Hiring managers don’t debate the importance of screening and interviewing candidates before hiring, but no one talks about something I think is even more important: making sure your company and recruitment firm are a good match before beginning a search.
From my perspective as the president of a search firm, it is imperative to know who your company is and the specific needs of the search before I can decide if I will be able to help you in a way that is mutually beneficial for both of us. If your search firm doesn’t get to know you first, you might not end up with the best results.
At Capstone Search Advisors, doing a profile of our clients is like an attorney doing an “intake meeting” with a potential client. The goal is to learn as much as possible about your company and the search assignments you want help with. We want to gain a good understanding of the culture, type of transition you are dealing with, and the long-term expectations and goals.
We then take this information and rank the search assignments. We look to see if your company fits our core customer model, which is a middle-market company going through a transition. We also check to see if you “need us,” and how important and urgent the situation is to your company.
We evaluate these aspects to make sure we will fit your needs. We also check to make sure someone on your team will be available for regular and transparent communication with us, so we can successfully help you fill the position. Without regular communication, the process becomes inefficient and takes much longer to complete. We want to help your company understand our process, so we can avoid either of our teams wasting time.
During the profile process, there are a few things we need to walk away with before we can start a search. First, what are your expectations for us? How do these expectations align with our expected outcomes? And finally, based on everything we’ve learned, should we prioritize the search engagement at this time?
We consider multiple factors when prioritizing search assignments, including:
- Do we believe you, our customer, will fulfill established mutual expectations for the engagement?
- Is your company financially committed to us?
- Are we communicating directly with the hiring managers and decision-makers for offering the position?
- How long has there been a hiring need? What happens if it’s not filled quickly?
- Has another firm attempted to fill the position or is it currently on retainer to fill it?
- Have offers been made and rejected? If yes, why?
- Can your company commit to hiring someone within 30-90 days?
The recruitment process at Capstone Search Advisors might seem lengthy, but it ensures a great partnership between our recruitment firm and your company. Finding a search firm to fit your needs is just as important as finding the right candidate to be your employee. If you like what you see here, give Search a call today.
