Contingency Search

This is our basic ten-step process for Contingency Search.

1. Consultation - Your Search Consultant will speak with your designated key hiring contacts such as the direct report for the incoming candidate and others who will measure the candidate’s performance.  We prefer to speak in person at your workplace, but this discussion may take place by telephone. While corporate and law firm websites often provide background data, our objective is to get to know you and understand your professional staffing needs. We use this session to review and finalize the job order and client profile. Data related to the client may include company or law firm history and leadership, office location(s), product and services mix with history and forecasts, culture and environment, organizational and reporting structure.  Data collected for the job description includes the skills and education required, specific responsibilities, clients, reporting structure and immediate environment, travel expectations, bonus and promotion structure, history and opportunities and any special requests.   We will also discuss your efforts to fill the position at that point and determine how and whether that will affect our search, the candidate identification, search and presentation process, the interview process, competitive landscape, and potential recruiting targets and/or avoid lists.  When this “meeting” is complete, we will have what we need to successfully fill your staffing needs.
2. Search Plan - Your Search Consultant will write the job description and send it to you by email or fax for approval.  We begin all searches by accessing our own proprietary database.  Our next contact with you is a candidate report based upon the database search.  This step usually yields the hired candidate.
3.  Recruiting – If we do not place a candidate through our database, your Search Consultant will deliver a recruiting plan for approval.  Once approved, we will execute the plan to fill your staffing need.
4. Candidate Presentation – Once we identify a candidate that we believe will be a good fit, your Search Consultant will extensively interview that candidate and verify all resume representations including professional licenses.  We will then provide you with a copy of the Candidate’s resume and an Interview Summary that addresses the Candidate’s academic and professional background and qualifications, interest and availability and personal qualities, and the Consultant’s overall impressions of the Candidate’s suitability for the position.  
5. Client Feedback – If you are not satisfied with the submitted Candidate, we will want as much detail from you as possible in order that we make the adjustments necessary to present a Candidate that you want to hire in three presentations or less.
6. Candidate Interview - If you are pleased with our candidate, we will work with you to arrange a telephone, video or face to face interview.
7. Interview Feedback – We stay engaged with our clients and candidates throughout the consultation, presentation, interview and post interview process.  If at any time, you have doubts or questions about our Candidate, please raise them immediately.  We distinguish ourselves on the depth of our relationships with most of our candidates.  Even in a contingency search, our presented candidates are probably not “cold call” virtual strangers, but professionals that we know well and have well vetted.  If after an interview, or at any point in our process, you have doubts, questions or concerns about the presented Candidate, please advise your Consultant or our Executive Principal immediately.  We may be able to address any concerns with further candidate information or we will deliver another candidate.
8. Reference checks – If you express a continued interest in the Candidate after the interview, we provide written references from people familiar with the candidate’s work and character.
9. Closing the Placement – Once you have determined that you want to hire our Candidate we want to do what is best to help close the placement.  We will work with you to determine whether it is best that we deliver the offer, you deliver the offer or some combination of the two.  This should be the most satisfying step in the process for all involved.
10. Post-Placement Support – We will regularly check in with you and the Candidate for feedback and hope that you keep us posted likewise as we work on your other staffing needs.