BRIEFING

When we are asked to undertake a search, we aim to meet as many relevant people in the organisation as possible. It is most important to understand our client's business, its culture and the people with whom the successful candidate will work. We can often play an important part in helping to structure the job to optimise our client's objectives. At this stage we advise on the salary and benefits package likely to be necessary to attract the right person, and the state of the market.

SPECIFICATION

We produce a concise job specification which summarises the key features of our client's firm, the job to be filled and the qualities, qualifications and experience of the ideal candidate. This confirms that we share a clear understanding of the assignment and provides an accurate summary of the position to give to interested targets.

IDENTIFICATION

We draw upon three key search techniques to identify the widest range of potential candidates:

Research

Through a combination of desk research from reference works, our extensive oil and gas database, warm contacts within all the major oil companies and cold telephone techniques, we seek to identify as many people as possible who have the appropriate experience and qualifications.

Sourcing

We network comprehensively among the colleagues, clients, suppliers and competitors of our target candidates. As well as adding new names to our list of potential candidates, this helps us to build a clearer picture of the experience and abilities of those identified by other means.

Advertising

In many cases, an eye catching, well written and correctly placed advertisement will identify further candidates who cannot easily be found by other methods; for example, where the pool of potential candidates is large and diverse, where candidates are seeking to return to the UK from positions overseas, and where individuals with strong relevant experience from earlier in their careers have now moved into other roles.

ATTRACTION

Regardless of the way in which we identify candidates, they need to be attracted. At the heart of the value we add is our ability to sell the job strongly to the best candidate and convey our enthusiasm of our client's firm. The best people always have choices and we are competing for their interest. The first approach and all subsequent discussions with potential candidates are always made by the Partner who has been fully briefed by the client. We do not use junior researchers for this purpose.

SELECTION

Our primary aim in the selection process is to assess current and potential management capacity, cultural and personality fit with our client and extent of real achievement. In many cases we also have the specialist expertise to benchmark the level of candidates' technical skills against their peer group. This involves a carefully structured interview, exploring motivations and identifying hard evidence to support claimed achievements. Through an arrangement with Regus, we are able to conduct interviews in 400 convenient locations across 50 countries. For some positions, particularly when an appointment will involve a significant career change for the chosen candidate, we may recommend a professional psychological assessment and conduct these through independent occupational psychologists.

SHORTLIST

Within four to six weeks we present an initial shortlist of the four best candidates for the role. Exceptional candidates will be presented earlier as we find them. We do not stop searching after the initial shortlist but will keep presenting candidates until our client finds the right person they want. All candidates are presented with a detailed profile describing their personal and professional background, their strengths and weaknesses for the job in question and our assessment of their potential.

COMPLETION

We manage the entire interview process, confirming all appointments to both parties. We ensure clarity of information throughout the negotiation process and manage both parties' expectations to ensure that, when an offer is made, it is accepted. We believe that the most important predictor of success in future roles is success in previous ones. We therefore spend as much time talking to other people about successful candidates as to the candidates themselves. The resulting detailed reference report not only confirms that the right person has been hired, but also indicates how best to manage and motivate the individual. We check all academic and professional qualifications at source and probe in detail, closing any chronological gaps. Clients say our due diligence procedures are the most thorough in the industry.