Each Headhunting assignment commences with a “without obligation” meeting between the client and Benbow Knight to discuss the opportunity, the background to the position and the recruitment need.

Following the meeting Benbow Knight produces a Letter of Proposal which sets down our understanding of the brief, provides a programme for the search, together with a precise statement of fees, in order to document our commitment to fully achieving the recruitment of an individual who can successfully meet all the client’s criteria and specification.

Following agreement to the Letter of Proposal by both parties, a final version is signed and exchanged and becomes the formal contract for the appointment.
The Search process begins following a highly effective four stage approach.

STAGE 1

This stage refines our understanding of the background to the assignment and of the specification of the ideal candidate.

The key activities are interviews with client personnel, research of financial data, company strategy and ambitions, together with a thorough review of the organisation’s structure and the recruitment need.

Our focus is to develop an understanding of how the appointment fits within the strategy of the organisation and of what the role of the position will play in the future needs of the company. We seek to highlight the particular challenges that will be faced by the role that is to be appointed and the opportunities and goals that are to be achieved Specifically we identify the objectives and measurement of success targets that the role will need to achieve.

At the end of this stage we document the strategic and other back ground material and develop a detailed job and person specification which will be used as the basis for the search programme, as a briefing for candidates about the opportunity and as a set of criteria against which candidates can be measured and assessed.

This stage is reviewed in detail with key client personnel and agreed to ensure that the following stages of the search are successful in attracting the ideal candidate.

STAGE 2

This stage serves to identify people who are fully capable of meeting the job and the person specification and bringing them to a decision to present themselves as potential candidates for the position.

Our search approach is based on the premise that outstanding potential candidates will not be actively seeking a change but rather will be engaged in a challenging role where as a high achiever they believe will lead to further success.

The challenge is therefore to attract those individuals and identify the organisations likely to employ potential candidates with the experience and qualifications relevant to the position, and secondly to identify the high achievers within those organisations at the right level of responsibility with the right track record that demonstrates their success, and thirdly to win their commitment to pursue a new direction with a new organisation.

In order to identify the right candidate a variety of techniques and resources are used, including advertising, research, databases, together with an extensive network of contacts. As the search progresses we typically find that several sources point to certain individuals who are clearly exceptional in their current role. Our ability to get such candidates to provide personal and career details in order to make a full appraisal and to commit to progress an application is clearly key to search success.

At the end of the advertising and search stage we will expect to have identified a number of excellent people who can meet a demanding specification and who are keen to progress an application.

STAGE 3

Stage 3 is the evaluation and assessment of the potential candidates in order to provide our client with a shortlist of capable candidates.

Our process involves a combination of in-depth interviews and assessments, informal reference checking with work colleagues who understand their capability.

We are looking for success progression throughout their career together with personal characteristics of motivation, ambition, high intellect adaptability, effectiveness, loyalty and commitment.

We also seek an ability to think strategically with the ability to act decisively within an agreed strategy, whilst seeking to ensure that presentation and performance live up to the expectation.

This stage is completed with the presentation to the client of a shortlist of recommended candidates each of which are capable of meeting the demanding specification, together with a detailed appraisal of each candidate.

Comprehensive details of education, career progression, personality, aspirations, intellectual and technical ability are provided, whilst drawing attention to strengths and weaknesses, successes and setbacks, the candidates role in important projects together with the details of the informal reference checking that has already taken place, highlighting their capability.

STAGE 4

This stage is the client’s own appraisal of the candidates resulting in an offer to the successful candidate.

The client conducts a round of interviews to establish in their choice of the best candidate. We can arrange interviews confidentially off site at appropriate locations. Usually these interviews are conducted between the client and the applicant without our attendance, so that we are able to work independently between the parties.

The process of candidate assessment may often include the use of external assessments which we often arrange and interpret during selection.

At the end of this stage the client will make a firm offer of employment to the successful candidate and we often play a key role in the negotiation between the parties. We are able to offer details of current comparable compensation packages together with assistance to ensure that formal referencing is carried out with current and past employers.

The appointment of the candidate concludes the end of the assignment and close contact is maintained between both the client and the successful candidate.

Professional Fees and Expenses

Our professional fees are agreed and fixed at the start of the assignment.

Our fees are based on 20% of the total cash remuneration ( base plus estimated bonus ) of the position to be filled, plus expenses at cost as specifically incurred in relation to the appointment. Fees are invoiced in three instalments. The first is invoiced at the beginning of the assignment, the second is invoiced six weeks later and the third is billed on exchange of .letters of appointment of the successful candidate.

We guarantee to continue our work until a successful appointment is made. Any cancellation of an assignment will result in fees to date on a pro-rata basis together with any expenses incurred. The limit of our liability is the value of the service provided.

Expenses such as advertising and travel/accomodation are invoiced at cost.

benbow.knight@live.co.uk