| If you are a Manufacturing or Engineering business and | | | | part of the brief it is also important to highlight the |
| have decided to retain the services of an Executive | | | | development and training that will offered to the |
| Recruitment partner in order to help your locate and | | | | successful candidate, what guidance and direction will |
| recruit a key individual into your company, you are | | | | they get, if this direction will be given by you, other |
| possibly asking yourself "which recruitment company | | | | internal resources or will this training be outsourced to |
| do I choose?" With the UK Recruitment Market | | | | third party providers. |
| estimated to be worth in excess of £23billion | | | | By spending time discussing the above, you will |
| annually, with a myriad of recruitment companies | | | | yourself develop the "recruitment policy" for this |
| offering what at first glance looks like exactly the | | | | appointment. The recruitment policy which is typically |
| same service, it is sometimes difficult to know which | | | | made up of 3 key areas: Motivations/ Aspirations of |
| company to opt for. | | | | the individual, the desired skills and desired qualifications |
| Selecting an appropriate Executive Recruitment | | | | are what the recruiter will need to be armed with in |
| company to run your project is in itself a critical | | | | order to run the project successfully. |
| decision and getting it right can make the difference | | | | The key areas to cover in the brief |
| between having a thorough, professionally run | | | | - What your organisation does, its turnover, number of |
| campaign or a badly coordinated campaign with your | | | | employees, hierarchical structure. |
| organisation being unprofessionally represented. | | | | - The history of the business. |
| Therefore before you choose a recruitment company | | | | - An overview of your competitors. |
| there are a number of recommend steps that you | | | | - Your organisation goals/ business strategy. |
| should take. | | | | - Your company's business tactics i.e. how your |
| Steps to selecting an appropriate recruitment company | | | | organisation is to achieve the company goals. |
| The first step would be to get a few | | | | - The business objectives, when milestones will be |
| recommendations from people who have utilised the | | | | reached, how they will be measured. |
| services of sector specific head-hunters who operate | | | | - Your internal succession plan. |
| within the Manufacturing and Engineering market. | | | | - The job description. |
| Working with a recruiter that specialises in the | | | | - The person specification |
| placement of manufacturing and engineering jobs, who | | | | - The timescales you have set for your recruitment, |
| has a good understanding of the nuances within the | | | | the candidate start date. |
| sector is vital, otherwise how would they able to | | | | Questions to ask the recruiters following the brief |
| benchmark the abilities of a candidate? It is also worth | | | | At this meeting, make sure you also ask the agency |
| considering speaking to people who have experienced | | | | about their own business - how long has it been |
| manufacturing and engineering recruiters as a | | | | operating? How much experience do the consultants |
| candidate, and asking questions such as: How | | | | have within the manufacturing and engineering sector? |
| professional was the company? What was the | | | | What areas within the industrial recruitment market do |
| communication like? How did they represent their | | | | they particularly specialise in? What recruitment |
| client? Did they demonstrate a thorough understanding | | | | process will they adopt? Can they recruit online as well |
| of engineering and manufacturing? Would you class | | | | as by traditional means? What are their charges? |
| them as experts in manufacturing and engineering | | | | What are their success rates on retained |
| recruitment? | | | | assignments? How do they interview, do they use |
| Once a number of possible manufacturing and | | | | competency based interviewing techniques? What |
| engineering recruitment companies have been | | | | media will they advertise in? Do they know which |
| identified, the next important step is to have initial | | | | media gives the best results when seeking |
| conversations. Like any project, the compatibility of the | | | | manufacturing and engineering candidates? Which job |
| project team is critical and by having a short discussion | | | | boards give best value for money? Is this an |
| you should get a feel as to whether you could work | | | | assignment for traditional media? |
| with these businesses or not. Following these calls you | | | | All of these questions will help to form an opinion as to |
| now should have two or three potential recruiters who | | | | whether this agency will be a good one to work with. |
| you should then meet face to face. | | | | See if you can get some references or case studies |
| Within these face to face meetings it would be | | | | on similar projects they have completed in the past. It |
| advisable to give the recruiters an insight into your | | | | might also be appropriate to introduce the recruiter to |
| organisation and the role you are looking to fill before | | | | other key stakeholders in this hire, individuals who will |
| then asking the recruiters up front as to how they | | | | have a decision as to which candidate you opt for as |
| would run the assignment and fill the job. | | | | these people might have slight variations on what they |
| Typically in these meetings, organisations will often | | | | feel are important considerations. |
| spend time discussing the technical aspects of the role, | | | | Use this meeting as an interview; look at how the |
| the desired skill sets, the desired knowledge base of | | | | consultant questions you about your business as a |
| prospective candidates and their qualifications. | | | | guide to whether or not you think they can get the |
| However, in order to get the best out of your recruiter, | | | | relevant information out of prospective candidates. |
| there is other important information that you will need | | | | Once you have seen several executive search |
| to pass on. | | | | agencies, set out the pros and cons of each, taking |
| Information to pass on during your meetings with | | | | into account how you interacted with the consultants |
| executive recruiters | | | | as well as the bare facts about their business. If you |
| Firstly you should give the recruiter an overview of | | | | feel like you've established the beginnings of a good |
| your organisation, tell them the company life story, | | | | relationship and their business has taken the time to |
| where you have come from, where you are looking to | | | | understand yours, and has all the things in place to |
| achieve, what your business strategy is. Then you | | | | provide a good recruitment service, then you're likely to |
| should look at how you are going to achieve this, | | | | get what you want from them. |
| through what means, what are your tactics. Then you | | | | Lastly, once you have chosen your recruiter it is |
| should consider the objectives, when you are looking | | | | important to lay out the rules of engagement. What is |
| to hit certain milestones, when will you get there and | | | | the project plan, what timescales are you working to, |
| how these milestones will be measured. Furthermore it | | | | how the communication shall be carried out. |
| is worth discussing your company's succession plans, | | | | This process itself will take time; however it is certainly |
| what are the limitations of the other people within your | | | | a valuable step when looking to recruit a key individual |
| senior management team, what are the strengths. As | | | | who will have a huge impact on your business. |