I will have candidates for you within 7 to 10 business days!!!
I am the “one-point-of-contact” when engaged in an executive search with my clients looking to fill mid-to-senior level sales and marketing positions. I oversee the entire search, from beginning to end, and I am always available to the client and candidates throughout the life-cycle of the project. I manage a team of two to six recruiters, researchers and sourcers to develop a pool of 3-6 highly qualified candidates for each search.
My retained search process includes the exact same steps and rigor you will find at any large search firm, without many of the common pain points. I move swiftly and knowledgeably through the process, ensuring your satisfaction and the exact right placement for your agency or company.
Holding Launch Meeting – This meeting often includes key board members, members of the senior team, Chief Human Resources Officer, peers, and subordinates. To ensure a successful outcome, I will spend a considerable amount of upfront time with my clients, interviewing the key stakeholders about the role, getting to know the culture of the organization, learning the makeup and bench strength of the existing team, and identifying which competencies and styles will be most successful for the placement. This meeting enables me to gather important information about the requirements of the role. Stakeholder investment requires a time commitment on the part of the client and me – both parties must be willing to engage for a successful search outcome.
Creating Position & Candidate Specifications – After the Launch Meeting is completed, I draft a description of the position, detailing the reporting relationships, responsibilities, and objectives. The candidate specification details core competencies, preferred experience, and soft skills — the personal qualities that are sought in the ideal candidate. The document serves as a touchstone, defining all the requirements of the role, preventing searches from veering off course. Once the client approves the document, it is used as a marketing tool with candidates. The creation of a credible and compelling marketing document is critical for selling the opportunity. TI have two decades of experience crafting persuasive position descriptions for your executive leadership positions. Every position description is tailored for individual clients and includes key information from the Launch Meeting phase.
Search Roadmap – Based on the information shared with me, I will create a suggested “roadmap” for the search, which will include target profiles and companies that are most likely to yield successful candidates. Companies and agencies that are off-limits are also delineated — out of which I will not recruit. The Roadmap will be shared with and approved by the client before outreach begins so that there is universal agreement on where I should focus my sources’ and recruiters’ teams efforts.
Research and Candidate Development – Because I limit the number of engagements I take on at any one time, I am in a unique position to move much more nimbly than most of my competitors. Leveraging the information gathered from the first three steps in my search process, the search team conducts original research to identify and profile ideal candidates. We will also query our own database of over 257,000 sales and marketing candidates to yield prospective candidates. My search team contacts prospective candidates to determine whether they meet the primary requirements of the role and gather details on the candidate’s motivations — what it would take for that candidate to make a move to a new company or agency. Two weeks into the Research and Candidate Development phase, I will have a Calibration Call to share developing profiles with you and get your reaction. This allows us to course-correct early if needed. I will also share honest and unfiltered market feedback with clients so that you always know exactly what we know.
Candidate Presentation – Whenever possible we pre-reference candidates. We take great care not to jeopardize a candidate’s confidentiality when we verify past performance and essential soft skills. Those candidates that are not a fit are closed out. Working closely with the client, the list is refined to a slate of 3 to 6 strong contenders for the client to interview. Candidates can be presented as a “group” or on an individual rolling basis as they are vetted – based on client preference. For those candidates we present to the client, we prepare a written Candidate Profile, a report that details the candidate’s education, career history, presentations, honors, and awards as well as an analysis and appraisal of the candidate strengths and weaknesses and appropriateness for the position. The report also highlights any key motivators, issues, and deal-making details essential to closing the candidate
Progress Calls – Frequent 2-way communication is critical in a true partnership. We will want weekly or bi-weekly calls to keep active candidates engaged and the search process generally on target.
Mid-point Review – Unlike most firms which only seek feedback at the conclusion of the search, I also ask each of my clients to give me a Mid-Point Review, to help me understand how I can better serve them and to ensure that I am not just meeting, but rather exceeding expectations.
Scheduling Client & Candidate Interviews – Client interviews of the candidates scheduled to winnow selection down to the two or three finalists. Those that are eliminated, are closed out.
Checking References – As a finalist(s) candidate emerges, formal referencing begins, supplemented by the early-stage referencing mentioned above. My search team makes every effort to ensure discretion and confidentiality. Background checks and degree verifications can also be performed. We are able to get at the heart of what a candidate is like to work with, what motivates him/her, what the possibilities are, and what the risks are. My final Reference Reports are above all else credible and factual – my reputation depends on it.
Extending the Offer – I will work closely with our client and the candidate to set and manage appropriate offer expectations and assist with all facets of a candidate’s decision-making process (relocation/housing, spousal/family concerns, opportunities for the future, etc.).
Placement Follow-through – Research tells us that the candidate’s first 60 days are the most critical for long-term success, and a wrong step can quickly become a major roadblock. Once my placements are on board, I will have regular check-ins with the client and the candidate in an effort to provide unvarnished feedback and act as a helpful onboarding and cultural advisor.
The Digital Marketing Recruiter’s search process is based on years of listening to what is important to our clients and our candidates, refining each step over the course of over one hundred searches. My processes are time-tested, proven, and ensure 100% success.