Why choose a retained approach?

A retained approach is one focused on achieving exceptional and superior hiring outcomes.

•You don’t want to make mistakes when making key hires.

These are the ones that make the difference between you accomplishing your strategic business goals and missing them! Ones that ultimately shape the success or failure of your business.

Hiring mistakes can be costly. They’re time consuming, distracting and carry an opportunity cost.

•Your people network is too limited. For key hires you need a retained approach.

It’s easy to think that you can make a great hire from your people network however it’s limited. The reality is that this is a myth. •Your people network is too limited.

Retained search is a proactive robust approach applying a smart methodology searching the entire market… none of this low hanging fruit nonsense.

One involving a structured process, systematically and professionally identifying, and approaching every single candidate using multiple methods, including professional headhunting, to gain as much interest in the position as possible.

It’s one based on an investment of time, typically upwards of 100 hours.

•People choose a retained approach when they want the role ‘definitely’ filling rather than ‘maybe’ filling. Retained means to keep going until the role is filled.

This superior approach requires a level of commitment on both sides.

Basically some initial financial commitment from you (a retainer) enables us to apply a robust search and importantly to commit to working with you until you’ve successfully made your hire.

Retained search is a proven approach to help you to maximise your chances of successful outcomes and mitigate your risk of failure. For your most high-impact positions, your business deserves the best talent.

A retained approach is one focused on achieving exceptional and superior hiring outcomes.

Conventional sourcing methods (agency) are focused on just 30% of potential hires. Based on primarily inbound candidates, heavily populated with unemployed people, and these tend to be the weaker ones.

For standard hires this approach is okay; however, for high-impact ones, it’s a limited one.

Missing out on the 60-70% of the talent pool that goes unspoken to. In contrast, retained search is one focused on 100% of the prospective talent pool.

Importantly including, the best people, they’re employed and only accessible using headhunting techniques.

Agency fee rates are typically quoted at 25%, fee rates for retained search c. 25-30%, with a third paid upfront.

Retained search is slightly higher than for a contingency/agency approach because there’s more work, more time and more resources involved.

Hiring expectations are rising. But current sourcing methods are inadequate.

Conventional recruitment connects with just 30%.

Sourced from advertising, CV databases and jobs/career boards. It works well for junior, regular and non-time-sensitive hires.

It's a mixed talent pool heavily populated with low to mid-performers.

A high proportion has been let go for underperformance. Employers rarely let go of their best people.

When hiring into senior, specialist roles existing conventional sourcing methods are inadequate.

To make great hires, you need to tap into high-performance passive talent. Access to this pool is via pipelining and headhunting.

There is an ageing population and a proportionately smaller working population. You can expect the talent shortage to become more acute. Retention and anticipating ongoing hiring for growth and replacement hires need to be prioritised.

Do you need to replace someone without the incumbent job holder being aware that he or she is to be replaced?

In the headhunting world, this is known as a “Cloak and Dagger” situation. And it's one of the most common reasons why companies use headhunting firms to find senior hires.

This is because headhunters can identify and approach prospective candidates without revealing a client’s company name!

We’re able to enter into a dialogue with prospective candidates to qualify an individual’s suitability and identify their candidate’s situation and motivations.

We can positively position an opportunity without disclosing a company name and be vague about some of the parameters without exposing you and avoid revealing your company identity.

Enabling us to pre-qualify the suitability and interest of candidates and generate a shortlist without the incumbent job holder becoming aware they are to be replaced.

Where appropriate, and at the appropriate time, we will have prospective candidates sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement to underpin confidentiality.

In contrast, an employer placing an advert or directly calling people may very well result in the incumbent becoming aware they are to be let go!

We offer: Retained Search | Multi Hire Projects | Long Term Partnerships

Our approach for multi-hire projects and long-term partnerships uses our Retained Search framework as an underlying foundation.

Retained search process

The starting point begins with a thorough briefing involving all key stakeholders to define and agree on the parameters of the search/es and process, including full role profile/s, person criteria, target source companies, timelines, process and your value proposition to a prospective target employee!

• Determine key industry sector and niche backgrounds

• Identify source companies

• We cast a net over the talent pool Identifying every single candidate with the right skill set across the geographic location

• We then systematically and professionally approach every single candidate using multiple methods, including professional headhunting, to gain as much interest in the position as possible.

• The whole process is transparent, with weekly reporting If faced with a challenge we work with you to re-steer the search accordingly.

• Ultimately, a long list of candidates emerges who have been assessed against the brief, both functionally and behaviourally and are interested in the opportunity.

Conventional agency and in-house recruitment processes do not benefit from this kind of structured methodology, the depth of this approach and the time that needs to be invested.

At the end of this process, you will be absolutely confident that you are making your hire from ALL of the available talent to you in the market at this time.