Here’s something I hear nearly every week from a prospective client: “I would love to work with you, but I don’t really want to ‘go retained’.”
I get it. Having hired search firms for a wide variety of roles and levels when I worked on the corporate side, I appreciate the notion of using the right tool for the right job. There are certainly times when working with a search firm on a contingent basis makes more sense.
However, there are times when having an exclusive partner with a mutual commitment to success is the way to go. I’ve outlined a few below.
When you have a complex role where the candidate pool is limited
Conventional wisdom may suggest that a narrow candidate pool is easier to recruit from because you know exactly who you are looking for. For instance, if you’re seeking an individual with specific experience, there will only be a handful of candidates to consider. TalentRise’s search strategy always starts with a market scan using leading data and analytics tools that enables us to provide our client with real insights on available talent.
However, the real challenge is pursuing and engaging those individuals when they are not necessarily looking to making a career move. At TalentRise, we are consultative partners, not candidate brokers. It is important that your recruiting partner is credible with highly sought-after candidates and that you find a company to represent your brand as if it were their own.
We take the time to learn our customers’ businesses to sell their unique value propositions. We work closely with our clients and customize our solutions to fit their needs. If you’re searching for a complex role, you may have to take more than one approach to find the right candidate. A retained search partner collaborates with the customer, analyzing how certain strategies performed, and adapting as needed to get results.
A role where the skillset is more common, but finding the “right fit” is critical
Finding leaders who are the right match for your organization is crucial. If a candidate doesn’t fit, it’s detrimental for all parties involved. But, using a retained search firm like TalentRise helps you find the most qualified candidates who mesh with your mission and culture.
At TalentRise, we genuinely know our clients, their business, and the nuances of their culture. When performing a search, we focus our efforts on not just the job, but also the things that will define it. These include the products and/or services a company provides, a company’s organizational maturity, operational culture, and team culture. These are the pieces that, when put together, provide a holistic picture of a company’s identity. The right candidate should identify with and fit into what a company does and how it does it.
To ensure candidates are the right fit, we conduct thorough evaluations through in-depth interviews, professional references, and optional assessments. This enables us to meld our understanding of our client with our ability to measure a candidate’s skill level and personality.
A role that is newly created or somewhat ambiguous
On the surface, recruiting is a relatively simple process of matching a list of required or desired skills with those of a candidate. However, newly created roles often need refining and may evolve throughout the search process. The finest executive search consultants are more than matchmakers – they prove their value as true talent strategists and problem solvers. At TalentRise, our experienced team is skilled in solving the puzzle and pulling together the right pieces for your organization.
If a company is seeking to discover the best talent on the market, the qualitative differences in working with an executive search firm speak for themselves. TalentRise’s FlexSearch program enables us to structure our fees in a way that is suitable for any client’s budget. Investing in an exclusive long-term partnership with TalentRise can ensure a mutual commitment to a future of success for your company.
Interested in learning more about the FlexSearch program at TalentRise? Click here.
