New Title

If you are investing the time and money into hiring a search firm, the odds are pretty good that you want the search to go well. At Rice Cohen International, we have identified several key actions that our clients can take to set their engagement up for success.

Share key company information and documents before the intake call

The job of your search partner is to become your ambassador in the talent marketplace.  The better you can educate your search partner on your firm the more successful they will be able to. Therefore, it is important to share things like marketing materials, whitepapers, drafts of job description, and any additional information so the search team can review them before the call. This will also help the search team learn your messaging when they are talking to candidates.  

Prioritize the search intake call

Your search partner understands how busy you are and would not be asking for this time unless it was vital to the search’s success. The intake call is vital to delving deeper into your company, the role, and many other discussion points.  Trying to shorten the call or not prioritizing it will only lose you time down the road. 

Prioritize the search update calls

After the search has officially started, it is critical that you prioritize the weekly search update calls. These calls primarily focus on presenting qualified candidates to the client, gathering feedback, and calibrating the search where necessary. No matter how effective the intake call was, these search update calls serve as critical touchpoints during the course of the search.

Provide candid and transparent feedback on candidates

Your search partner will only know your level of satisfaction if you give honest and specific feedback on the candidates after interviewing them. Be as specific as possible because it will make the search team push on those details for future candidates to come in the process. If you hold back, expect to see more of the same. If you aren’t specific as to why you didn’t like the candidate, the search team won’t be able to learn for future candidates. 

My team and I care deeply about our clients and we want all searches to go well.  By following these suggestions, you can put yourself in the best position to have your search be a successful engagement for all.