Services What to Expect from A Professional 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. 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: Always 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. 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. 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. Concluding the Search 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. 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. 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 expectations. 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. Best Regards Brian Anderson   There are no items in your shopping cart. 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