Monday, August 9, 2004

Recruitment & Workforce

How to manage an executive search campaign for success

By Mike Travis

Companies usually use retained executive search for their most senior positions. It can be expensive and involves a critical hire, so making searches successful is important.

Company involvement in this process is critical. Here are a few guidelines that will help to build a partnership with the search consultant, and lead to a fast and successful outcome.

• Candidate specification. A clear, concise candidate specification is the single most important factor in making a search successful. Writing the specification is easy and is often handled by the search consultant based on the company's input. The hard part is making it stick, and that is where many companies run into problems.

It's reasonable to fine-tune the specification as the search progresses, but major changes will require the consultant to change directions. Redirecting a search takes time and may cost more money.

To avoid this problem, spend time up front thinking through what qualifications are necessary and let other key decision-makers participate in the process. Decide who will be involved in interviewing - usually the hiring manager plus appropriate peers, and perhaps board members - and make sure they understand and approve of the specification. Failure to build consensus will lead to problems when the interviewing starts.

• Educate the search consultant. The consultant must understand the company's business and its culture. Educate the consultant about why the company is attractive and the characteristics of people who do well inside it. If there are obstacles to recruiting, discuss how to overcome them. If this is done in a thoughtful way, the search consultant will be more effective.

• Make the search a priority. The search requires involvement, so make it a priority. The search consultant needs answers to questions and feedback on candidates, and candidates must be interviewed quickly. Fast responses will keep the search moving forward. Slow responses will handicap the consultant and make candidates think the company is not interested.

• Be realistic. Companies sometimes want more than they can afford or attract, and that slows things down. To avoid unrealistic expectations, step back and take the candidate's perspective. How do outsiders perceive the company? Will the job be attractive to the candidates specified? Is the compensation target correct? The consultant will flag concerns and help to work through these issues. If there are problems, address them immediately.

• Expect to make tradeoffs. In the real world there are no perfect candidates. Intelligent hiring involves assessing each candidate's strengths and weaknesses, and selecting the one who is the best fit for the organization. A good search consultant will give access to the best candidates available at the time. There are tradeoffs. Don't compromise on critical skills or attributes, but be prepared to give up things that aren't as important.

• Watch for trouble. Be on the lookout for symptoms of common problems and address them quickly. If there is indecision, or if five or six candidates who meet the specifications on paper have been rejected, stop and diagnose the problem. In the vast majority of cases, these problems stem from changing the candidate specification, disagreement among key players or unrealistic expectations.

• The offer. It takes tremendous effort to get to the point of an offer. Once there, don't underestimate the importance of personal involvement. The best candidates usually have multiple opportunities. Reach out personally and tell the candidate how important he or she can be to the company. Have a meal, a coffee or just make a phone call. It can be the difference between acceptance and rejection.

Mike Travis is a principal of Travis & Co. Inc., an executive search firm in Sudbury. He can be reached at mtravis@ travisandco.com.