Methodology

Direct recruitment is the most effective method of reaching the very best potential candidates, for any position. However, dynamics won’t always pragmatically allow this method to reach all types and levels of individuals. You can directly identify and reach people at the managerial/executive level; thus the most effective way to recruit these individuals. This is the foundational method The Rottman Group employs in sourcing. This networking via telephone is the single best, most reliable, and most interactive method of recruitment.

We augment this process with an active database of past contacts, not candidates. We believe that candidate databases are misrepresented and not of much value. With the multiplicity of dynamics, each search engagement is very unique. Thus, we approach it as such. There is no such thing as a “resume dump” with The Rottman Group. Each candidate is specifically interviewed and evaluated relative to the specific issues and dynamics of your organization, its culture, and the position’s specific needs both in way of background and behavioral competencies.

We subscribe to Headhunter.net and use this as another way to augment our sourcing. We will post the position to our own web site as well as strategically place very targeted postings on other applicable group specific sites. Though very few tangible candidates have ever been gleaned from these more passive sources, we feel a sense of prudence in the rare possibility of that “diamond in the rough.” Just as we would not consult that you should depend on these passive methods, we don’t either. Back to top

Process

People ask us about our search process. Honestly, there is not much about this on the surface that makes us unique. It is not this formula that sets one firm apart from another. The more unique things about us are the intangibles:

· The ability to understand the dynamics of the specific position: the predecessor, the staff, the operations, etc.

· The ability to absorb your organization’s culture

· The ability to assess the blend of personalities surrounding this person organizationally.

· The ability to articulate these things back to prospective candidates.

· The ability to thoroughly interview and assess candidates relative to all the above unique factors. (We don’t believe in standardized interviews. Structured with goals, yes. Standardized, no.)

· The ability to facilitate both client and candidate through this process with effective counseling and communication skills.

These are the intrinsic things that can’t be communicated through a web site or a question answer session, but are the essence of what makes or breaks a firm. These are the competencies that we are most proud of at The Rottman Group. References of both clients and candidates we have worked with will validate this.

The following is the tangible process that we follow:

Getting the specifications

· Positional/Organizational Analysis.

Gather community information
Develop a recruitment strategy

· Defining the target market

· Ideal candidate profile: background and experiences, both functional and organizational.

Define and develop sourcing research
Determine selection process:

· TRG interview process

· References

· Client’s interview process

o People involved

o Format

o Feedback system

· Other selection and assessment tools

o Who and how administered

Client’s preference on presentation of candidates

· Group or individually

Begin networking and sourcing
Presentation of candidates
Facilitation through closure Back to top

Expectations and Accountability

Expectations and accountability: these are both things that there should be very open and clear communication about for a relationship to be successful and remain healthy.

How long should I expect the search to take? Our average search cycle, as most recently calculated, is 72.5 days. This is measured from the time we “get the specs” to the time an offer is accepted. You could realistically expect that person to start 30 days after this time frame. We would invite you to compare this to any other industry sources.

How long does it take to start seeing candidates? Remember that your search; your organization, the specific issues/opportunities of the position, etc., are unique. We approach each search as unique. Thus we will not do a “resume dump” on you. You should expect to see the first qualified candidate by the end of the second week of the search. There are times this is quicker, there are times that it takes longer. However, our commitment is not to dilute you with “filler” candidates. You pay us to use your time most effectively. Thus, you should not have to wonder if a candidate is a fit when we send them. It is this confidence that our clients have come to appreciate.

How many candidates will we get? It only takes one to fill a position. We have had several searches that have only had one candidate. If we are doing our job, each person we send you is a fit. It is realistic that you see 3-5 candidates from us for each search. Again, if we are doing what you are paying us to do, it shouldn’t take more than that. Having said that, we don’t quit until the search is complete.

What about accountability? As a retained firm, The Rottman Group offers a unique performance guarantee: If after 30 days from the receipt of the retainer, acting in good faith, feels The Rottman Group has not performed satisfactorily, The Rottman Group will refund the retainer and there will be no further obligation on the part of the client. I pioneered this guarantee while Vice President at Austin-McGregor International 10 years ago. I have continued this and have only been asked to return a retainer once in that time frame.

What am I responsible for as a client? COMMUNICATION. This is the paramount ingredient you supply as a client to make a search effective. Timely, open communication. We are very accessible. If not reached immediately, we commit to respond to all client email or voicemail communications within 24 hours. We don’t require a reciprocal commitment; you are the client. Just understand that once we start, this is what you can best do to help this be a successful process.

Do we meet candidates in person before we present them to you? We may be perceived as controversial here, but 90% of the time, we do not meet candidates in person prior to submitting them to you. We have a fairly strong philosophical stance on this. We will do this if a client truly wants us to. However, we have found that most will save both the precious time and expense of this. Thus, the deeper explanation:

It is our belief this only wastes time and money, (your time and money) and does not add to the quality of the search. We believe that our thorough interview process and referencing eliminates this need. There is also a secondary psychological reason for not doing this. It is call the halo effect or fundamental attribution errors. In essence, physical appearance and visual first impressions can only skew the objectivity of the interview. By being honest about human nature, if a candidate comes to a personal interview and looks like the cover of GQ or Cosmopolitan magazine, there is the tendency to filter the rest of the interview in a way to be “screening in” the person, based on their physical appearance. In contrast, if less than attractive person comes to the interview, there is a tendency to “screen out” that person. It is human nature and a psycho/social reality. Thus phone based interviews are actually more objective. Also, this setting has a person in their own element, more comfortable, and thus a more true day-to-day interaction vs. interview anxiety that can come from face-to-face interviews. There are some great people that just don’t do the face-to-face interview well.

Why do other firms do this or insist on it? I have talked to colleagues that do meet most or all candidates prior to submitting them to a client. When most honest, the reasoning isn’t for the integrity of that specific search. It is for future business/relationship development. Knowing that only one candidate gets the job, the others just became new personal relationships, possibly new clients, that you just paid them to develop. I don’t feel this is ethical. Back to top

Programs

Search-by-Search

Concept

This search-by-search program is a traditional executive search program with some nuances. If we didn’t have the Management Team Insurance program, the distinction would not be necessary. We use the previously mentioned methodology, process, and expectations/accountabilities.

We are a retained firm. We don’t apologize for this, it is the way that the most experienced and educated utilizes of executive level search choose to work. They understand the operational and service differences of retained and contingency firms. For that reason, they don’t want us to compromise and neither should you. BUT, we are probably the most flexible and creative in the industry in developing variations for individual clients that best meet their needs and eliminate concerns they may have had about retained search. (There is a place for contingency firms, just not at the managerial/executive level.) Thus, don’t feel things here are set in stone. We want to work with you. Share your thoughts with us; we can work together to find a win-win way to frame our relationship.

Compensation

· Flat fees: We only work on a flat fee basis. We believe this eliminates the possibilities of hidden agendas within this process, both in candidates we present as well as offer negotiations. We don’t want an external factor of our compensation to give any perception of clouded motivations. We base this fee on the realistic salary range. We will cap the fee so that it does not exceed 30% of the candidate’s base salary, but historically will fall in the 25-30% range.

· No other overhead expenses: It is a standard practice for firms to bill monthly for phone and other overhead expenses, usually equating to an additional10% of the total fee. We do not charge our clients for these expenses.

· Travel expenses: We offer to come to initially meet with you and other stakeholders at our expense. Though not truly necessary for the successful completion of the search, it is our experience that it enhances the success of the search, both in our ability to absorb your environment and the essences of the position, but also to reinforce your confidence in us. Other pre-approved travel is reimbursed at cost by our clients.

· 30 day performance guarantee: If after 30 days from the receipt of the retainer, acting in good faith, feels The Rottman Group has not performed satisfactorily, The Rottman Group will refund the retainer and there will be no further obligation on the part of the client. I pioneered this guarantee while Vice President at Austin-McGregor International 10 years ago. I have continued this and have only been asked to return a retainer once in that time frame.

Guarantee

We will guarantee that if the candidate(s) placed by The Rottman Group terminates his/her employment within a period of 180 days of the start date, and if the termination is for any reason other than non-compliance with the terms of employment on the employers part, we will replace that individual at no cost to the client, other than out of pocket expenses. Back to top