by Diana Hoffman
Nevada is growing rapidly with the infusion of new businesses from entrepreneurial endeavors to major Fortune 500 companies. The need for competent and professional senior management in these companies at the Nevada locations is critical. The availability of such talent is not readily available. The lack of available talent and the old methodology of obtaining such senior positions is making the growth of these companies significantly slower.
CZDirectSearch now has an office in Northern Nevada and I am the principal in charge for the State of Nevada. We specialize in senior management from the Director level to Chief Executive Officer. What differentiates this recruiting firm is that we work with current senior management on their strategic plan and identifies key elements in both the culture of the company and the goals and objectives for a two to three year period. Each situation (and company) is unique. One-size-fits-all approaches will never help the business reach its full potential. Custom solutions take advantage of opportunities that competitors cannot. Both the business and its culture are important in completing management positions. This is accomplished in the following manner:
- Thorough understanding of the position needed to be filled (as well as reviewing the strategic plan to ensure that the position will meet the goals and objectives of the plan)
- Competitive analysis of others in the same industry or space
- Careful screening of all potential candidates
- Presentation of qualified candidates
- Negotiating resulting in a successful hire!
This work culminates in our major deliverable: a successful hire and a positive experience. In addition, the agreement between the recruiting firm and the company is unique in that it is not just on a commission basis (payable up hire) but it is on the base salary only, with a 90 day guarantee. The team of experts utilized to obtain this result are former senior executives in diverse industries (e.g. past CEOs, senior management, marketers, sales executives and operations leaders of other similar companies) and therefore have the company-side experience to know what makes a good candidate.
As set forth in an earlier article in bizNEVADA on employee retention, the retention of current employees is important for the smooth operations of the business and that providing a supportive work culture is key to that retention. The best way to ensure retention is to make sure both the candidate and the company are compatible in the business culture. While a candidate may have great credentials and skills, their communication levels may be different than the Company wants from their management both in up and down reports.
It is one thing to agree on the salary, benefits, and work requirements. It is another to harmonize the manner in which the candidate relates to his/her superiors or down reports. In addition, it is critical how that candidate is communicating with the community at large and/or the industry meetings or events. How the candidate relates in these external environments is a reflection on the company. For example, a VP of Sales may be aggressive in communicating at trade shows and while the closing of sales may be significant at the beginning, if there is no relationship building by the VP to vendors and customers, these sales may be short lived. Also, if this same VP does not treat his/her down reports (e.g. sales associates) with respect or provide support when requested, the sales associate turnover rate will be high. Therefore, the bottom line is in fact affected by an increase in training costs and other turnover costs to the company as well as a diminution of morale.
The analysis and screening of the Company and candidate in this regard is crucial for success. Bringing in an executive recruiter who understands how to run a company supports management’s endeavors, not just filling positions with the “hope” of retention and compatibility.
Diana Hoffman brings more than 30 years of experience in building businesses and leading them to successful hires to CZDirectSearch. She has been a CEO, President, CMO and attorney for many companies and has both national and international experience.
