Assignment: – We were tasked with recruiting a new Global Sales Director into the business to support its expansion internationally. The individual needed extensive oil and gas experience, to have sold internationally and be confident of meeting ambitious growth targets. The company has a great culture and people within it; therefore it was imperative that we found an individual that has the drive and ambition to move the business forward without alienated people who have been with the business for many years. They needed to be a real people person who would bring people along with them. The assignment needed to be handled discreetly and professionally.

Our Process: – We followed an extremely stringent process which initially involved mapping out a bespoke service the client was looking for. This comprises of defining the match, timescales, target companies, target individuals and ultimately defining what assessments needed to be made. The process was and always is completely transparent and meant the client received regular formal reports as well as informal progress updates.

What happened: – After an initial telephone briefing we met with the client to ensure there was complete clarity on the brief and timescales. We aimed at no longer than a 3 month recruitment period. In the first month our research team identified in excess of 100 hundred target companies that met the defined criteria and then contacted candidates from each business. The individuals that were interested were then spoken by the managing consultant and long listed based on initial screening. We then operated a two stage interview process. Firstly to assess cultural fit, track record and expectations. Secondly to assess competencies as defined with the client.

We generated a short-list quickly and organised first stage interviews. We agreed on a preferred candidate during feedback and quickly put in place a plan to ensure we maximised the chances of completing the assignment with the client’s first choice option. We successfully managed the next stages in the process and managed a win-win negotiation to complete the deal.

Within 2 months of the initial brief we successfully completed the assignment. The client was extremely pleased with the level of communication and advice given to ensure we gave him the best chance of success. The Global Sales Director is now in place and doing well – and happy to provide a referral should you want to know more. We continue to be in touch for feedback and offer advice as necessary.