Retained Search Recruiting Services

RETAINED SEARCH

The high-touch process for securing the right leadership the first time

When an organization needs to fill a senior leadership role, such as a C-suite executive or VP, it is crucial that it takes the proper steps to ensure the right choice is made the first time. Executives and other senior leadership roles have immense influence over the success and trajectory of an organization, so installing an individual who is unqualified, misaligned with the organization’s culture and values, likely to leave for another position, or simply not a true fit for the role will have lasting, detrimental effects on the organization and its stakeholders.

To avoid these risks, organizations should not limit their candidate pool or fill their pipeline with unqualified candidates by conducting searches in-house, using a contingency recruiter, or relying solely on their own networks to source talent. Instead, organizations should partner with a firm to conduct a retained search to ensure the organization’s full-cycle recruiting process, from crafting the job description to sending the offer letter, is optimized so as to procure the perfect person for the open position.

HRG’s retained search services are designed to deliver exceptional talent solutions for your organization’s most critical roles. Throughout the entire recruitment process, our HRG consultants will provide expert guidance and take necessary steps towards building a seamless and successful hiring experience. Our consultative and tailored approach is designed to secure the leadership talent that will drive your company forward, exceeding your expectations.

Quality Over Quantity Yields the Right Talent

Talent acquisition assistance comes in several varieties, but for filling elite roles, organizations typically seek one of two options: contingency searches or retained searches. A contingency search allows organizations to pay only when they hire a candidate provided by the search firm. Though this option is appealing because the payment is delayed until a candidate is hired, the bulk of the hiring responsibility is placed on the organization rather than on the search firm. This often leads to hiring suboptimal candidates because the organization does not benefit from leveraging expert-level guidance, comprehensive market data, and tried-and-true strategies search firms can offer throughout the entire recruitment process. In contingency searches, the search firm will source high volumes of candidates based on the job description provided, then will leave the organization to filter through them using the internal resources and bandwidth they have available.

Unlike contingency searches, retained searches emphasize quality and thoroughness over quantity of job candidates. A retained search offers a comprehensive and tailored approach to securing high-level talent through a partnership between the search firm and the organization. In retained searches, the search firm will work directly with organization stakeholders to craft candidate profiles and accurate job descriptions to form the criteria and scope needed to identify candidates that are uniquely fit for the position and the organization. The search firm will then deploy multiple recruiting methods to develop a qualified talent pool to interview for the position, and then using expertise and the organization-specific information, the search firm will qualify and narrow down the candidate pool to present your team with 1 – 3 of the top, perfect-fit candidates for approval. This saves your internal team time, ensures a great fit, and guarantees the candidate a great experience.

What to Expect Partnering with HRG for Retained Search

When you work with HRG to conduct a retained search for a key role in your organization, you get an expert, hands-on partner who will walk alongside your team through each step toward securing the ideal talent. At the start of any retained search engagement, our HRG consultants will collaborate with key members of your organization to develop a thorough understanding of your organization’s current and future needs, culture and values, and strategic initiatives. This foundational step is crucial because HRG recognizes the interconnectedness of talent acquisition with other core organizational functions.

After establishing an in-depth understanding of what makes your organization unique, your HRG consultant will work with your organization’s stakeholders to build a personalized candidate profile that will allow for thorough screening during the interview process. Following the creation of the candidate profile and the development of an accurate job description, your HRG consultant will leverage HRG’s extensive network, industry expertise, and recruitment strategies to conduct a comprehensive search to identify and engage top-tier candidates. Your HRG consultant will select candidates who are highly qualified and that align with your organizational

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Who Should Consider Retained Search?

Choosing to partner with an organization for a retained search is an investment an organization makes to solidify its chances of securing the perfect-fit individual for a critical position or niche position. Since retained search is a thorough process that emphasizes quality over quantity, organizations should consider retained search if they need to fill a:

Leadership position such as C-suite executive or vice president.

Position with complex or unique requirements.

Role they have struggled to fill using internal searches or contingency searches.

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Start a Conversation with an HRG Consultant

The first step toward partnering with HRG for retained search and any additional talent acquisition needs is a conversation with one of our human resource experts. Schedule a call with one of our HRG consultants, and they will take it from there!

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