Post on 23-Mar-2016
description
transcript
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 1
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
www.search-consult.comS U B S C R I B E O N - L I N E
20
05
/
I
SS
UE
2
5
COMING UP
IN FUTURE
ISSUES:Search in Russia
The International Executive Search MagazineThe International Executive Search Magazine
Power Shift:Are Candidates Taking the Helm?
Interview with theHR Manager of Coca-Cola CEE
Assessment:Hitting the Right Target
IIC Partners:Planning the Next Steps
In-House Search What Do YourClients Want?
ExecutiveTalent Online
The leading UK and European exhibition and conference focused exclusively on Executive Recruitment21 – 22 June 2006 | ExCeL | London | U.K
Eton Events25 The Waterfront | Sovereign Harbour | EastbourneEast Sussex | BN23 5UZ | United Kingdom
Switchboard: + 44 ( 0 ) 1323 472467Fax: + 44 ( 0 ) 8452 805507Sales Office: + 44 ( 0 ) 1517 229995
info@erec2006.comwww.erec2006.com
Top Quality Speakers
150 Exhibitors
Central London Venue
Free to Attend International Exhibition and Conference
in association with our platinum sponsors
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/9/05 9:44 AM Page 3
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 4
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - I I C P A R T N E R S
4 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
ooking past the crowded
reception on the manicured
lawn of the Bangkok Peninsula
Hotel, toward the lights of the huge
city, I IC Partners Chairman Urs
Wüthrich says simply, “Size is not
enough.”
As the leader of one of the top 10
executive search organizations in the
world, Wüthrich should know.
IIC Partners now lists 59 offices in
35 countries, covering the business
capitals of five continents. More
importantly, in his view, revenues will
surpass $100 million for the first time
in 2006, and likely by a fairly wide
margin.
But as 80-plus IIC partners and
consultants meet at their 2005 annual
general meeting in Bangkok, and
prepare to celebrate their 20th
anniversary next year in Rio de Janeiro,
Wüthrich is pressing his board of
directors and general membership to
develop plans for what he calls ‘Next
Steps’.
“We’ve outgrown the need to place
more dots on the map,” Wüthrich says.
“We have very strong coverage in
Europe, Asia/Pacific and the Americas.
We will continue to add locations,
s e l e c t i v e l y a n d s t r a t e g i c a l l y,
and we always welcome expressions
of in teres t f rom potent ia l new
members. But geographic growth is
no longer a primary focus for IIC
Partners.”
“We have the sizeand the intellectual capital
within IIC to competefor very senior searchassignments againstthe biggest integratedsearch firms and thebest of the boutiques.We frequentlydo that verysuccessfully - butnot frequently enoughin my view,” he says.
“The reason is simply that, by their
very nature, integrated search firms
are able to focus their marketing efforts
on a few key cities and sectors — and
they have a single brand.”
THE ADVANTAGES OF BEINGLOCAL
IIC’s network of homegrown search
f i r m s , m e a n w h i l e , o f f e r s t h e
advantages of local knowledge and
long-established access to business
leaders in every country where they
operate. Eight practice groups lead
st ra tegic market ing in i t ia t ives ,
providing technical skill sets and
industry experience equal to the best
of the competition, in his estimation.
Increasingly, he says, IIC has the
critical mass necessary to raise the
profile of the shared brand. “We won’t
be signing up David Beckham or Tiger
Woods for TV ads,” he smiles. “Frankly,
it wouldn’t be the right approach, even
if we could afford it.”
Instead, he says, IIC convened a
special two-day session in Bangkok to
involve all AGM delegates in crafting
‘Next Steps’ for the organization. To
facilitate this effort, the Zürich-based
LBy Jason Starr in Bangkok
Planning theNext Steps
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 5
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - I I C P A R T N E R S
5ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
Chairman recruited Dr. Jan Kubes,
professor of strategic planning at the
world-renowned IMD (Institute of
M a n a g e m e n t D e v e l o p m e n t ) i n
Lausanne.
“IMD is recognized as one of the
world’s top business schools and Dr.
Kubes is one of the IMD stars, so you
can see we’re very serious about how
we proceed,” Wüthrich says. “This is
very practical stuff. As Jan told us,
c o r p o r a t e v i s i o n s a r e j u s t
hallucinations unless they lead very
quickly to action.”
Wüthrich explains:“As a group of independentlyowned search firms,we’re not much interestedin mass delusions.Out of these sessions,
our members havegiven us ideasfor a range of concreteinitiatives in eightareas. Now our boardis working through theprocess of assigningpriorities, budgetsand professionaltalent to these tasks.
He won’t discuss specifics of the new
projects, but it’s a safe bet they will
support his constant theme that IIC is
“the network that works.”
He says industry literature indicates
there are as many as 45 executive
search networks claiming to provide
regional or global services, with
varying degrees of credibility.
“Some of these groups are little
more than telephone referral services,
whose members wouldn’t know each
other if they met on the street,”
Wüthrich says. “They share very
little more than the hope for additional
bus iness , based on c la ims o f
geographic coverage.”
BUILDING EFFECTIVE GLOBALREACH
Wüthrich describes how one of their
“biggest jobs is to elevate the network
concept in the minds of potential
clients, or at least to differentiate our
organization from the image they may
have of a network.”
“We’ve invested a great deal of
money and 20 years’ time and effort to
build an effective and professional
search organization with genuinely
global reach. But that’s not a message
you can squeeze into every client
conversation, so we spend as much
time as we can, talking with the trade
media about these issues.”
He says I IC has grown ver y
deliberately, applying a system of due
dil igence to every new member
application, auditing the accounts of
the prospective new partner, as well
as verifying experience levels and
checking references.
“We spend a lot of time identifying
potential new members and a good
deal more on the final selection of the
f i rm who can be the s trongest
contributors in a particular market,” he
says. Every member firm is required
to attend at least two meetings per year
and to support strategies for promoting
IIC Partners regionally and globally.
Members are expected to employ
quality processes and best practices
in all their work and, most especially,
in shared transborder assignments
passed between one IIC firm and
another.
Later, with a laptop computer,
Wüthrich shows off the secure, internal
IICNet (“ice-net”) system. The home
page resembles a newspaper front
page, displaying the latest news on IIC
and member activities - and Wüthrich
says new items are posted on a nearly
daily basis.
“We employ a communications
consultant to keep our websites current
and meaningful and I call IICNet our
virtual home, because it keeps us all
informed and connected, wherever we
are in the world,” Wüthrich says. The
borders of the IICNet homepage
contain links to member directories,
business agendas, practice group
bulletin boards and downloadable
c l i e n t b r o c h u r e s , Po w e r Po i n t
presentations, IIC logo files and
information on something called a
‘clone’ website.”
Wüthrich elaborates: “We have an
IT consultant who spends part of his
time creating and updating websites
for members. We call the member sites
‘clones’ because they’re based on the
IIC model, so that our entire Internet
presence is more un i f ied and
professional. Clones can be created
very quickly and cost-effectively, so
there’s a significant value-added
impact for members.”
Wüthrich says communication is
central to IIC but peripheral to the
client.
COMMUNICATION IS KEY“Communication gives us a strong
central identity — but what the client
wants is performance on the search
Martine Bournerias* and Urs Wüthrich
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 6
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
www.search-consult.com
For more information, contact:
Web: www.iicpartners.com
S E A R C H - I I C P A R T N E R S
6 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
a s s i g n m e n t . T h e h e a r t o f o u r
professional capabilities is our system
of eight practice groups: Auto, Board
Search, Consumer and Retail, Energy,
Financial Services, Industrials, Life
Sciences and Technology,” Wüthrich
states.
Two of them are new this year, but
not really. IIC has created a new
Consumer & Retail group, but it was
formerly active as a subgroup within
the Industrials practice. The core team
just felt that Luxuries and Fast Moving
Consumer Goods needed an identity
s e p a r a t e f r o m M i n i n g a n d
Transportation sectors.
Wüthrich also describes how IIC
has a new Non-Executive Board Search
group.
“It’s based on seniorconsultants who have extensiveexperience in board search in
their own markets.
Increasingly,internationalcompanies needdirectors withinternationalexperience and sowe’ve broughttogether a group withthe experience andglobal reach to servethose clients.”
While he’s conf ident a l l th is
separates IIC sufficiently from most
other networks, Wüthrich insists that
his organization also holds certain
advantages over the larger, integrated
firms.
“We’re hearing from our contacts in
the HR community that there’s a level
of impatience with the status quo in
the search industry and that’s reflected
in some of the larger client companies
creating internal search groups. They
feel search firms have become too big,
bureaucratic and expensive and that
they’re not very responsive to specific
client needs.”
Wüthrich explains how “we’re
actual ly glad to hear that f rom
companies because we say they’re
using the wrong search firm. In fact,
this is the area where a strong network
o f independents can be more
responsive and innovative. We can
provide customized boutique services
— but we also have access to a depth
of expertise in our practice groups and
to established and effective global
connections.”
Despite the shi f t away from
geographic expansion to a strategic
focus on increasing market power, IIC
continues to add new locations. At the
Bangkok meeting, four new offices
were admitted to membership.
“We’ve added three new offices in
Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi to
our previous position in India; and put
Boston on the IIC map as well.”
Wüthrich notes all four new locations
are partners in the New York-based
Gilbert Tweed organization, which was
already an IIC member.
“Boston is very strong in Financial
Services, and a strategic addition to
our capacities in New York, London
and other financial centres,” Wüthrich
says. “And, of course, more offices in
India are a tremendous asset, both
immediately and for the future.”
Wüthrich notes that IIC now has four
offices in India, five in Greater China
and a total of 14 in the Asia/Pacific
region.
“It’s more than obvious that Asian
economies are claiming an important
position in global trade, and we have
excellent exposure throughout this
region,” he says.
“It’s also true that the management
talent pool in Asia is expanding rapidly.
More and more Asian business students
are going abroad to acquire the
language skills they need to become
truly international managers and this is
happening just as a huge cadre
of baby boomers in Europe and the
Americas are approaching retirement.
How that dynamic will play out is not
ent i re ly c lear but we are now
well positioned to play an important
role.”
Wüthrich describes how several
other prospective new members are
being developed in Europe, the
Americas and Asia/Pacific.
“We would be the first to admit that
our organizational model has its
chal lenges ,” the I IC Chairman
remarks. “But we like the advantages
it confers and we think those are
becoming more and more obvious to
the market. Over the coming months
we’ll be doing more to continue to
communicate those ideas.”
* Martine Bournerias is the Paris-based EuropeanVice-Chair of IIC Partners.
IIC Partners was formed inEurope during the mid-1980s,a n t i c i p a t i n g t h e n e e d s o fi n t e r n a t i o n a l l y c o m p e t i t i v ecompanies to access a world-classexecutive talent pool serving theemerging global economy.
Today IIC Partners celebratesits 20th anniversary as this leadingnetwork's main objective hasendured, continuing to work withclients worldwide. In fact, IICPartners is currently placed amongthe top 10 global search firms byrevenue and locations, with morethan 59 o f f i ces wor ldwide ,providing instant access to35 countries.
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 7
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - S U C C E S S I O N P L A N N I N G
7ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
xecutive tenures aren’t what
they used to be. With decade-
long executive stewardships a
thing of the past, today some terms are
shorter than a NFL season. A sign of
the times, boards of directors no longer
seem shocked by early exits; for some
it’s almost de rigueur.
While coping successfully with CEO
churn is critical to a company’s health
and well-being – imagine a ship
without a captain - it’s still an area that
many companies neglect. Overlooking
it is easy. There’s always a more
pressing matter and CEOs typically
avoid the topic. Correcting the damage
caused when a CEO leaves and there’s
no clear replacement, on the other
hand, is much more difficult. From lack
o f s t ra teg ic d i rec t ion to poor
o p e r a t i o n a l f o l l o w - u p , t h e
consequences can be dramatic and
lasting. Indeed, some corporations
never recover.
By planning ahead, companies don’t
just ensure continuity in leadership;
preserve intellectual property; and
create a seamless transition; they
manage their own destiny and –
importantly, when you consider the
millions of dollars most corporations
today have at stake - avoid falling
victim to circumstance.
Equal par ts ar t and science,
succession planning and management
have always been one of the best
investments a company can make. In
the current environment, that’s even
truer than ever.
NINE INSIGHTS TO MANAGE ANDPLAN CEO SUCCESSION:
1. Make it a board-owned and driven
process
Boards – independent with diverse
skills and experience - are best
equipped to choose new C-level
executives and so their leadership is
essential. CEOs, search firms and
assessment consultants are vital
process participants but responsibility
mustn’t be abdicated to them. And, in
the majority of cases, CEOs must not
be “king-makers”.
2. Let strategy drive succession
planning
Corporate strategy should dictate
the requisite core competencies for
the position being filled. The board
must determine what’s required as the
company moves ahead and how does
it relate to the open position? Is the
company expanding globally? Then
global experience is likely important.
An executive who fits the company’s
long-range strategic plan is essential.
3. Develop a talent rich company
Seeding the management team with
the right high potential talent is
fundamental to C-level succession
planning. Developing a depth and
breadth of top performers ensures
enough executive potential to fill top
posts as natural attrition takes place.
Removing low per formers and
attracting, developing and retaining
top talent are key elements to this
process.
4. Identify and groom potential CEO
candidates within the company
Determining who has C-level
potential is a critical step that benefits
f r o m o u t s i d e i n p u t . E x t e r n a l
benchmarking complements and
confirms senior management’s views,
object ive ly assesses execut ive
performance, evaluates the company’s
talent vis-à-vis the marketplaces, and
ensures cronyism doesn’t develop.
EBy Dora Vell
The Art & Science
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 8
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - S U C C E S S I O N P L A N N I N G
8 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
www.search-consult.com
For more information, contact:
Web: www.vellconnection.com
Once identified, executive bench
strength must be cultivated through
challenging assignments, coaching
and exposure to different business
facets.
Man y cand id a tes sho u ld b e
developed, not just a handful. When
executives exit, the board needs to
have a choice.
5. Avoid overt horse races
An overt horse race is damaging to
a company ’s health, causing good
people to leave and depleting valuable
bench strength. Absolute discretion –
which means that internal candidates
names must be kept confidential - is
key, ensuring runners-up aren’ t
publicly embarrassed when they don’t
get the top job.
Runners-up are at risk of leaving due
to bruised egos. Avoid losing them by
thanking them for their contribution
and recognizing their importance
through “perks” like additional stock
options and choice assignments.
Bottom line, make sure they feel
attended to and valued.
6. Make it an ongoing process
Don’t create a plan and put it on a
shelf. Companies evolve over time
and with these changes new objectives
and strategies develop. As a result,
leadership requirements must be
modified accordingly and senior
managers’ performance and potential
must be reassessed. As the company
and its leaders evolve, so must the
plan.
7. Consider the emergency scenario
A key shor tcoming o f many
succession plans is their failure to deal
with emergency situations.
Corporate icon and publicly traded
Disney, when President Frank Wells
died in a helicopter crash and CEO
Michael Eisner had to undergo
emergency heart surgery, suddenly
was without its top two executives.
Literally, overnight the company ’s
bottom line and global expansion
initiatives were in question. Crises are
always unexpected. When one strikes,
hav ing an es tab l ished p lan to
seamlessly fill the vacant post with a
skilled and experienced executive is
imperative.
8. Follow “right hire” principles
When selecting a new executive, “right
hire” principles must be followed.
Perform a thorough review and
assessment of each candidate’s skills
and competencies; consider insider
versus outsider advantages; check
references diligently even of internal
candida tes ; dedica te the t ime
necessary to complete the task; and
pay what is necessary to attract the
right candidate to the position.
Choosing an outsider doesn’t mean
your succession planning has failed.
S o m e t i m e s a n e x e c u t i v e
psychologically removed from the
situation is required in order to provide
a major shift.
9 . Provide support to the new
executive
Whether an insider or outsider is
chosen, providing support through
"The First 100 Days" is essential.
Solidify the organization underneath
the execut ive by ensur ing s tar
employees do not leave; openly show
support for the new leader; and
cul t ivate acceptance by sol idly
backing the executive. Boards
can provide extra support to outsiders
by:
• Helping to diagnose the cultural
and organizational environment
• Outlining the key issues
• Detailing expectations and
• Drawing a clear picture of the
landscape.
BE PREPARED AND “HIRE RIGHT”Fr o m m a k i n g i t a b o a r d
responsibility to developing bench
strength and ending with providing
support to the chosen candidate, the
process has its challenges but is
clearly worth the time, commitment
and focus. As the old saying goes
‘failing to plan is planning to fail’ so be
prepared and when the inevitable
happens, “hiring right” will be a
rewarding process.
Dora Vell is Managing Partner ofVell & Associates Inc., a Waltham,MA-based global corporate andtechnology executive search firmspecializing in C-level and Boardsearches for Fortune 200s, fundedstart-ups, private equity and venturecapital firms. Prior to her career inexecutive search, Ms. Vell had anequally successful career intechnology, authoring sevenworldwide software patents duringher tenure at IBM. She has twoComputer Sc ience degrees(including a Masters) and an MBA.She has been a featured speaker atindustry conferences and CEOroundtables and contributes totechnology, business and humancapital media from around theglobe. She can be reached at:dora.vell@vellassociates.com
Dora Vell
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 9
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 10
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - C E E
10 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
s one of the fastest growing
emerging marke ts in the
world’s economy, Centra l
Eastern Europe (CEE) is a key target
a r e a f o r m a n y i n t e r n a t i o n a l
companies. The majority of countries
in this region have impressively pulled
themselves out of undemocratic
regimes and a proportion of them are
now members of the European Union,
with more to follow in their footsteps.
All this has occurred in just fifteen
years.
As multinational companies such
as Coca-Cola, Colgate, Unilever,
GlaxoSmithKline, Procter & Gamble
and Pepsi set up regional HQ in the
CEE it is imperative for a search
provider to be able to not only
specialise in a local market search
but also have the ability to search in
neighbouring markets to be able to
effectively identify top talent.
For example: when undertaking a
project to find a senior marketing
manager for the Polish market, the
search firm must have the ability
to source high value Polish candidates
currently working in other CEE cities
such as Prague, Budapest and
Moscow. This is achieved through
a strong company network and having
local consultants and researchers
in each key city throughout this
region.
SEARCHING FOR TALENTMoreover, there is now a growing
number of CEE nationals working in
pan-European positions throughout
Western Europe or even further, such
as Japan, Korea, Australia, and the US.
A search partner must therefore have
the research and tracking ability to
effectively identify these candidates
for searches based back in their home
markets.
Within this context , i t is very
important for companies to realise that
these CEE nationals returning home
bring back to their home economies
vital international experience, coupled
w i t h l a n g u a g e s k i l l s a n d a n
understanding of other cultures -
which are vital in today’s global and
dynamic business world. While not all
CEE nationals abroad wish to return
to their home market, many do, and
while not all would be suitable for
local roles, many are.
It is imperative for a search firm to
have the ability not only to intimately
understand the client's needs, but also
its own internal ability to effectively
identify high value candidates not
always located in the obvious places
as well as managing this highly valued
talent pool over time.
At the same time, companies since
2002, especially in the FMCG sector,
are focusing on developing local
talent. They is an ever increasing
number of high-value CEE nationals
who are reaching their peak in their
local emerging markets, and they are
now looking for - and obtaining -
opportunit ies to work in mature
markets. Firms like Reckitt Benckiser,
Unilever and Danone have been
extremely active in taking high calibre
C z e c h s , S l o v a k s , Po l e s a n d
Hungarians into developed markets
such as France, UK and Holland.
Although this movement is more
common in commercial roles, such as
marketing and sales, we are now
beginning to see this extending to
A
Central Eastern Europe:
By Mark Hamill
AnEvolvingMarketplace
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 11
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - C E E
11ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
o t h e r i n d u s t r i e s , s u c h a s H R ,
Pr o d u c t i o n , S u p p l y C h a i n a n d
Finance.
We have noticed that candidates
who achieve a high level of local
experience may be missing out on
other areas of development since
working in a European marketing HQ
is a very different level of exposure
than working in an executive role in
a local market. Working abroad helps
candidates acquire a deeper level of
strategic understanding and better
conceptual skills. It allows them to
gain valuable personal experience in
learning how to work more effectively
in a larger market as well as how to
be able to adapt to working in a
different market with new challenges
such as a new language, culture and
so forth.
CLIENTS’ EXPECTATIONSAs the candidates change, so do
the clients. In the mid to late 90s, the
trend was to fill seats in IT, FMCG,
Retail and Banking sectors for mostly
P r o j e c t M a n a g e r s , C a t e g o r y
Managers and Key Account Managers.
At that stage if you had a decent
profile, there were opportunities for
y o u . C o m p a n i e s g r e w t o
unsustainable sizes and many had to
cut back when the results simply were
not there. Unilever, for example, cut
back from 15 Key Account Managers
to 5 in one Key Account Cycle in one
of the key regional marketplaces.
Roles in finance (CFO/Finance
Directors) in addi t ion to Sales
Directors are of recent importance
throughout the region. There is also
a new focus in Supply Cha in ,
particularly in FMCG markets such as
Poland and Russia. Trade Marketing
and Category Managers are other
areas where companies can gain a
c o m p e t i t i v e a d v a n t a g e i n t h e
marketplace.
Now there is a much more cautious
approach to hiring, more thought goes
into what really is needed as role
profiles tend to be better produced
and more complete. It has become
more popular to use assessment
centres and psychometric testing as
part of the recruitment procedures.
This approach is obviously more
scientific, but the main concern is how
HR Managers are paying less attention
to instinct and gut feelings, preferring
the hire to be based on figures and
results. And quite simply, once a
candidate has been through one of
these tests it becomes relatively easy
to know what you are being asked for
when it comes to future testing. How
many execut ives would ace an
psychometr ic tes t due to t rue
knowledge and skill versus having the
appropriate knowledge and skill to
play the system?
Difficulties also arise in mid-level
searches where there is a larger pool
of average candidates, thereby taking
more time to cover a market for a good
calibre Key Account Manager or Trade
Market ing Manager than for a
Market ing Director or Countr y
Manager. A search partner should take
the time and effort in the beginning of
t h e p r o c e s s t o m a n a g e t h e i r
expectations versus what exists in the
market.
Zbigniew Plaza, Country Manager
for Russia and Poland explains: “We
a lso have to look a t the vas t
differences in each of our countries.
For example, in Poland i t is an
employer market where it is relatively
easy to approach and to convince
candidates whereas in Russia it is an
e m p l o y e e m a r k e t w h e r e i t i s
extremely difficult to motivate the
candidate where there is a lack of
corporate culture and a lack of
loyalty.”
CHANGES IN THE MARKETThe search market i tsel f has
changed considerably since the 90’s,
when it was dominated by the major
players, amongst other European
branded search and selection firms.
The CEE was seen as easy markets
for these firms, and few really had the
quality approach and local knowledge
that is required.
Since then many search firms have
come and gone, but there are now a
handful of quality search partners with
the vital deep local and regional
knowledge.
Currently the more stable markets
in the region are Czech Republic and
Hungary, with Poland not far behind.
New markets for us include Romania
and Ukraine, as they develop closer
links to the EU and we find ourselves
doing more work in both of those
countries.
I believe the market will change
even further in the coming years, with
a return to solid business, companies
driven by character and drive and a
unique approach to developing each
market. Making it work for the future
very much depends on the people;
having seen some wonderful ideas
and companies fail due to deficiences
in the management teams, both in
Western and Central Europe. I firmly
believe that posit ive motivation,
energy, drive and ambition are the
cornerstones for any company to
s u c c e e d , p a r t i c u l a r y i n t h i s
continiously emerging region.
According to B lake Wi t tman,
Country Manager, Czech Republic
and Slovakia: “Performing a search in
CEE today is a more daunting task
than even just five years ago. Gone
are the days of asking three or four
Mark Hamill
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 12
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - C E E
12 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
www.search-consult.com
For more information, contact:
Web: www.spenglerfox.com
contacts for a great Finance Director
or outstanding Marketing Manager.
This was the more common way of
finding people because there simply
weren't too many people with the ideal
profiles. Approaching 17 years after
the iron curtain fell CEE nationals now
challenge Western European nationals
for exper ience in in ternat ional
companies and are increasingly
scrupulous about choosing a business
school . And thus search ing i s
now certainly a wider, more extensive
and more in-depth task than years
before as the markets compete and
somet imes beat , the i r Western
counterparts.”
Peter Szabo, Country Manager
Hungary states: “I believe the two
most important factors for clients
when looking at a search partner in
CEE are reliability and contact base.
I am not thinking about a database of
candidates or clients but rather a
network in a given sector who share
with us relevant information about the
sector, the market, the candidates in
t h e m a r k e t , p r o c e s s e s a n d
connections between organisations,
suppliers and partners as well as
helping us determine the level of the
selected or targeted individuals. Vital
to this building of a network are:
personal attributes of the consultant,
relationship with the consultant and
the service level of the team.”
Brian Rovetta, Practice Group
Leader IT/Telco who is based in
Moscow and has been a search
consultant for the CEE markets for 9
years, believes that today’s consultant
needs to be “much more professional
than was previously accepted, with a
greater depth of experience and
understanding within the markets they
operate in. Previously, in the late 90’s,
anyone who could sell was seen as
b e i n g a p o t e n t i a l c o n s u l t a n t ,
regardless of their background. The
search consultant of today must not
only be able to sell but needs to
combine this skill with an in-depth
understanding of their particular
markets (geographical and business
sector) and a proactive consultative
approach to the process.”
As someone who has been living in
the CEE since 1997 and working in
executive search since 1999, I have
s e e n m a n y c h a n g e s i n t h e
environment, the people and the
opportunities. If we take for example
the local talent in the region; the initial
wave of high value nationals has come
and gone - many CEE nationals who
joined the likes of Procter, Unilever
and Coke in the early 90’s developed
careers at an unpreceedented rate
compared to developed markets.
Many climbed the heights of senior
level management in four to six years.
Companies gave these high value
locals opportunties, and many still
value the “mentor” approach taken by
certain expat managers they worked
with. Other companies allowed locals
only to achieve certain levels within
companies and repeated cycles of
expats for many years, much to the
frustration of the bubbling pool of local
talent below. Certain expats viewed
opportunites in CEE markets as
merely stepping stones for their
careers and did not attempt to develop
those below them as they could have.
More recently however, particularly
over the past three years, it is possible
to perceive a more realistic view of
what can be acheived in these
markets. The pot at the end of the
rainbow scenario no longer exists and
companies know that they will only
succeed in these markets through the
right management (which can be
purely local, or a mixture of an expat
and a local), the right strategy and
solid decision-making. More and
more HR people see the value in
promoting high value nationals to
opportunities in developed makets,
upgrading skill levels locally and
invest ing in the future of local
management. What we recently do
see is those who are now in senior
level local positions have a much
more levelled approach to doing
business, and are more focused
having seen both good and hard times.
When one considers what was
happening in Western Europe just 15
years ago and then looks at the former
Eastern Europe and how it functions
today - i t is without a doubt an
impressive metamorphosis. With the
right global network and a dedicated
team of local and internat ional
consultants who understand the
changes this region has undergone
and continues to undergo, there will
be, for the foreseeable future, a strong
market for executive search, providing
the search firm provides the right
partnership and transparency to the
client.
Mark Hamill, Regional Director CEEfor SpenglerFox, has conductedexecutive search for seven years andhas completed over 230 searches. Hehas placed mid to senior level executivesacross all sectors in the CEE and Russianmarkets with a special focus on FMCG,Retail and Pharma/Healthcare.
Mark began his career in search in1999, working at Antal International. Hethen joined Pedersen & Partners in CEE.He joined the SpenglerFox Group in 2003.Prior to executive search, Mark workedas an International Brand Manager forHeineken in Dublin and Prague.
Of Irish origin, Mark speaks Czech,Spanish and French in addition to hisnative English.
H e c a n b e c o n t a c t e d a t :mhamill@spenglerfox.com
Defying all conventional practices,since launching its brand in 2003,SpenglerFox has opened twelve officesacross Europe and the Middle East,proving to its clients and investors, itsnetwork’s dedication to being a leadingpartner in executive search.
SpenglerFox is the Executive Searchwing of Grafton Recruitment, the whollyowned Irish group established 25 yearsago. SpenglerFox, established just twoyears ago now has twelve offices and aclient list that defies conventionalexpectations.
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 13
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - H R I N T E R V I E W
13ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
n an era that is increasingly international
and interconnected, success depends
on innovation and in-depth knowledge
of the different markets where a company
operates. As globalisation intensifies, more
and more multinational firms are opening
offices in emerging markets as they look to
expand and claim a stake in these new
frontiers.
The Coca-Cola Company is fully aware
of this as it affirms that its success is based
on being innovative in marketing, with its
brands and consumer relationships that
reflect the unique character of the markets
where they are established.
In fact, this company has been in operation
for more than a century and is currently the
world's leading manufacturer, marketer, and
distributor of non-alcoholic beverage
concentrates and syrups, used to produce
nearly 400 beverage brands, with local
operations in over 200 countries around the
world.
Aniko Szabadfalvi, HR Manager ofCentral Eastern Europe (CEE) for
Coca-Cola, talks to search-consult to discuss
how this company must be extra careful to
make sure that the talent they select
incorporates the company’s core values,
matches the cultural fit and can effectively
contribute to the company’s present and
future growth. Finding the right search
provider, in turn, is fundamental to be able
to continue selecting outstanding talent that
will help them keep their competitive edge.
DEVELOPING TALENTAs HR Manager, it is essential that she
make sure that Coca-Cola can continue to
attract the right talent. Most importantly, the
brand name is still very attractive.
Then as a leading global company,
explains Ms. Szabadfalvi, there is a variable
workload offering interesting challenges and
opportunities as these talented individuals
can make local decisions with strategic and
global implications. In fact, Coca-Cola
strongly believes local execution has, and
will continue to benefit this company’s long-
term success.
She describes how people today want a
job where they can enjoy what they are doing.
Therefore, Coca-Cola aims to offer them an
enjoyable work environment while at the
same time providing them opportunities to
continue to develop so that these
talented individuals can feel that they
are gaining valuable experience and
knowledge.
“Good opportunities, good development
plans and good compensation” are vital to
attract and then retain these highly valued
employees.
Within this context, the recruitment
process is instrumental. Ms. Szabadfalvi
states: “We may spend more time focusing
on the selection process because it is
important that we get the match right the first
time since we don’t have the luxury to get it
wrong.”
She then explains how her and her team
are very meticulous. They must not only think
about the immediate position that must be
filled, but must broaden the reach so that the
selection process encompasses the right fit
for the future as well.
“We make sure we select very carefully,
not just in the short term but looking longer
term and at a bigger scope,” declares Ms.
Szabadfalvi.
LOOKING AT A BIGGER SCOPEAs HR Manager, Ms. Szabadfalvi notes
that she must be able to identify and select
talent that has the potential to be developed
even further. For very senior roles the search
may be global, but usually is regional, which
means searching within 7 countries to find
this sought-after talent.
For her, the profile will include people that
can possibly be moved within Central Eastern
Europe, but also beyond.
She must assess if the person can perform
the job at hand effectively, but can also be
efficient if moved to a different country or
given more regional responsibilities.
Therefore, evaluating the mobility of the
candidate is essential.
Moreover, “we need to assess if the person
is flexible, cooperative and open to changes.”
According to Ms. Szabadfalvi, it is vital
that the candidate embody the values of the
company, such as excellence, honesty,
integrity and responsibility. He or she also
has to respect the unique customs and
cultures in the communities where Coca-
Cola operates.
SELECTING THE RIGHT SEARCH FIRMAs Ms. Szabadfalvi strives to find the right
match, it is equally important that she strives
to find the right search provider.
She explains that there are various options
to choose from. On one hand, there are the
local boutiques that offer a reliable and
personalised service. On the other hand,
there are the big international search firms
that offer industry expertise with global
connections.
Ms. Szabadfalvi prefers to use both types,
depending on the requirements of the search
IBy Pilar Gumucio
to Remain Successful
Coca-Cola:Selection is Key
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 14
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - H R I N T E R V I E W
14 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
assignment. “Although I might have a list of
providers that I prefer to use, they may not
cover a particular area that I am looking for.
For instance, they may be great in filling a
marketing position, but if we need to fill a
technical position then I would select a
company that has more expertise in this
particular area.”
There are those search firms that meet
her expectations, and therefore she will
repeatedly use them. At the same time, she
is eager to keep her options open, reviewing
her existing list of providers as well as
meeting new ones that will be able to
demonstrate that they can provide quality
service.
CONFIDENCE AND EXPERTISEIn the end, what counts is the quality
service the search firm can provide. This,
coupled with who is running the business,
is fundamental.
Ms. Szabadfalvi declares: “It is really
personal! They must be able to demonstrate
that they know what they are doing, they
know the market, they know the industry,
they have the necessary experience in
executive search and what type of experience
they have so I have the sufficient confidence
in these consultants” to be effective in
carrying out their searches.
She highlights industry expertise as
paramount. “Does the search consultant
really know the particular industry Coca-
Cola is operating in? How much does he or
she really know about the talents working in
it? How familiar is he or she with our
company?”
Another element that Ms. Szabadfalvi
considers to be important, especially since
she is covering 7 countries, is finding a quality
search firm that operates throughout Central
Eastern Europe. This can be beneficial, as
she does not have to take the time to re-
explain Coca-Cola's expectations but can
simply contact this firm’s consultant and
initiate a search.
She explains: “The search firm already
knows your culture, your challenges, the
difficulties you are facing, what you are
planning and what opportunities are arising
as the overall strategy is the same throughout
this region. They already know Coca-Cola
and what we are looking for.”
Ms. Szabadfalvi admits that there are
differences in each country, but the search
firm is also already aware of them. This is
favourable for both parties, as they can
immediately begin managing the intended
search.
PERMANENT COMMUNICATIONThe HR Manager of Central Eastern
Europe for Coca-Cola strongly believes that
search firms have a fundamental role in
updating her and her company
on what is happening in the industry and
market.
She states: “ I have regular conversations
with the search firms I am working with on
what is happening in these countries and
what is happening when it comes to
marketing because they are acting as my
consultants.”
According to Ms. Szabadfalvi, it is vital
that the search provider always puts the client
first. She describes how the firm really needs
to know and thoroughly understand
Coca-Cola. Sometimes this is difficult
because “consultants might like one
candidate over another, but the best service
they can provide is defining what the best is
for Coca-Cola.”
As HR Manager of Central Eastern Europe
for the company, she strongly believes that
the success in finding and selecting the right
candidate is a joint effort. Within this context,
it is important that she and her team be closely
involved in the whole search and selection
process.
Ms. Szabadfalvi states: “We are extremely
careful in spending a lot of time in the
selection process. We have to be sure we
obtain the right match since we know better
than the search firm what our cultural fit is.
They may have some idea from working with
us, but ultimately, it is more our responsibility
to select the right candidate.”
To help with the selection process, Ms.
Szabadfalvi considers that an assessment
tool can really add value to the process, and
especially helps support the decision taken
when hiring the selected candidate.
She notes: “I have seen many times where
the candidates have been brilliant but the
company culture was not appropriate for
them to perform well in. If we ask the search
firm to carry out an assessment for us these
issues can be identified before we make the
final decision.”
One of the advantages of having the
search firm perform this task is that “they
are already familiar with the profile, the
position required and well, the entire
process.”
What is essential is that Ms. Szabadfalvi
makes sure that the selected search provider
and her firm are in constant communication.
There is continuous contact throughout
the entire process. “We are discussing what
companies are included in the search as
well as where they are searching,” she
comments.
“There must be total honesty between
us,” Ms. Szabadfalvi declares.
She must be able to give the consultant
her honest feedback if it was a right fit or not,
and why she believes this to be the case. In
turn, Ms. Szabadfalvi expects the consultant
to be completely honest with the progress
of the search, and especially if there are
difficulties arising so that she has the
opportunity to redefine the original profile.
“During these discussions I try to make
sure I know exactly what is occurring so I
can see the effort the search firm is doing
and I feel confident that they have done
everything required to find the right person,”
states Ms. Szabadfalvi.
If this is carried out effectively, both the
client and the search provider will have
achieved their aim of finding the right match.
www.search-consult.com
For more information, contact:
Web: www.coca-cola.com
Ms. Szabadfalvi has over 14 years seniormanagement experience in human resourcefunction at different multinational companies.Currently, she is HR Manager at the Coca-Cola Company, taking responsibilityfor Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Polandand the Baltics.
Previously, Ms. Szabadfalvi worked forHBO as HR Manager for Central and EasternEurope from 2001-2003. Before thatappointment she was HR Manager of EricssonHungary Ltd. from 1998-2001. Prior to thatrole, Ms. Szabadfalvi was Chief Officer forSales and Administration at the HR departmentof Coca-Cola from 1994-1998 (Coca Cola’sHungarian bottler). Before that, she was aTraining Manager of Pizza Hut Hungary from1991-1994.
Ms. Szabadfalvi graduated at the JanusPannonius University of Science in 1997. Shecompleted her MBA studies at the BudapestTechnical and Economic University in 2004.
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 15
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 16
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
16 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
S E A R C H - I M D
by Pilar GumucioMD International Search & Consulting
has been around for over 30 years now,
as its formula for success has been
based on its ability to work with its partners
and clients to help find and develop top talent
on a global scale.
Sherilyn Shackell, Board Director of IMD
and CEO of Highfield Human Solutions in
the UK, explains how the last few years have
marked enormous changes, especially from
a client requirement perspective.
“Although there has always been a need
for a global supply, there is now more of a
need to pull talent from countries outside of
the clients own domestic market and to find
those people with international experience
that maybe working as expats at the moment,”
she states.
This is a real challenge because clients
are no longer requesting that a search for a
top-level executive be based in, and for,
one country. The scope of the search must be
broadened to include multi-country searches.
As globalisation intensifies, clients are also
requesting that the candidate pools be
broadened. Shackell explains how clients
now look at the skill sets and culture fit of
candidates rather than just the practical
experience.
As a result, the search process is evolving.
She elaborates: “A search used to be very
classically directed within the client’s own
industry sector and within the core role
function. For instance, a search for a SVP in
Marketing would be focussed in the
marketing function, in the direct competition,
and within the country that the position is to
be based. Today, in order to find exceptional
talent, the process needs to be much broader.
You now need to look in additional countries
for that talent, in other additional functions
and you need to look outside your client’s
competition base.”
“If you were conducting a search for a
Managing Director in the UK,” Shackell adds,
“it is possible that the best candidate might
currently be a SVP for a telecom company
based in Prague, but is a British expat. It is
vital that we widen our scope to be able to
find the right candidate.”
As a result, IMD is adapting its processes
to ensure it continues to add value to their
clients, providing them with unparalleled
levels of service for all of their global
resourcing needs.
She insists: “As suppliers we need to be
able to adapt very quickly, to think outside
the box, to be more innovative and to be
more flexible as we partner with our clients.”
“IMD provides this level of service
because we are all owner-managed
businesses that stand, or fall, on the
relationships we have with our clients, as well
as our partners within the organisation,” says
Shackell.
AIMING TO BE A WORLD LEADERIMD, which is a global affiliation of first
class executive search firms that are leaders
in their domestic markets, combines the
boutique flavour with global accessibility.
This formula has definitely proven effective,
as IMD’s total revenues have grown by over
30% during the last twelve months.
At its latest worldwide conference held in
Zürich, IMD announced its expansion into
five countries. New partners included INX
Executive Search in India, Bubenik & Partners
in Czech Republic, Executive Network in
Poland, Epsen Fuller & Associates in the US
and Corinthe Executive Search in Holland.
IMD’s expansion plans do not stop there.
They are currently conducting new partner
acquisitions in Russia, Canada, South America
and the Middle East. They are also looking
to further their development within the US.
Shackell affirms: “Our absolute strategic
objective is to be within the top 10 search
firms worldwide based on revenue.”
She explains that IMD currently has
reached the top 10 by the number of offices,
but that is not enough. They want to be within
the top 10 by revenue, and they want to reach
that objective by 2007.
Shackell admits that it is “quite an
ambitious growth plan, but we were bang on
target this year,” and she is optimistic that
IMD will continue to move closer to achieving
this objective.
She describes how “these growth plans
are responding to what our clients are
requesting from us. For instance, last year
our clients needed capability in Asia and so
we brought in Malaysia, China and India.
This year we are responding to our clients
needs of where they need us to be in order
for us to continue to support them.”
At the moment, IMD is strong in Europe
and Asia, with the Americas in the process
of being developed.
“We have expanded into Eastern Europe,
gaining a foothold in Poland and the Czech
Republic," comments Shackell. “We are
building a strong capability in this area as
well.”
She explains how the world is changing
at different rates. “For instance, the UK market
has been saturated for such a long time; we
desperately need to innovate our offering if
we are going to add any real value to our
clients.”
According to Shackell, there are some
markets, such as India and Eastern Europe,
IMD:Makinga Global Imprint
I
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 17
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
17ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
S E A R C H - I M D
which have immature search markets.
Therefore, the services provided will
obviously be tailored to meet those clients
needs. Although methods may vary from
country to country, the recruitment processes
used are appropriate to the targeted market.
THE EXACT FITIMD partners tailor their approach to fit
exactly the local context, effectively providing:
• Global solutions with local control,
• Direct involvement with country experts,
• Deep experience with pan global search,
• No language/cultural barriers,
• Worldwide economy of scale, and
• Fast access to international candidates.
“Since we all run our own businesses,”
she states, “we can make decisions very
quickly and we can come up with new
financial models without having to go through
a massive decision-making apparatus - which
benefits our clients enormously.”
In fact, Shackell describes how IMD is
constantly looking at ways in which to innovate
their offering and provide new additional
services to clients. For instance, IMD is
effectively working on growing its capabilities
outside just pure search, either by providing
it through their partners or forming alliances.
She explains how in order to provide more
value to clients, IMD has created strong
assessment capabilities for management and
board audit, robust coaching capabilities and
a very vigorous talent management service
that offers organisational design and planning
as well as management and leadership
development.
Shackell remarks: “It’s all about developing
talent on a global scale, and that is not just
about finding new talent and bringing it in;
it’s about developing the talent you already
have. Clients are becoming more focused on
getting the most out of the talent that they have
rather than just enjoying somebody else’s,
and then having to pay for that acquisition.”
She describes how the candidate market
is also changing, which brings new
challenges. “Fifteen years ago you would
have a young executive who was willing to
sweat blood for his career, go anywhere in
the world and work ridiculous long hours to
climb that corporate ladder.”
Shackell explains how now it is getting
harder to persuade those executives to move.
There is more of a work/life balance as the
me-too-generation is changing the
psychological decision-making of senior
candidates as the power has switched
strongly from the employer in favour of the
candidate. As a result, she believes that it is
vital that search consultants walk the extra
mile in order to exhaust all potential talent
pools and identify that absolute match
between client and candidate.
CLIENTS DEMAND MORETRANSPARENCY & BETTER VALUE
As the “War for Talent” intensifies, Shackell
sees the search market consolidating as
clients continue to expect top quality searches
at real economic value. “Clients are
demanding more transparency and want to
know where their money is being spent.”
Within this context, she explains how it is
imperative that “we find ways to deliver real
economic value while utilising the fact that
we are now operating in over 50 offices in 23
countries. We have very robust processes
where we can offer clients much reduced
costs when a search covers a number of
countries or even continents, and that is
perceived as real added value to our clients.”
She notes that as owner-managed
businesses, they live and breath on their
ability to deliver results.
She then states how IMD has “robust
processes for assignment execution,
specifically when working on multi-country
searches for our clients.”
Shackell describes, for instance, how IMD
provides clients with a single Accounts
Director, which means that when a client has
three or more ongoing searches, the key
decision maker will have one contact person
that will be able to provide him or her with
feedback about the progress of each search
at any given time.
“This does not detract from the
relationship that the country will have with
the local decision maker, but it does mean
that real deep and statistical information is
fed back to the client through one point of
contact,” informs Shackell.
She explains how the relationships and
the delivery will be held very strongly in
country of the search in order for that country
to be able to use the knowledge of the cultural
environment, economic environment and so
forth.
Within this context, communication plays
a fundamental role. “We are always sharing
information. We are conferencing calling
between countries all the time, we have
partner conferences worldwide twice a year,
we have researcher conferences across the
world, we have sector groups that will meet
monthly and we have regional groups that
meet regularly. This process of sharing
knowledge has proven immensely beneficial
to our clients.”
Shackell explains that there are
performance measurements in place to
ensure that all the partners are operating
under the same key performance indicators.
She states: “This is way we can ensure
IMD always delivers quality, speed and value
for money.”
Shackell comments: “We are not a hard
sales organisation, nor are we in the luxurious
position of relying on the strength of a highly
recognised global brand for business to drop
into our laps. What we are doing is to ensure
that the quality and service levels are
so high that our clients will use us time and
time again simply because there is no reason
not to.”
www.search-consult.com
For more information, contact:
Web: www.imd-search.com
Sherilyn Shackell
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 18
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
18 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
S E A R C H - E X E C U T I V E A S S E S S M E N T
arlier this year I was invited to
w o r k w i t h t h e s e n i o r
management team of a major
bank located in South East Asia. The
HR Director stood up in front of her
senior management team colleagues
to introduce me. She talked about the
phenomenal growth the Bank had been
experiencing, and to the nods and
smiles of satisfaction of the group, told
them how they had hired an additional
800 staff over the past four months.
The smiles soon disappeared when,
without missing a beat, she then added
that they had also lost 700 of that 800
staff within three months!
This is not an uncommon story. All
around the world, HR and l ine
managers are making decisions about
people – whether to promote them,
hire them, relocate them overseas or
into a new area of the business. But
how is the decision being made?
I remember seeing one of the very
early John Cleese training movies years
and years ago. There was a brilliant
line in it, something along the lines of
“no one will ever admit to being a bad
dr iver, a b ad l o ver o r a b ad
interviewer”. There seems to be a
feeling that we can become good
interviewers or good assessors of
people almost by osmosis. It just
doesn’t work that way!
Reddin Partners has been doing a
lot of work in Australia and in Asia,
working with organisations looking to
recruit and retain top talent. McKinsey
spoke of “the war for talent” way back
in 2000. It hasn’t diminished. Business
is faster, more competitive and more
demanding than ever. Often the only
thing that gives a company an edge is
its people.
ASSESSING THE CANDIDATEAs I worked with my banking client
it became apparent that their senior
managers and their managers in turn,
were falling into the age-old trap of not
truly assessing the candidates they
were meeting. All the evidence was
there: “I know within 15 minutes if it’s
the right candidate”, “I have a strong
gut feel for whether or not a person
will fit”, “there was just something I
didn’t like about that candidate …” –
we’ve heard it all before.
Research has shown that anything
up to 10% of all the people in an
organisation should never have been
hired in the first place. Up to 45% of
an organisation’s population have been
“easy way out” hires – that is they’ve
got the skills to do a particular job at
a particular point of time, but they don’t
have that extra “oomph” required to
develop within the company and add
value over a period of time. Only some
25% of new hires are true “high
potential” in the sense that they have
that hidden ingredient that will ensure
their success in an organisation if they
are developed and nurtured. The
frightening thing is that only 20% of
what we would call “future leaders”
really have what it takes to be high
achievers in whatever role they’re put
into.
Most of us who recruit know that it’s
important that we look at the skills that
a person brings into the organisation
and we have a pretty good feel for the
level of those skills that we require. A
lot of recruiters also understand that
an element of “cultural fit” is important;
but all too often the real emphasis is
placed on skills, experience and
knowledge and not enough on the fit.
Let me go back to my banking client.
Sure my brief was to work with this
group of senior line managers and
refresh their basic interviewing skills,
but my real aim was to show them how
to assess candidates rather than just
interview them. It is the ability to truly
assess somebody’s fit that dictates the
success or otherwise of the hire,
promotion or transfer of that individual.
THE CULTURAL FITThose of us who work in the
executive search business have heard
our clients over the years claim that
their businesses are “unique”. Many
of us smile knowingly when we hear
this and pay lip service to the claim.
Those of us who are in the business of
assessing people need to understand
that organisations’ cultures are often
quite unique. It’s true that there are
many common factors in business and
that most businesses have to tackle the
s a m e s o r t s o f p r o b l e m s a n d
challenges. However, it is the culture
of an organisation, that unique set of
factors that almost define the “soul” of
the organisation that makes it unique.
My first challenge with my group of
banking managers was to get them to
accurately describe the culture of their
organisation, but more particularly the
factors or characteristics that a person
By David Reddin
E
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 19
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
19ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
S E A R C H - E X E C U T I V E A S S E S S M E N T
needed to demonstra te in that
organisat ion i f they were to be
successful. There are a number of
ways to uncover this information. You
can use a range or combination of
detailed interviewing of a vertical slice
of the organisation, 360 feedback
appraisal, psychometric testing – and
typically coming out the other end,
you’ll identify somewhere between four
and six factors that seem to be shared
by those people in the organisation
who are seen as the most successful.
When I took my banking clients
through this exercise it sounded very
simple to begin with. However,
complexity arises because different
people see the organisation’s culture
in different ways. They have their own
measures of success, and many define
success by what they read in
management texts or what they think
people want to hear.
My line managers came up with a
list that included such words as:
• Multi-tasking
• Capable of working under stress
• Team focused
• Results oriented
Having got this list of words out of
them, I then asked the hard question –
how many of them shared these
characteristics? Without missing a
beat, they all agreed that each and
every one of them shared all those
characteristics in common.
I then added a twist to the question.
I asked them to actually translate terms
like “team oriented” and “results
oriented” into what I call “dirty
language”. By this I mean a description
of the bland term, but a description in
such words that i t is absolutely
impossible to misinterpret what the
factor means. I gave them an example.
Many years ago I’d been asked to
recrui t a very senior sales and
marketing person for an organisation
in Melbourne . Th is company
manufactured hessian bags for the then
Australian Army sandbag contract, but
bags that were also used in abattoirs
for the storage of carcasses. The
company also had a large polythene
bag manufacturing operation and sales
of that product tended to be in the form
of mult i -mil l ion dollar contracts
negotiated in fairly plush boardroom
settings. When I asked my Managing
Director client to define some of the
key characteristics that the successful
sales and marketing person would
need to show, one of his first words
was “flexible”.
Once again I asked a question to
my banking clients. How many of them
saw themselves as “flexible”? Without
hesitat ion, al l 15 admitted their
flexibility. I said to them, “so, no one
in this room would count themselves
out of contention for this particular role
based on the fact that you are all
flexible?” Heads nodded.
A MORE IN-DEPTH FOCUSI then went on to put the word
“flexible” into “dirty language”. I
explained that flexible meant being
able to cope with the blood and guts
of a killing floor in an abattoir and yet
being equally at home negotiating a
multi-million dollar deal over an
expensive lunch in a plush boardroom
setting. I looked at the group – they
looked at me. I asked the question
again – “How many of you now see
yourself as being flexible?” Not one
hand reached to the sky.
The point I was trying to make was
that we all too often describe the
characteristics we are seeking in a
person in the most bland manner, open
to interpretation, and yet so full of value
judgement that people are always
going to count themselves in. If you
are going to assess a person accurately
you need to assess them against those
fit factors that determine success, and
you need to be able to express those
fit factors in a way that is highly
reflective of the behaviours you are
looking for in the organisation, the
behaviours that dictate success.
The interesting thing about my
banking cl ient is that , al though
everybody in the room said they were
a team player, it wasn’t true. They were
successful – they’d been with the Bank
for a reasonable period of time, they
were the leadership group and they
had taken the business through a
period of significant growth and image
enhancement. However, analysis of
those factors that appeared to be
critical to success within this Bank, and
I’m talking about analysis that had been
undertaken right around the World,
showed that the successful person
within this Bank was NOT a team
player, rather they were a very results
oriented individual who could leverage
resources and who understood that
one of the resources at their disposal
was a team.
You can see that once you put the
term “team player” into this dirty
language you actually get a feel for the
behaviours you’ll be looking for, almost
the smell and feel of the person who
is going to be successful in your
organisation, that is they are going to
fit well and blossom rather than just
exist within the company culture. So
the day continued. Between us we
were able to define six factors that do
actually predict success within this
Bank’s unique culture. That was just
the start. What we then had to do was
work through the application of an
assessment process based on an in-
David Reddin
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 20
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - E X E C U T I V E A S S E S S M E N T
20 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
www.search-consult.com
For more information, contact:
Web: www.reddinpartners.com.au
depth interview aimed at uncovering
c h o i c e s , p a t t e r n s , t r e n d s a n d
motivations that underpinned any
candidate’s history.
If we can acceptthat a person’s pastbehaviour will predicttheir future behaviour,
and if we cantherefo uncoverthe patterns andtrends that make uptheir history to date,we should beable to predictwith reasonableaccuracy their fitin our organisationand their ability togrow and contribute.
ESTABLISHING RAPPORTI showed my banking clients that
spending 15 minutes with a candidate
was not enough. They had to establish
rapport with the candidate and get
them to relax to the extent that the
person would begin to volunteer
information. The interviewer would
certainly guide the process, but by
going right back into their history and
starting at the beginning and working
forward, they could begin to see what
choices the individual had been faced
with in life and why they had made
those various choices, they could see
what motivated them consistently over
time, but could also see the patterns
as they began to emerge. The
interesting thing is that patterns and
trends can only be seen if you start at
the beginning and move forward – you
can’t see a trend developing if you start
with a person’s current role and move
backwards.
And so I introduced my banking
clients to a structured approach to
interviewing. I introduced them to a
range of questioning techniques that
encouraged the candidate to talk about
t h e c h o i c e s t h e y ’ v e f a c e d i n
employment, what their roles have
been about, what they liked in those
jobs and what they didn’t like in them.
I showed them how to get candidates
to talk about their achievements
(obviously making sure that they
quantified them!) and also to disclose
the feedback that they ’d received
along the way. I showed them the
importance of keeping interview notes
and writing observations as they went.
I emphasised the importance of
understanding how people view
themselves and how that should match
with their own view as the interview
progressed.
At the end of the process, I spent
time showing them how to use their
interview notes and their recorded
observations to begin to truly note the
patterns and trends that had emerged.
I stressed that they needed to be able
to point to at least three bits of
evidence before turning a hypothesis
about the candidate into a true
conclusion. That was the honesty
check, and it was designed to remove
the “gut feel” element.
It’s true that I was asking each and
every one of these senior managers to
put a little bit more time into every
interview they conducted. However,
I’d also given them a process they
could use right up front, a process to
screen candidates out and make sure
that they were, in fact, seeing fewer
candidates for each role. In this way
they were spending exactly the
same time across the total recruitment
p r o c e s s , b u t g e t t i n g b e t t e r
results.
The result? Staff turnover in this
particular region has declined by some
30%. The Bank is developing a
reputation for targeting top talent. Top
talented individuals are also becoming
aware of this as they are beginning to
apply directly to them. The cost of
recruitment has gone down, the
succession plan is back on track as
HR and line managers are sharing a
common methodology and a language
that they both understand. Candidates
know they have been given every
oppor tun i ty to se l l themselves
effectively, and even when rejected,
can be given feedback that helps them
understand the decision. This is one
of the first steps in building a reputation
as an organisation where people want
to work.
Good assessment boils down to
using a process that produces factually
based conclusions about an individual
and their potential to not only do the
job you want done today, but to
continue developing and adding value
to the organisation over time. It
demands a rigorous process, thorough
training and practice in the use of
effective interviewing skills, and a
commitment to establishing rapport
with a candidate and getting them to
“tell their story”. It demands good
reflective listening skills and the ability
to spot choices, motivations, patterns
and trends.
David Reddin has been working inthe executive search industry since1980 and is the foundation partner ofReddin Partners based in Melbourne,Australia. He works extensivelyaround Australia and throughout theAsia Pacific region, supportingclients in a range of industries inexecut ive search , execut iveassessment and executive coaching.H e c a n b e c o n t a c t e d a t :dreddin@reddinpartners.com.au andon +61 3 9620 4822 or +61 409 258 597.
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 21
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
21ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
S E A R C H - M R I
n an increasingly demanding,
competitive and dynamic market,
today ’s companies are more
dependent on having the best talent
on their side.
MRINetwork™, which has nearly
1,100 offices in more than 35 countries
and draws on 43 years of history in the
search and recruitment industry, has
recently conducted a global survey,
reporting that because a growing
number of companies are experiencing
difficulties in filling senior and middle
management positions candidates are
now having more choices and a greater
amount of leeway to dictate the terms
a n d r e m u n e r a t i o n p a c k a g e s
companies are offering them in order
to convince them to join their team.
High turnovers and bad hires are
costing businesses millions, especially
when it comes to executive talent. As
a result, businesses are increasingly
recognis ing tha t people are a
company's most valuable asset, which
means they are ferociously battling to
attract and retain them.
Search-consult spoke to three
f r a n c h i s e m e m b e r s o f t h e
MRINetwork™ to see how the role of
the candidate is evolving, especially
in the last three years. Dave Campeas,
President and CEO for Princeton
Search Group in the US; David Roots,
Managing Director of ISM B.V. in the
Netherlands; and Tony Dickel, Chief
Executive Officer of MRI China Kong
provided us with their insight on this
interesting debate.
ATTRACT THEM RIGHTThe Managing Director of ISM B.V
explains that the smaller to mid-size
companies are reacting quicker and
more effectively to attracting the right
people, offering good packages and
terms to candidates.
However, “larger companies and
multinationals are still generally slow
to react to the change in the market
and many still act with the arrogance
and complacency that people will want
to join them because of their name,
assumed status, market posit ion
or image,” comments David Roots.
It is this precise attitude, he insists,
which is making many good candidates
turn down these larger companies,
favouring “smaller and more flexible
firms that offer them more scope and
opportunities.”
The CEO of MRI China describes
how in the olden days the company
dictated a candidate’s terms and
package, always having the last word.
“The candidate was interviewed by the
company and if there was going to be
a dominant decision maker it was the
company.”
“Now if a search is going to fail,” he
cont inues, “ i t wi l l because the
company has messed up the candidate
m a n a g e m e n t p r o c e s s , ” a s t h e
candidate has ultimately selected a
company that has a more effective
candidate management process.
Tony Dickel notes that candidates
are very cautious about the whole
recruitment process, especially the
candidate management side. A couple
of years back candidates were content
to “accept a process where they may
be interviewed 7-8 times before any
decision was made. Now we are
finding that candidates are now
requiring companies to make quicker
decisions, and they are getting fed up
with companies that can’t seem to
make that decision.”
According to David Roots, one of
the main reasons deals have failed is
because candidates are becoming
frustrated with “a company’s inability
to make a quick decision, get an offer
out to a candidate in a timely manner
and then be able to ‘se l l ’ the
opportunity effectively.”
Tony Dickel comments: “The
negative decision is more likely going
to come from the candidate versus the
client. The people we have to keep
happy in the process tend to be more
candidates versus the customer. It’s
definitely a switch.”
But what’s happening now to make
candidates have more choices and
really be able to negotiate their
packages and terms more?
WHAT’S THE CATCH?The answer, according to all three
IBy Pilar Gumucio
Power Shift:
Are CandidatesTaking the Helm?Are CandidatesTaking the Helm?
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 22
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - M R I
22 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
o f t h e c o n s u l t a n t s f r o m t h e
MRINetwork™, is that companies’
need to hire top talent is increasing.
The environment is changing as talent
becomes more of a premium than ever
before.
According to the President and CEO
for Princeton Search Group, in the US
there are not enough people to replace
retirees, thus providing a candidate
the upper hand in the hiring process.
Tony Dickel explains that in China
more than 3,000 new companies are
coming into that country each month.
And many of the foreign firms already
established there are expanding their
operations even further.
He explains that these companies
“are facing a dramatic shortage that
they weren’t expecting in a country of
1.3 billion people. Today ’s current
environment reveals that there is a very
limited pool of foreign eligible talent,
and the demand far exceeds the
current supply.”
As a result, there is salary inflation
- which in some cases can be extreme.
“There is a recent case of a mid-level
engineering candidate,” comments
Dickel, “that has changed jobs three
times in 12 months, and in each has
received 100% salary increase.”
Although this example may not be
the norm, i t does prove what
companies are willing to do to get the
right talent on board.
Tony Dickel also insists that because
the demand for good talent exceeds
the limited supply, many companies
are “getting desperate to acquire
talent” and are resorting to “promoting
c a n d i d a t e s t o o q u i c k l y. . . T h e
environment is encouraging this sort
of behaviour, and therefore people are
ending up in roles they are not
necessarily suitable for.”
For Dave Campeas, it is more of a
talent shortage than a skills shortage.
“Companies are not settling for a B or
C player. Thus, the competition for A
players is much more intense.”
Consequently, the offer has to be
more attractive and businesses have
to f iercely compete to convince
candidates to join their firm over
another.
David Roots cautions that although
offering competitive salaries for the
market is important to candidates,
compensation alone is not sufficient.
It must be “closely followed by a clear
opportunity and career progression
path whereby the successful candidate
can see exactly where his or her career
path” is heading towards.
“Clients need to be aware”, explains
Tony Dickel, “that if you simply bribe
candidates then they are going to leave
you quickly because there will always
be a company that is more desperate
and willing to pay more to acquire that
sought-after talent. You have to acquire
talent for the right reasons.”
Gone are the days when a candidate
would simply accept the first job offer.
Because candidates are receiving
simultaneous calls from various head-
hunters, it is increasingly becoming
standard procedure to receive various
offers and counter-offers. Therefore,
candidates now have a wider scope of
choices to select from.
HOW TO STEER THE WHEEL?As a result, today is more of a
candidate driven market as the
demand for the top talent exceeds the
current supply. The ‘War for Talent’ is
intensifying as companies must analyse
how to identify, attract and retain their
most valued assets.
Within this context, David Roots
advises: “companies have to be very
competitive in all aspects of their
offerings to get the right talent on
board.”
For Dave Campeas, “ l i festyle
compensation” - which means having
more holiday time, having the flexibility
to work from home on occasions, and
travelling less - becomes instrumental
in being able to secure the A player.
A c c o r d i n g t o D a v i d R o o t s ,
candidates are now “taking control of
the recruitment process to make sure
that the offer meets all their goals
before committing to move ahead.”
Therefore, candidates are asking
more questions about the current role,
the company, the locat ion, the
corporate culture and environment as
well as prospects for the future. They
are asking about the pay and perks as
well as the challenges. They are
researching the company thoroughly,
interviewing senior management
before an offer has even been decided
upon so that candidates can determine
for themselves if this opportunity and
company are compatible with their
personal and professional objectives.
A REWARDING CHALLENGEThere is no doubt that this change
implies more challenges for search
consultants as they must work harder
to get the perfect candidate for their
client.
N e v e r t h e l e s s , m a n y s e a r c h
consultants haven’t adapted their
p r o c e s s t o t h e s e c h a n g i n g
circumstances.
Tony Dickel notes how “it’s very
easy to do, and will benefit everyone
involved, but many recruiters don’t do
it because it adds a bit more work to
the process.”
Dave Campeas agrees that there are
more challenges to contend with, but
at the same time, he insists: “It is also
the most rewarding time for recruiters.
It truly allows us to find the absolute
David Roots
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 23
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
23ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
S E A R C H - M R I
best candidate, and the process
becomes more of a courting than a
hiring.”
He explains that in today’s current
environment a candidate and a
company have to “work to come
together”, making it more meaningful
and increasing the likelihood that the
match will last longer.
In order to be effective, David Roots
repor t s th a t r ecr u i te r s sho u ld
“concentrate more skilled resources
on headhunting the best talent in the
marketplace.”
The numbers of jobs that can be
filled by database or online job board
methods have certainly decreased.
“Those recruiters that continue to rely
on passive methods will probably fail,”
he adds.
In fact, search consultants are
finding that job boards are virtually
impossible to pick up good candidates.
O n o n e h a n d , To n y D i c k e l
describes: “I f we do f ind good
candidates on job boards we find that
they are virtually uncontrollable and
the reason for that is because
everybody is pitching at them because
there is such a high demand for talent
in certain industries and functions.”
On the other hand, he says that today
there are less candidates proactively
job-hunting. “You may think that the
current environment might attract
candidates to be proactive, but the
reality is that candidates are somewhat
fuzzy about getting their resume into
the market.”
As a result, it is vital that search
consultants effectively source a list of
possible candidates; thus, using their
industry knowledge, expertise and
broad network of contacts to be able
to locate, screen and recommend
t h e b e s t c a n d i d a t e s t o t h e i r
clients.
In fact, David Roots describes how
“we offer to work with our clients to
help them understand where they
should be ‘pitching’ a job and the best
way to attract new people to their
companies.”
UNDERSTANDING THE CANDIDATEAs companies begin to realise the
importance of matching the right
company and candidate, search
consultants are becoming instrumental
in helping their clients actually achieve
this objective.
David Roots explains how one of his
tasks includes offering “our clients a
very broad range of services including
in depth psychometric testing in order
to cut down the instances of bad hires.”
Tony Dickel states that they key
elements needed to have a successful
placement are: competency, chemistry
and goals.
All three consultants reported the
importance of conducting diligent
competency-based interviews as a
means of really being able to uncover
w h a t t h e c a n d i d a t e h a s b e e n
responsible for and analysing if the
candidate is really ready for the given
role.
Tony Dickel insists that in an
environment where there is an extreme
talent war, unfortunately, consultants
find that people’s interviews become
more superficial when actually they
should become stronger.
“We train our customers to improve
their interviewing process so that
instead of just looking at the positives,
they also look at the negatives as well.
And we are finding that companies are
ignor ing the warn ing s igns in
somebody because they want so
desperately to make a hire. When you
have such an extreme talent war you
get this type of behaviour because
people are not doing the proper due
diligence, and it is costing them,” he
adds.
As a result, search consultants need
to be preparing their clients better so
that they can be more effective in
ident i fy ing, select ing and then
retaining their top talent.
Together they have to prepare a plan
of action, taking into consideration the
sel l ing poin ts tha t wi l l a t t rac t
candidates. But they must also discuss
the negative points of the job and the
company so tha t these search
consultants can then discuss these
points as well, when approaching these
candidates.
“Companies often won’t tell you the
bad, but they have to tell you this as
well since candidates are going to find
out when they research your client’s
company after this information has
been disclosed to them. It is better that
the client tell you what the problem is,
and then you can help them put a
strategy in place moving beyond the
problem so that you can share this with
the candidate,” remarks Tony Dickel.
FITTING INWithin the executive recruitment
process it is vital that the consultant
assess if the candidate really fits in
w i t h t h e c l i e n t ’ s c o r p o r a t e
environment. In other words, are the
heart and mind of the candidate really
aligned with the heart and mind of the
client’s corporate culture?
Tony Dickel provides an example to
highlight this point: “If a candidate says
he wants to be a financial controller
for a company like GE, then there is
no point in making him CFO of a start
up company. You have to find a way of
being certain what type of company
t h e c a n d i d a t e w i l l f e e l m o s t
comfortable working in, and what will
continue to motivate him or her to stay.”
Dave Campeas
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 24
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - M R I
24 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
All three of the consultants from the
M R I N e t w o r k ™ s t r o n g l y a d v i s e
companies to work with a recruiter that
really understands a candidate’s
personal and professional goals, and
makes sure they are aligned with the
client’s goals before any opportunities
are even discussed with the candidate.
To be effective in executive search,
Dave Campeas insists that it is crucial
that recruiters maintain an open
dialogue with candidates.
He strongly believes that “candidates
have to feel comfortable enough with
recruiters to tell them what is really
going on in their lives, and companies
have to realise that recruiters are truly
guiding them in the process, and not
just trying to close a deal.”
Often candidates don’t tell the
consultant about their concerns or
reservations regarding the role that is
being discussed. Therefore, recruiters
need to figure out ways to find out what
t h e c a n d i d a t e s ’ c o n c e r n s a n d
reservations are.
According to Tony Dickel, “our
screening process allows us to ensure
that we are going to fish out the
concerns the candidate has along the
way… In fact, in every conversation
we have with the candidate we always
ask what else they have going on
because it is a very dynamic market
as candidates can by called by three
different headhunters in the same
week, and we need to be able to keep
our client well informed.”
STORMY WATERS AS PROBLEMSARISEI f communicat ion breaks down,
problems will arise. In fact, the number
one problem companies are having is
that candidates are turning down offers
at the last moment, af ter having
endured a very long and difficult
process. At the end of the road,
candidates are changing their minds.
Why is this occurring so of ten?
Fal l o f fs , which is when the
candidate actually signs an offer but
doesn’t show up to work because in
the interim he or she has received
another offer better aligned with his or
her goals, are also growing in number.
As a resu l t , companies and
consultants must jointly analyse where
the process is going wrong, and see
how to prevent these problems from
occurring in the future. Provide the
client and candidate with feedback so
that each party is aware of how the
recruitment process is developing.
Furthermore, in an environment
where counter-offers are becoming
standard procedure, challenges arise
as consultants must be able to
effectively plan for these occurrences
within their recruitment process.
Tony Dickel explains how his firm
doesn’t simply wait until a counter-offer
is made. “We have to manage that
counter-offer well ahead of the offer
actually being made.”
He reports how this preparation
begins the first time they meet the
candidate, and is worked in every
single conversation afterwards until
the placement has been successfully
made.
The CEO of MRI China also cautions
that there is a great deal of resume
fraud as reference checking must be
conducted better.
As companies demand for top talent
increases and the current supply
continues to be constricted, this
env i ronment encourages some
candidates to exaggerate their resume
or their compensation package, hoping
that this type of behaviour will land
them a better job. Since the current
environment is very dynamic and is
favouring quick executions, many
people are not detect ing these
irregularities as often as they should.
This is partly because the people
conducting the interviews don’t have
the necessary experience to uncover
these mistakes.
However, explains Tony Dickel,
another reason is that the “the demand
is so high that it is encouraging that
candidates bet their luck and probably
get away with it. If they don’t, it doesn’t
matter because another company will
come along soon after where they can
exaggerate their resume, inflate their
salary and sooner or later, they will get
away with it.”
TAKING THE HELMIn order to avoid these types of
problems, all three of the executive
recruiters from the MRINetwork™ that
search-consult interviewed suggested
that companies and search consultants
need to thoroughly reference check
and make sure that the l is t o f
candidates presented are all willing
and able to take the job of fer.
Within this context, David Roots
e x p l a i n s h o w i t i s b e c o m i n g
increasingly important to “keep a very
close watch on ‘hooks’ that others are
using to attract people,” and then
advice your cl ient accordingly.
Companies involved in the hiring
process must ensure their processes
are faultless, well planned and also
that they have the flexibility to arrive
at a decision quickly in order to avoid
los ing that 'per fect ' candidate .
Search consultants must always
make sure to provide feedback to the
client so that the company is well
informed and can then provide proper
feedback to the candidate, reassuring
him or her of any reservations that may,
a n d u s u a l l y, a r i s e d u r i n g t h e
recruitment process. Moreover, it is
vital that the client always know what
the candidate is thinking and who else
they are competing with.
As the market continues to be
candidate driven, David Roots insists
that effective search consultants must
make meaningful interactions with both
the client and the candidate, acting “as
the broker in putting the actual terms
and conditions of the deal together.
That way we can more effectively
control the process and ensure that
offers are on time, in line with the
market and meet the candidate’s
expectations.”
www.search-consult.com
For more information, contact:
Web: www.mrinetwork.com
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 25
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
his regular section in search-consultis about technology in search. I’ve
written before that the search
industry is one in which technology will
always play a back seat - and I largely stand
by that statement. However, it is noticeable
that search firms are increasingly beginning
to use technology as a way of differentiating
themselves in the eyes of the Client.
One firm that is already achieving this is
Boyden Global Executive Search, and Chris
Clarke, President of this leading company,
explains how at the end of this article.
Yet Boyden is not alone. Speakers and
delegates that attended Kennedy
Information’s most recent Executive Search
Summit in New York discussed the topic at
length. As a vendor of IT solutions to the
executive search industry, Dillistone Systems
is increasingly seeing that our ability to
provide this form of functionality is a key
differentiator for us. This was certainly the
case for Blackbird Partners, an Oak Brook,
IL, USA-based boutique for which the ability
of FILEFINDER to facilitate extranet access
was key.
PERMANENT ACCESSManaging Director Kelly Carlson
remarked: “Our clients have come to expect
complete transparency and 24x7 access to
comprehensive information related to
search assignments.”
The benefits of such a service are
numerous. The most obvious one is that it
provides access to information whenever
and whereever the client requires it. By
adding the ability for him or her to provide
feedback on the same basis, the search
process may be sped up significantly –
particularly on assignments with multiple
decision makers in multiple time zones.
The second benefit for the search firm
is that the provision of such a service may
be a competitive advantage. The busy HR
executive may be involved in managing
numerous searches across a range of
business units. If a search firm can provide
24x7 access to all project data in a single
location, it is likely to motivate that HR
executive to provide that search firm with
a higher percentage of their firm’s work.
The availability of online reporting tools
can also substantially reduce the
administrative overhead associated with
producing paper – or even email – based
reports for the client. Depending on the
S E A R C H - T E C H N O L O G Y
25ISSUE 25 2005 search-consult
TBy Jason Starr
OnlineClientwith the
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 26
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
S E A R C H - T E C H N O L O G Y
26 search-consult ISSUE 25 2005
www.search-consult.com
For more information, contact:
E-mail: sales@dillistone.comWeb: www.dillistone.com
www.boyden.com
implementation model chosen, the extranet
site is either updated automatically
whenever the search management system
is updated or – at worst case – it is updated
with just a couple of clicks. Compare this
to the time taken in the traditional production
of client reports!
SO, HOW DOES IT WORK?Essentially, there are two models. The
first, which we call ‘Client Reporting’,
provides live but controlled access to the
Search Firm database using a variety of
web-based technologies.
CONTROLLED ACCESSThe keyword here is controlled. None
of these search firms will allow the client to
go wandering around their database.
Clients are strictly limited in what they can
see – typically, no more information that
would have been provided in a traditional
paper format. This might include a summary
of short-listed candidates along with detailed
profiles on specific candidates. Some clients
also provide information on ‘target
companies’ and access to project
documents such as the Candidate Profile,
the Assignment Brief or even invoicing
information.
Clients are able to review the assignment
online 24x7. In addition, however, they can
interact with it. Many of our sites will include
‘message board’ technology allowing
multiple client contacts, along with
representatives of the search firm – to leave
notes and feedback as, and when,
appropriate. This has the impact of speeding
up the search significantly.
The alternative model, which we call
FFCIM (Client Interaction Module), does
not provide the client with live data but,
rather, an exported subset of the database.
This provides the search firm with an
additional layer of quality control, while also
simplifying the implementation and ongoing
support of the site.
Either of these methodologies – but
FFCIM in particular – may be very quickly,
easily and cost effectively implemented by
any size search firm - indeed, many of our
clients will pass the running cost of the tool
on to the client as an expense – and so it is
no surprise that they are in such demand.
Chris Clarke is President and CEOof Boyden Global Executive Search. Hehas been successfully leading this firmsince January 2000, breaking all timerecords in the process.
Boyden's search approach is highlytailored and personalized to be able tomeet clients' specific needs. Within thiscontext, he explains how Boyden isembracing online technology to be ableto continue to provide their clients witha faster, more direct and custom-basedservice.
It is a little amusing to hear some
competitors trumpeting their technology
and service ‘breakthrough’ in getting
online with the client.
As far back as 25 years ago suppliers
in the automotive industry were already
online with clients, ensuring components
were just in time. Likewise, the retail
industry has managed the entire logistics
chain this way. Banks have been directly
linked to their leading customers,
and more recently to every customer
desiring it.
How clever of our search industry
dinosaurs to discover this technology
and boast about their innovation. The
reality is that sophisticated clients have
demanded it.
Boyden, like other large search firms,
has embraced the Internet Revolution
and its opportunities for direct
connection to clients. As a minimum,
which can be made available to all
clients, there is the opportunity for
feedback on every search performed to
be given online. A higher level of online
connection is to have real-time
information available on the state of the
search. This is in place for several of
Boyden’s preferred provider clients.
They can see candidate information,
schedule interviews and many other
matters, as well as being able to
comment on any issues and quality at
any given time. The highest level of client
connectivity is to have a separate
dedicated website. This concept is
working well and allows the client and
the search firm to jointly manage the
search with complete transparency
online.
All this said, we have to remember
that executive search is a high touch
business. We must never allow it to be
dehumanized into pure e-commerce.
Boyden clients do not want this; they
value the Friday call to discuss progress.
They value the face-to-face review
meetings and personal contact.
Technology is merely a tool to make the
process more efficient, never a substitute
for the human touch. The day we
dehumanize the process will be the day
we treat clients and candidates as things,
not people, and this must never happen.
To the dinosaurs, which are only now
discovering the wonders of the Internet,
welcome as late arrivals to the club.
Also, ensure adequate security
protection for your clients and
candidates, and ensure that you are
complying with the different laws on
privacy and data protection in relevant
jurisdictions.
Chris Clarke
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 27
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
The Trainer:Jill Dillistone – arguably the Search industry’sleading trainer with over 20 years experienceof conducting research for a number of premiersearch firms in the UK and Europe as well asdelivering training courses internationally formajor search firms such as Russell Reynolds,Heidrick & Struggles and Whitehead Mann.
BOOK NOW FOR:
Research and Candidate Development Workshop: London: 31 January 2006,Brussels: 21 March 2006, Hong Kong: 10 May 2006, Tokyo: 15 May 2006This 1-day workshop is for less experienced researchers and consultants. The three themes covered during the dayare research skills, telephone techniques and administration and project management.
You will learn:How to be creative in solving your search • Five techniques to screen candidates effectively • How better to set prioritiesand manage your time • The secrets of getting to the best candidates fast
Search Execution and Client Management Workshop: London: 1 February 2006,Brussels: 22 March 2006, Hong Kong: 11 May 2006, Tokyo: 16 May 2006This 1-day workshop is for professionals involved in the search execution process and focuses on effective andsuccessful client management and liaison (including progress reporting), candidate interviewing and referencing andthe preparation of candidate reports and package negotiation. You will learn:How to get the real story behind the CV • Five techniques to add value in the search process • How better to manageclient meetings • The secrets of developing long term client relationships
Interview Skills Workshop - London: 2 February 2006, Brussels: 23 March 2006,Hong Kong: 12 May 2006, Tokyo: 17 May 2006This 1-day workshop covers an introduction to compentency-based interviewing and an exercise in critical-incidentbased interviewing. The benefits of the day include the opportunity to improve your skills in candidate evaluation;practice different questioning techniques in role plays and learn about different approaches to interviewing.
You will learn:How to match candidates to clients' requirements • Five techniques to improve your interview skills • How better to getthe detail behind the CV • The secrets of presenting the right candidates
a series of 1-day training seminarsfor Search Professionals
EXECUTIVESEARCH
TRAININGWORKSHOPS
THE WORKSHOPS:
"Workshop was great. I learnt some important issues regarding client management."Sorin Popa, Accord Group, Romania
"Well structured, well paced, clear presenter, good group discussion and clear objectives covered."Sally Clark, Kathleen Townsend Executive Solutions, Australia
"As a newcomer to the industry, I found the day very useful and came away with a knowledgeof processes and techniques." Susan McCabe, Halcyon Consulting, UK
Maximum 16 attendees per workshop.For rates and to book, please complete the booking form available online at www.dillistone.com/workshops
and send it with the payment to (please make cheques payable to Dillistone Systems Ltd):Executive Search Training Workshops, Dillistone Systems Ltd
Calvert House, 5 Calvert Ave, London, E2 7JP, UK If paying by credit card, please fax it back to us on +44 (0)20 7729 6108.Refreshments will be provided throughout the day.
For more information, please visit our website www.dillistone.com/workshops or send an email to marketing@dillistone.com
London Brussels Hong Kong Tokyo
wydanie 25d.fh9 12/8/05 12:47 PM Page 28
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
US: +1 (201) 653 0013 UK & Europe: +44 (0)20 7749 6100 Germany: +49 (0)69 27 40 15 807Australia/Asia: +61 2 9006 1194 Rest of the World: +44 (0)20 7749 6100
sales@dillistone.com www.dillistone.com
Opening a company record in FILEFINDERwill present the user with both the ‘data’ fromthe database and the very latest news on thatcompany – delivered automatically from the Web.
FILEFINDER software is designedfor Executive Recruitment and is supported by
people who understand Executive Recruitment.To find out how your business can benefit,book your FREE demonstration TODAY!
Knowledge - FREE with every record.
This gives users a benefit in terms of bothbusiness development and research. In turn,this will help your search business perform better.
U S A U K G E R M A N Y A U S T R A L I A