Talent Management
Why Retained Search?
Fundamental Considerations for the Successful Employment and Retention of Top Talent
There are three principal elements to this globally proven approach to identifying and securing the services of the best people for Board level and Senior Executive appointments:-
The Compelling Rationale for Search
Search is now the most common and effective route to career progression for senior professionals. We apply a combination of both art and science to design and orchestrate the process of scouring the market for a person with a specific skills set and character. Less than 30% of executives read job advertisements, which are necessarily brief and therefore unable to convey adequate detail regarding the job opportunity. This immediately limits the efficacy of any such process seeking to fill a senior executive position. Most highly qualified, experienced and successful candidates are normally far too busy working, and they therefore generally prefer the discrete confidentiality associated with being professionally ‘headhunted’. Scanning existing databases is highly unlikely to locate and identify ‘top talent’ for a specific role.
So an exclusive Search process, tailored to find a carefully defined set of unique individual attributes against an agreed plan, enables us to operate within a highly professional structure. This means we can work from a position of strength, first gaining a comprehensive understanding of the Client organisation, the function of the role, the Client company culture and the specific expectations of the successful applicant. The highly discrete and confidential targeted sourcing of passive jobseekers then follows. We search and ‘network’ into both local and internationally located environments as appropriate. A highly focused and personal, professional service is assured.
No other method can achieve this.
The Client Responsibility
World Class companies recognize the critical importance of being able to attract, secure, develop and retain the best talent. This means providing an environment in which incoming individuals have clear targets and deliverables, and believe that they can succeed and excel. Motivational incentive and reward programmes should recognise achievement of these agreed realistic goals. As the economy strengthens, new skills are very often needed to drive forward sustainable transformation towards a fitter organisation and the fulfilment of a compelling strategic vision. The Search process enables these elements of the opportunity and the requirement to be clearly articulated to prospective candidates, and thereby engage their interest.
The Candidate
Once the role is clearly defined and understood, Search techniques enable us to work within a highly ethical, innovative and professional framework, whereby we can accurately assess the presence of the required core competencies, the quality and calibre of the individual, and very importantly, the “people chemistry”. Background, attitude, approach and adaptability can be carefully considered in terms of their likely ‘fit’ into the Client environment. Once each of these components is in place, the Candidate’s willingness to seriously contemplate a change is considered before a short list for Client consideration and approval is compiled.
Our principal consultant, Jon Letts, heads up our Search division. He has worked internationally in Executive Search based in both London and South Africa, having successfully completed assignments in the UK, mainland Europe (including France and Germany), and South Africa.
Print this Page