Good or Great?

If you are going to decide to partner with a recruitment consultant, or, professional search partner, making the right choice can be the difference between a good hire and a great one, especially when it comes to filling crucial C-Suite, Director and critical subject matter expert positions.

Not all recruiters, or search firms are equal and it is essential to select a recruitment partner who not only understands your specific needs, that you believe has your best interests at heart and who also has the expertise to identify and secure top-tier candidates.

You might think that a large corporate firm is the right choice, or favour an independent boutique, ultimately it should come down to the right individuals for you and your needs. You might find that the Search firm who serves the CEO of the business, is not the best firm to also serve the COO, or CRO?

Here are three essential questions to help C-Suite leaders and HR Directors make an informed decision when choosing their next recruitment partner. These questions will guide you in finding the right collaborator who can deliver the best results for your Chief, Director and critical subject matter appointments.

1. Can you describe your approach to recruiting for senior Customer Experience and Operational Director positions, and how you think it differs to others? This question will help you understand the recruiter's methodology. Look for them to highlight a more comprehensive, tailored approach that includes in-depth research, candidate assessments, and a focus on quality over quantity. Recruiters often have spent a number of years building their own network and we do hear stories where the same lists of individuals seem to be regurgitated time and time again, regardless of the uniqueness of the business or role. Having a proven network is important but what else will they be doing to look outside of this to secure the best and the brightest talent?
2. What is your (individual) success rate in placing candidates in similar roles, and can you provide examples of long-term success stories with clients? By asking for specific success stories and long-term outcomes, you can gauge the recruiter's ability to deliver top-tier candidates who not only meet the immediate needs but also stay and thrive in their roles. Ideally case studies and or testimonials should be a plenty. Be wary of the collective 'we', regardless of the size of a firm, or brand, you will be working with an individual and it is their knowledge, relationships and experience which will be representing you and your business and assessing what good looks like. If the individual you are talking with does not have sufficient examples of say, delivering a diverse longlist and can only cite where 'we' or the firm has, then this might be a warning light for your next search.
3. How do you personally build and maintain relationships with clients and candidates to ensure a successful placement? This question aims to assess the recruiter's commitment to building lasting relationships. Look for signs that they prioritise ongoing client-candidate connections, how and what do they do to build and maintain their network? As we see increasing tools and technologies powered by AI taking over many of a recruiters tasks, many are losing the 'personal touch' the human element, which is often the difference between attracting, hiring and retaining the best performing diverse talent. Don't be blinded by the bright and flashy tools over the tried and tested care and understanding.

These questions will help you determine if the recruiter's approach aligns with your needs for Executive, Director and Subject Matter Expert roles across Operations, CX, Insight, Transformation and Planning led positions and will hopefully allow you to select the best possible partner to work with to achieve a successful outcome, hiring more diverse, impactful leaders who are more successful and stay for longer.

Douglas Jackson are leading the way in customer experience, operations, insight, planning and transformation appointments, executive search, professional search and recruitment solutions.

We can help you hire:

• C-Suite Board Appointments for Chief Customer, Chief Experience and Chief Operating Officer
• Diverse leadership, committed to more balanced representation for your long and shortlists
• Leadership and Subject Matter Experts to drive your customer experience, operations, insight, resource planning, analytics and transformations forwards at Director and 'Head of' level
• NED - Customer & Digital Advisory
• Interim and Fractional talent

Contact us on [email protected]

Tel: 0345 620 9720

www.douglas-jackson.com