Clearly, our DSML Executive Search team will never present clients with candidates where we have any doubt regarding the alignment of their skill level, cultural fit, or overall ability to do the job. Indeed, there have been many occasions over the years where our team has initially been extremely enthusiastic over a candidate only to have our level of excitement diminished during our thorough vetting process.
Haste Makes Waste
We have found this old idiom to be true as hiring mistakes can be made by moving too quickly and not following a proven process. Our firm follows a strict “double interview” methodology in which all candidates are interviewed by at least two consultants, whether concurrently or separately, before moving forward to the next stage. We have found, over the years, that “liking someone” simply as they are a match with our personal values, tastes, etc. does not necessarily translate to a presentable candidate to a client. The double interview process assists us in focusing on the skills, abilities, and cultural fit for the role.
Our vetting process continues with continued correspondence with the candidate to ensure that their level of interest is not diminished, their availability for client interviews is clear, that questions and concerns are addressed, etc. Quite often, during the follow-up correspondence, red flags are raised when the candidate response is lagging, vague, or a candidate is totally non-responsive. Quite often these red flags will confirm a lingering doubt that one of us may have lodged in the back of our mind, however there are also times where, sadly, we were simply totally fooled during the interview process.
Assuming that the continue correspondence is going well and all parties continue to remain engaged, we enter a further “confirmation stage” where we check references and undertake a (third party) behavioral background check.
Many recruiting firms use “time-to-hire” data as a measurement of their profitability, meaning the quicker they can push candidates through – from initial interview to placement – the quicker they can bill the client. The majority of our clients, do not wonder why we are not presenting candidates to them overnight … our profitability is dependent on providing them with the right individuals for the growth of their business.
If your company is seeking to recruit for a key position, such as CEO, COO, President, VP or other Senior level role, have a conversation with DSML Executive Search to ensure your search includes a “thorough” process and a “success based” strategy.