not only do you have the direct costs of replacing a bad hire – such as recruiting, training, compensation costs, onboarding and employee dismissal expenses – but the emotional costs to your remaining staff can often be more damaging.
This is why, when recruiting for senior level roles, your company culture and objectives should be at the forefront of the executive search process.
At OutThere we not only set out to pursue the best of the best, but we know how to separate the top performers from the show ponies. We help organisations from a wide range of sectors to build teams of champions that fit in with their company ethos, and even better than that, we know where to find them.
Our Executive Search Team manage a portfolio of national and international positions and have a wealth of experience, engaging with Senior Managers and Directors through to C-Suite Executives that are not easily reachable using internal business resources.
So, if you are looking to recruit high calibre candidates or are looking to review your Senior Leadership team, then contact us for more information on our Executive Search Strategy.
How does our Executive Search Process work?
We believe that the key to making your executive search easier is to make it smarter. At OutThere we harness the power of information, talent mapping and data analytics in order to take both a cultural and strategic approach to recruiting executive C-Suite and Director level engagements.
Take a look at our simple yet effective search process:
1. Explore and Understand
The first step of the executive search process is to profile the hiring organisation. Here we establish existing culture as well as culture goals. In our experience, exploring a little further than your industry sector can bring creativity, innovation and add value in supporting periods of change and transformation to your organisation. It also allows us to see if there are any skill gaps and missing links, whilst protecting the current team dynamics where appropriate.
2. Profiling the “Model Executive Hire”
The next step in the search process is for the retained Executive Search Team to understand the search priorities. This is defined by the following – core competencies, relevant experience, key achievements, industry knowledge, personal development, personality profile, motivators and career aspirations.
This clear outline and candidate profile is established with the employer early on in the search process, to ensure that the search is correctly targeted, stays on track throughout, and also forms the basis for the job description. This way everyone understands the key attributes that the successful candidate must possess.
3. Market Mapping and Talent Implementation
Our Executive Search Team are advocates of Market Mapping and the Market Study. It allows us to do a deep delve and exploration of the market in terms of industries and competitors to see who’s ‘OutThere’ and what your organisation structure could look like with varying team dynamics.
The strategy considers the level and scope of comparable roles as well as other key factors such as location, corporate culture, and salary. As a company who specialises in both C-Suite and Director level roles across a variety of sectors, we have excellent knowledge of pay rates and an existing network, and know where to look for suitable candidates within our ‘Talent Pool’.
We will then fully screen all potential candidates to ensure they meet the criteria of the role, understand their motivations and likelihood to consider a move, and provide regular search updates throughout.
4. Offer Management & Completion
The good thing about OutThere is that we support our clients with everything that sits within the employee lifecycle. Therefore, once your shortlist of candidates have been selected through in-depth, in-person or video-conference interviews, we can assist you with the interview stage.
All of this can take a lot of time, and we are well adept at maintaining confidential communications with candidates of interest to ensure they remain engaged in the process. We will also gather references and can take on the role of communicating feedback to any unsuccessful candidates.
When a final preferred candidate is selected, we will work closely with the client and candidate to pull together an attractive package that is agreeable to both parties.
5. Retention
A good executive search firm will not only find you the best candidate for the job, but will assist you in assuring a smooth transition into the role. This can often involve training and development, health and safety and employee wellbeing, in order to ensure a positive and mindful workplace for all.
How long does the Executive Search Process take?
We all know that the best is worth waiting for, but you don’t want your executive search taking far too long or ending in frustration.
At OutThere, we believe that each element of the executive search process is critical to the success of the project and ultimately the lifespan of the appointment. This level of hire cannot be rushed and demands a huge investment of time, flexibility and patience.
How do Executive Search firms find candidates?
We don’t want to give away all of our secrets but our discreet Executive Search Team have a wealth of experience and an extensive network of contacts across a wide variety of industries.
Plus, on top of that, we have the skill and confidence to attract, connect and engage with discretion and professionalism at this level.
Why choose OutThere for your Executive Search Process?
If your company is experiencing dramatic growth, requires a rare candidate, has created a new position that falls outside of your expertise, needs to perform a secret search or is looking to add diversity to your team; then we strongly suggest that you use an external specialist to complete your executive search process.
After all, the competitive advantage your company will benefit from when you hire a top-performing executive is often game-changing. Because for an executive search to be successful, it takes industry and functional insight, a rigorous process, and unrivalled access to top talent – all services for which OutThere are renowned.
If you require a confidential discussion around a Senior Level hire or wish to review your Senior Leadership Team then look no further than OutThere.
Contact us for a free, confidential discovery call today.
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