While the actual hiring decision may not be HR’s, executives and board members usually rely on the department to make sure things get done, both by the search firm you’ve engaged and within the company itself. The keys here are preparation, regular communication and utter transparency on both sides.
HR sometimes doesn’t realize the level of detail Recruiters need and sometimes they’re surprised by it. Often times, clients aren’t as ready as they think they are. Clients need to articulate the business solution they’re looking for and the type of person they need to execute their plan. AGI’s partnership with its clients allows us to develop a strategy to find game-changing talent. Our partnership ensures that clients realize the effort that goes into sifting through mountains of information to find that “needle in a haystack.”
Partnering with a client and getting insider details is critical for a search firm. It’s important because without this “Trusted Partnership”, we can’t attract the right kind of candidate who will successfully meet all of your requirements. We need to know what’s going on so we can be prepared when candidates ask tough questions. HR should see their selected Recruiter as an extension of their brand and a real partner. To work well, communication has to be seamless.
There’s a sense of rigor in executive search when it’s run the right way. The importance of regular communications is paramount to a successful search conclusion. Daily or weekly informal conversations to talk about what we’re seeing and share intelligence is one of the keys to successful candidate hire.
To engage promising candidates, AGI must be able to articulate all of the above information, describe what the first six to 12 months on the job will look like and also show where it might lead after that. With one voice, the search firm and employer must demonstrate why the position is exciting and “paint a picture of short- and long-term opportunity”.
In the case of an executive search, HR has to make sure the C-suite, and the company’s board, provides what the recruiter needs in terms of information, feedback and access.
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