The Acquisition / Search Process
Our professional staff serves as consultants throughout the hiring process. We recognize that every manager with whom we work has many pressing priorities other than interviewing. It is our responsibility to identify, qualify and deliver the best available candidates. Our objective is to facilitate and streamline the acquisition process.

Needs analysis
It is important that we fully understand not only the day-to-day responsibilities of the person you will hire, but also the nuances of your requirements. With that understanding, we can set about the task of identifying the candidates you should interview in order to make a hiring decision.

Targeting the right candidates
You may provide a list of companies you would like us to target in our search for the best talent.  This will also ensure we are on track and give you the opportunity to keep us from approaching a company you want to avoid. We can also identify this list together.

Contacting a broad list of potential candidates
This phase includes presenting the opportunity in terms that will attract interest without overselling or exaggerating your situation in any way. Candidates should enter the interview process optimistically, but with realistic expectations. Managing expectations is a critical aspect of our role.

Screen and interview the long list
This phase is where exclusion and inclusion meet. We screen out candidates who do not meet your criteria and uncover any concerns of the few who make the short list. We take the time to develop good relationships with candidates in order to make sure that questions and concerns they have come to light as early as possible. This gives you the opportunity to address them during the interview process if you so choose.

Present the short list
There are no perfect candidates. Presenting a candidate means making the client aware of how the candidate meets the requirements and also pointing out possible areas of concern. It also encompasses assisting in scheduling all interviews.

Briefing and debriefing
Information regarding any concerns or hesitations a candidate may have is shared with the client prior to the interview stage. After each round of interviews, debriefing techniques are used to uncover any remaining areas of concern that may exist with all parties, candidate and client.

Consultation and evaluation
While consultation runs through the entire process, nowhere is it more critical than here. We will candidly discuss candidate strengths and weaknesses as part of our effort to assist you in making a good hiring decision.

Closure
There are always factors, other than money, that determine a candidate’s preparedness to accept a new position. In this phase, working closely with management, we continue to uncover and address issues that concern the candidate. The objective is to bring the candidate to the point where he/she is ready to accept a reasonable offer.

Testing an offer
While it is always the client’s decision whom to hire, it is the recruiter’s responsibility to be sure the selected candidate actually gets hired. Having the recruiter test an offer on the candidate before it is officially extended is a proven value. It raises the likelihood that the final, official offer (which should be extended by the client manager) will be accepted.

Negotiating
While some managers, and even some candidates, prefer to do their own negotiating, our recommendation is always to let us act as intermediaries in this phase. Having to negotiate with a prospective employee or employer is an emotionally charged task and working through a third party often eases the strain on both parties. In addition, working through a facilitator also allows each party to reflect before responding, without having to react immediately. A skilled recruiter will be able to help both manager and candidate over this difficult step.

Reference checking
Our staff can do reference checking quickly and efficiently. The process will include any specific questions you would like us to ask. Information gathered is passed on to our clients just as we hear it and will include the name, title, length of relationship and phone number of any individual we contact.

Final details
The hiring process often requires handling unusual details that may not seem terribly important to an outsider, but may be critical to the candidate. One example is providing information on school systems or recreation facilities in a community. Another would be to work through a vacation issue in which a new employee may have planned a vacation months in advance, only to find that the date of departure is now the beginning of his/her third week of employment. Whatever the circumstance, we will work with both candidate and management to uncover any such details early, and find a solution.