The Candidate's Bill of Rights: What to Expect from an Executive Search Firm
It often happens when you least expect it. Out of the blue you receive a call
from an executive search firm, wanting to know if you might have an interest in
a position they are trying to fill for a client. The opportunity seems promising,
but you do not know what to expect. What does the process entail? How long will
it take? What will the search firm expect from you? Most important, what are your
rights and obligations during the process? As a potential search candidate, you
are entitled to ask these questions and to have them answered.
In retained executive search, consultants endeavor to provide qualified candidates
for clients who wish to fill senior-level positions. Although contractual obligations
exist only between the search firm and client, search consultants also build professional
and ethical relationships with candidates, whom they may remain in contact with
over a period of years.
As members of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), the worldwide professional organization for retained executive search firms,
Foster Partners subscribes to a code of ethics that states that these relationships
should be characterized by honesty, objectivity, accuracy and respect for confidentiality.
Strict adherence to this code is a requirement for all AESC members, who must
also abide by all data privacy laws applicable within their country.
Furthermore, AESC members believe that the most successful executive searches
involve a three-way partnership, whereby the candidate, the search firm and the
client fully understand their rights, duties and obligations to each other during
the search process. As such, we believe that all search candidates have a right
to:
I. Confidentiality
When you become an executive search candidate, you put yourself at a certain
amount of risk with your current employer. For that reason, you are entitled to
the highest levels of confidentiality from the search firm and the client organization.
To safeguard your confidentiality, the search consultant should:
- Following a meeting to discuss your candidacy; obtain your authorization before
submitting your name and a report on you to the client organization.
- Upon your request, contact you directly rather than through your assistant or
anyone else in your current company.
- Not contact references provided by you without your permission.
- Not discuss your potential candidacy with anyone outside the search firm, and
ensure that all employees of the firm abide by the same rules.
- Caution the client to also safeguard your confidentiality.
- It is important to remember that you do not become a search candidate until the
consultant has conducted an initial evaluation of your suitability for the position
and you have expressed an interest in it. If either of these two criteria are
missing, you cannot be considered a candidate for the position. However, even
if the position about which you are being contacted is not right for you at the
present time, you may still benefit from conversations with search consultants
by being kept up to date with the market for your skills and experience. Candidates
not selected on one search may be selected on another.
II. Full Disclosure
In order to make the right decision, you need to know as much as possible about
the search firm you are talking to, the position and the client organization.
This ultimately requires full and open disclosure regarding:
- The nature and requirements of the position.
- The compensation package.
- Whether relocation is required.
- Pertinent information regarding the client organization.
Be aware, however, that during your first conversation, when you are still being
evaluated as a potential candidate for the position, the search consultant is
under no obligation to divulge confidential information about the position or
the client. Only after you have been identified as a legitimate candidate should
you expect the consultant to disclose more than the most basic information. Even
then, there are times when certain information about the client must remain confidential
until the final stages of the search process.
The search consultant should also make clear whether he or she has been retained
by the client to manage the appointment in question. Retained executive search
consultants work under an exclusive contract with the client organization; and
thus have not only confidential access to the client on that assignment but have
their full and committed attention. If the consultant fails to notify you of this
important fact, do not hesitate to ask.
III. Timely Communication
The completion of an executive search assignment can often take several months,
with many steps between initial contact and the ultimate hiring of the successful
candidate. Once you become an active candidate, the search firm should communicate
with you in a timely manner at each and every step of the process. This means
proactively updating you on the progress of the search as well as responding in
a timely manner to any inquiries initiated by you.
IV. Feedback
Based on his or her understanding of the position and the client's needs, the
search consultant should give you an honest appraisal of where you seem to fit
the opportunity and where you do not seem to fit. If at any point in the process
the client decides not to proceed with your candidacy, the consultant should provide
as complete an explanation of the client's decision as possible.
V. Professional Treatment
Search consultants are expected to comply with all the employment laws that apply
to the normal hiring process. In addition, they should also demonstrate a high
level of professionalism with each and every candidate. Professional treatment
means that the search consultant:
- Has a clear understanding of the position and the client’s expectations for it.
- Conducts an organized, well thought-out interview.
- Shows up on time and well-prepared for all appointments.
- Demonstrates in depth knowledge of the market and the client.
- Answers all your questions in an honest and forthright manner.
VI. Adequate Process Details
As a search candidate, you are entitled to know what to expect as the process
unfolds. For example, what is the anticipated time frame for the first round of
interviews? If you make the first cut, what happens next? Most search consultants
will readily volunteer this kind of information. If they do not, make a point
to ask. In particular, be prepared at any stage in the proceedings to ask:
- How long will this take?
- Who do I have to meet with before a decision is made?
- What time frame is the client working on?
- What is the next step?
VII. Respect for Your Time and Position
The search consultant understands that, as a senior level executive, your current
position demands your full time and attention. When scheduling appointments and
interviews, the search consultant and the client should demonstrate the utmost
respect for your time, your position and your responsibilities to your employer.
VIII. Consistency Between the Search Firm and Their Client
The search consultant and the client should always do their best to be on the
same wavelength in terms of the information they present to you. Keep in mind,
however, that while the search consultant represents the client organization,
they do not have complete control over the client's communication with you during
the process. If changes occur that contradict the information given to you by
the consultant, you should ask for clarification.
IX. No Pressure
The best executive search placements happen when the candidate has the time to
make a measured, well-thought out decision. For this reason, the search consultant
should never try to hurry your decision or put undue pressure on you to accept
an offer. However, the consultant should keep you informed of any deadlines imposed
by the client and the implications for not making a decision prior to those deadlines.
X. A Trusting Relationship
If the search consultant conducts him or herself in a manner befitting these
guiding principles, you should naturally develop an open and trusting relationship.
Conversely, if for any reason you do not feel you can trust the search consultant
or the client, you would be well served to withdraw from the process. Keep in
mind that the best search consultants strive for more than just filling the position
for their client; they want to help you make the best decision for you, your family
and your career.
Concluding the Search
If the client decides to hire you to fill the position, you have arrived at one
of the most important stages of the search process: negotiation of your employment
agreement. This can involve highly sensitive issues in which the search consultant
can play a crucial role of intermediary to ensure open and effective communication
between client and candidate. Use this 'honest broker' channel of communication
to candidly express any concerns or special requirements that you may have on
terms and conditions.
When the search process is completed and you have signed on the dotted line,
some search consultants will stay in touch with you for three to six months to
make sure that your transition into the new position is a success. Feel free to
contact your consultant with major concerns that arise. He or she may well be
able to help sort out problems, and diplomatic intervention by the search consultant
will normally not be resented by the client. However, search consultants are not
professional coaches, and thus their role here may be limited.
If your candidacy does not result in a hire, most consultants will want to keep
you in their pool of candidates for future assignments. They may contact you from
time to time to maintain the relationship and keep you appraised of any upcoming
assignments. They may also use you as a resource to help identify candidates for
assignments that are not a good fit for you. If you developed a good relationship
with the search consultant, you may want to take your own steps to maintain the
relationship as well.
Regardless of the outcome of the search, the consultant may not use your name
or the results of the search as testimonials without your permission.
Putting Your Best Foot Forward
The executive search process is not a one-way street. Although you have a right
to expect courteous, professional treatment from the search consultant and the
client, there are a number of things you can do to facilitate the process and
advance your standing:
- Be honest. Under no circumstances should you inflate your resume, misrepresent
your work history or “hold some cards back.” Also, be genuine about your interest
(or lack of) in the position. Complete and accurate disclosure by the candidate
is an essential element in the search process.
- Be flexible. Make every effort to fit appointments and interviews within your
schedule.
- Educate yourself. Conduct your own due diligence on the search firm and the client
organization, and understand the unique value of retained executive search consulting.
- Have realistic expectation. Understand that the process takes time and that you
will be one of several qualified candidates.
- Negotiate in good faith. Do not lead search consultants to believe you are negotiating
only with them if you are considering offers from more than one organization.
Above all, do not think you have a "done deal" just because you develop a close
relationship with the search consultant. Remember that the consultant's job is
to present several qualified candidates to the client, and it is the client who
makes the ultimate decision.
Making the Connection
How do you get on the "radar screen" of leading search firms around the world?
One of the best ways is to register with Blue Steps, a service of the Association
of Executive Search Consultants. Doing so will raise your visibility with the
most appropriate search firms in an efficient, economical and confidential manner.
It will also ensure that any search firms who contact you from the BlueSteps global
database subscribe to the highest ethics and standards as put forth by the AESC.
The more you know about the executive search process, the better you can position
yourself should you become an executive search candidate. In the meantime, remember
that the most successful executive searches involve those where you, the search
consultant and the client know your rights and obligations within the search process
and adhere to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct.
Copyright © 2006 Association of Executive Search Consultants |
