The challenge.

Our client, a global leader in industrial minerals, was seeking a Corporate Senior Process Engineer for the EMEA region. They had very specific requirements dictated by a number of key factors. They included technical capability, seniority, leadership style, personality traits, location and ability to travel with work.

The solution.

Chad Harrison International (CHI) was approached in 2019 to fill the first of what could be several positions over the coming years. The suggested solution was a typical retained search that would see the brief taken, search executed, shortlist presented, interviews undertaken and chosen candidate offered and placed.

In six months’ time following the success of the first placement, the client had the requirement to add a further member to the team. As per the first search, a typical retained search was undertaken, however, the number of candidates presented was significantly less given the search was conducted in the same talent pool and there had been little movement in six months. As such, this meant the total search duration was significantly longer than in the first instance.

Despite this, CHI was able to find a candidate that was more recently available and fitted the client’s requirements to a tee. This resulted in a second placement.

Fast forward twelve months and the client needed to add a further member of staff to this growing function, and given the success of the previous two searches, retained CHI to undertake this latest assignment. With the experience acquired through the previous two searches, CHI had to clearly set expectations that if the client was to stay strong by their brief, then the shortlist would be reduced further and the timeframe for delivery potentially much longer.

This required going back through the original search and reconnecting with every candidate. Then, add to the longlist to find any new candidates that were not initially available in previous searches. Instead of CHI sending over large volumes of candidates that would ultimately not meet the brief, it was agreed that we would only share those that hit every point, aware that this would impact delivery timeframes.

Each time, the search became more difficult, and the process took longer. Yet, ultimately, led to three placements being made in the same team over a two-year period.

The result.

Sometimes a retained search can look very different in terms of shortlist delivery but ultimately comes down to the required investment of time and resources into the given search. Using a search firm doesn’t guarantee that there will be more CVs and interviews, but provides the hiring team with confidence that when the perfect candidate does surface, they will be presented to them.  

The challenge.

A leading Building Materials manufacturer engaged Chad Harrison International (CHI) to conduct a confidential search for a Plant Manager. The company had encountered an issue with the incumbent staff member but could only consider making a replacement once a suitable alternative had been sourced and secured. What’s more, the company is highly attractive and did not have the time or will to go through a long and highly labour-intensive advertisement campaign, but rather conduct the search under the radar and with the utmost discretion. Failure to keep the search confidential could impact productivity and have a detrimental impact on workforce harmony.

The solution.

CHI’s Building Materials and Minerals division conducted a confidential search in line with the company’s requirements. Candidates were approached and screened, all without being supplied with any detail which could reveal the identity of the hiring company. The screening process delved into each candidate’s motivations, experience and credentials, situation regarding relocation, salary expectations, and notice period, amongst other things.

Once deemed suitable for the requirements of the roles, candidates were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) – drafted and provided by CHI. Once candidates had signed the NDA, we were able to share full details of the company and role before submitting a highly credible shortlist to the client for consideration. We identified candidates who had the relevant technical and management experience, as well as a proven track record in ensuring that all operational and financial objectives are met.

By getting a head start on the recruitment process, the client was able to deal with their internal situation in due course, confident that they had a strong shortlist of candidates to appoint a replacement quickly and efficiently.

The result.

We were able to assemble a diverse shortlist of six candidates. The interview process concluded with the successful hiring of a sought-after individual who was able to start within one month of accepting the job offer. Their experience fit all the relevant skill sets our client required, as well as being an excellent cultural fit with the business.

By undertaking a confidential retained search, CHI was able to undertake an entire search process in which only a handful of candidates found out specifics about the employer and position.

The challenge.

A global leader in the production and processing of industrial minerals was seeking a Vice President of Operations for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. This vacancy was to replace an expatriate who was due to return to Europe and therefore a replacement needed to be identified and no one in the group suited the requirements.

With a majority local workforce within the region, it had been identified that the most suitable candidate would be someone local to the region, or with previous experience working in the APAC. Additionally, the candidate required specific technical skills and international exposure. With a clear lack of local talent available and no expatriate contract on offer, the pool of appropriate candidates was significantly shallowed.

The solution.

Rather than managing the search locally, Chad Harrison International (CHI) conducted a fully international retained search. This started by identifying all the companies that used the same or similar mining & manufacturing processes, followed by approaching levels -1 and +1 to the VP Operations (or equivalent) within those businesses.

By engaging with those professionals, CHI was able to gather recommendations and market intel that guided the search, resulting in referrals and identifying candidates who were not present via the public domain. 

By searching internationally, we were able to identify a number of professionals who were local to the APAC region but had since relocated to other parts of the world. We also identified those who had previously worked in the APAC region but were now in another location – in many cases these candidates had a personal connection to the region.

The result.

Through extensive research and conversations, CHI was able to present the client with a shortlist of five candidates all of whom had regional experience, were able to relocate, had the necessary technical skills required for the role, and were prepared to take the local contract rather than expatriate terms.

The interview process concluded with the successful hiring of a candidate who was native to the region and had been living aboard for 10 years.