Below, we’ve compiled and answered some of the biggest frequently asked questions (FAQs) that we receive about Executive Search Services because we understand that understanding the service is just as important as choosing the right partner to carry it out.
Executive headhunting is a service used to find and attract the best leadership candidates available in the market for your business to propel it forward. It is a retained service with one-third of the fee paid upfront to the search consultant to “book their time” and ensure the role is prioritised. It is a promise that the role will ultimately be filled by the executive search consultant in partnership with you.
Generally mid to large-sized businesses or start-ups with funds to allocate to the search and hire a senior leader. Generally, the managing director or CFO for mid-sized businesses engages the service and works directly with the search consultant closely.
Several reasons, including getting a highly experienced consultant to focus fully on the recruitment of your new leader. The search consultant will have in-depth experience in search techniques and a trusted advisor on selection – ensuring that the Person Specification reflects a candidate best suited to the role in your particular organisation.
Simply put, leadership decisions are too important to leave to chance.
Through innovative and accurate job analysis, our headhunters understand your role and organisation and person specification. Based on this information, selection is mapping candidates and their experience onto your role and organisation to reduce the risk of the candidate not working out. This occurs in several stages, CV Selection, Interviewing and psychometric plus ability testing, to aid in the overall decision-making process. Best practice interviewing to ensure validity and reliability is utilised as opposed to ad hoc interviewing.
It does not rely on applicants from Job Adverts – although ads are still sometimes used. Search services work on the basis that the top 10% of candidates are not currently looking for work, but are busy being successful in their current roles and organisations. Through Market Mapping (finding suitable organisations to look inside including competitors and similar companies to yours) the search consultant finds the “target” candidates and approaches them directly, using a variety of means, beyond LinkedIn, to ensure they get to speak to the candidate, sound them out about a potential move and their motivations, before selling your opportunity. These candidates form a Longlist and from initial face-to-face interviews, a shortlist of 3 candidates is prepared for an interview with you.
Generally, it’s a 6-week cycle from initial job analysis through to the offer and then a notice period generally has to be considered
We always do. If the initial shortlist does not produce the required outcome, we revisit the job analysis and person specification phase and start again until the desired outcome is reached.
I've worked with the LeaderBoard team on several executive search assignments during my time as Head of Talent Acquisition at KBC Bank. They successfully placed a number of senior HR leaders in Talent Acquisition, Business Partnering and HR Operations. They always have a very strong understanding of the Irish executive landscape and their reputation as trusted advisors is very deserved. They constantly deliver on time and on budget with hand-picked candidates who fit the culture and expectations of KBC. They are discreet, professional and very open and honest communicators.
The LeaderBoard executive search team has worked on several search assignments for emovis in the past three years. LeaderBoard was selected for these assignments because of their knowledge of international staffing processes, understanding of advanced competency & behavioural based selection, and their ability to probe and thoroughly select. Their approach is structured, systematic and thorough. They filled all roles within budget and on time and I have no hesitation in recommending them.
We used RECRUITERS' executive search service, LeaderBoard, to find our Chief Information Officer and found the service to be fast and effective and resulted in an amazing candidate, outside of the boxes we had formed ourselves.
I didn't believe the talent we needed existed in the Irish Market. I didn't believe that any external firm would understand the quality and cultural fit we needed at PICO but they happily proved me wrong.
We engaged LeaderBoard to build SentryOne's new EMEA leadership team. They quickly understood our requirements and took all of the hassle out of finding us superb candidates from which we made our initial hires.
Schedule a free, no obligation, consultation with our Client Services Director today to discuss your company objectives and how we can help you achieve them.
