Resolute Recommends: 3 things to know if you're a client

Second in the series of “Resolute Advisory Recommends” – that’s a mouthful. This is the client edition. We’ll talk about when you should hire us and when you don’t need us. You read that right, it’s only fair if we tell people where we could help, to also be honest and say where clients can do just fine without us. And I will start exactly with that one.

The internal candidate. If you have someone in the company, who is more than half ready to take the vacant job, the willingness to learn and the motivation, that’s your candidate right there.

From our experience, that is your Plan B who will sit in the back of your mind all day long. It will change the way you look at candidates, if you still choose to start a search project. If the other candidates are too expensive - “we have the internal candidate”, if they have a too long notice - “we have the internal candidate”. You get the point, the internal candidate becomes the benchmark.

Since your mind is half made up on that one, give them the opportunity. Make an arrangement, give them 6 months on the role and some KPI while you fully give them the chance, not playing façade while doing silent searches. I know it’s risky, but good risk pays off. The KPIs, the expectations should not be of some who is 2 years in the role, but some indicators to show both parties you’re progressing together. Have that commitment with them and most of the time they will deliver.

Should you choose to start a search project while also giving them extra responsibilities to help you with the vacancy, they will feel they’re just a temporary “tooth filling” and act accordingly - less commitment, less results and usually high disengagement. The Executive Search project would take at least 4 months – 2 months to search & interview, another 2 for the notice. At best. While you disengage a good employee, risking that one will jump ship soon. Think about it the next time you feel the internal candidate is not ready. With involvement from your side (which is vital), some coaching, you could make it work. Another solution is point number three, so stay committed yourself to reading this article up until the end.

Hire Executive Search as the expert they are, not just another source of candidates. I’ve seen much too often clients who want to go beyond the 3-5 candidate shortlist. “We want to see more” becomes a recruitment process not Executive Search. I have seen anomalies as 16 candidates met by the client, as a very long short list. I must say at this point, the client gets paralysis by having way too many options, and the consultant is really playing “I have no idea what I am doing anymore” strategy.

If you have seen 3-5 candidates and you still are not happy with any, is really the initial brief still the one on the table? Might be that you’re starting a new project within the project. Or you might need to look at handling better internal process – is really everybody in the process a decision maker? I know it seems so, but some steps in those 7 internal interviews are just a curtesy, and most of the time, I’ll just say it: a nuisance, for you and the candidate. Having two people decide on a candidate is hard, having more than three is a very complex thing, thus the endless shortlist. We always take into account internal politics in our projects, so be just the right amount of open about those when we start working together, so we can factor it in within the shortlist. Trust me is doable.

Talking about doing, do talent mapping. An underrated initiative and a type of Executive Search project that really pays off. Whereas the usual search projects are reactive, after a decision – you either get a vacancy or a new position in the company. The talent mapping takes time but also gives it back with interest.

What I mean by that is you need to dedicate some time to decide internally which are your key positions, or key criteria, or department.  Then we swipe the market, locally or internationally, for people who would match the criteria, people who are either ready now or in 12 - 36 months for the role – I told you it takes a while. 

The giving back part is, once you have that list, trust me, you’ll have a plan. And a good plan is usually what takes the stress away when you organizational changes. Though not a fix it all type of solution, I really recommend it for clients who like to be prepared (everybody says they do) but is also willing to put in the work even if it’s not urgent but only important (not many do).

The key thing to remember is that you can balance internal promotions with external searches and we can openly talk about that. Yes, I am aware we get paid if we look for new people, and keep you in interviews, so everybody is being busy in this hustle culture. But with what benefit? When we’re just the supplier, and you’re just the beneficiary, we’re actually just two parties bound by a written contract. That is not a great project to be in, mediated by something we signed only and not by communicating. What we aim for is partnering with you and for that we first want to show we know this business – ours and yours – quite well. A glimpse of that is in this article right here.