Retained Search
Our ‘Retained Search’ service is ideal for the clients for whom an external leadership hire is crucial, time sensitive or requires particular capabilities to create the desired impact.
Our consultants undertake a targeted search process in this case. Our retained search consultant will play the role of your evangelist in the market, connecting you to the right people in the desired timeframe. They’ll successfully influence candidates while giving you a clear insight into the market, people, intel, and probability of success within the search mandate.
Retained Search Process Milestones
The three stage process highlights key steps in the search process for Ash & Maple and the client. The three stages can be sub-divided into twelve steps in all. Ash & Maple would envisage this for the client. You will find the ‘Three – Stage Process’ detailed in the following:
Understand the Client
The first step to finding the perfect candidate is understanding the client, decision makers, culture, environment and then understanding the client’s strategy or helping them build one. We also assist clients with defining the roles and skill sets necessary for implementation and then help build the structure of a team that guarantees accountability and responsibility.
Shaping of Profiles
Once the clients requirements are understood, we move on to shaping and positioning a profile that best fits vacancy descriptions. Then we move onto profiling candidates by career backgrounds and refined skill sets.
Agreement Parameters
Before moving forward, we make sure we acknowledge any candidates the client has in mind. We also like to know of all institutions and regions that could be targeted for a skilled workforce. Ash & Maple also ensures that the client is well aware of potential cultural indifferences and compensation issues, if any.
Scanning the Markets
The Ash & Maple Research team conducts extensive research exercises for the client to identify the best candidates in the market, keeping in mind the client’s value proposition. This process involves the scoping of domestic and international markets.
Confidential Market Engagement
To conduct our research we engage in markets to assess them better. This allows us to spread the word about the client’s vacancy without exposing the identity or location. This in turn allows us to assess and analyze the response from the market.
Approaching Fit Candidates
As the next step, we proceed to approach candidates in absolute confidence to discuss the opportunity and their scope for advancement. Making a candidate realise their “fit’ for the role might take some time, effort and discussion, depending on their seniority.
Candidate Orientation
Ash & Maple presents each person with an informative guide and informs them of cultural sensitivities of the country or location in question, whilst simultaneously assessing their true adaptability and capability of implementing the client’s strategy in the country.
Candidate Reference Check
Prior to presenting the short listed candidates to the client, we reference check each candidate. For 360° feedback we turn to a variety of stakeholders such as colleagues, managers, customers, direct reports and more while maintaining the integrity of the candidates in question.
Candidate Shortlisting
Finally, we presented each candidate to the client with detailed information about their background and experience. We also present the client with our unbiased take on the candidate to help them assess the value the candidate would bring with them.
Candidate Interviews
The Ash & Maple team will organize an interview plan for the candidates and the client to meet. This plan would cover everything from arranging travel to finalizing the process and arranging feedback sessions for both the candidate and client. The latter ensures that both sides have had the chance to share their thoughts.
Candidate Finalization
Ash & Maple then discusses and understands who the client would like to extend an offer to and arranges for negotiations accordingly. This is the most sensitive part of the process as both parties like to reach an amicable yet optimal monetary agreement that presents the candidate with the opportunity to grow. To ensure that the decision and transition is effective and efficient, providing candidates and clients with advice is extremely crucial at this point
Candidate Guarantee
In the end, Ash & Maple will guarantee each candidate (as stipulated in our Terms of Business as well) for a period of three months from the candidates start date.