August 2012 What does Glasford mean to you? Glasford International probably means very little to you unless you are at the deep end of talent acquisition or you’re someone seeking a career change. We don’t attempt being an “I relate to” brand. Professional service firms clearly don’t mingle in the sexy territories of consumer brands and nor should they attempt to. Some consulting firms have tried but consulting is not sexy to the world at large, so please stop.
Why Glasford Partners?
In fact most people would never have heard of Glasford and we are not going to bore you with statistics or the history of how it all went down back in the days. The folks that have heard of Glasford are either those seeking talent for their organizations or people seeking a new career. At any time during this read, you can replace Glasford with any other high quality executive search firm. We simply use Glasford as an illustrating example as that is the search firm closest to our heart. For simplicity let’s refer to the two prime stakeholders as clients and candidates. Glasford will mean different things to both groups so in order not to confuse lets define and separate the two. Clients For an executive search firm, the client is the party seeking to find talent for their organization. They also represent the people that put food on our table. Our allegiance must therefore always be to client. So how can Glasford be of value to our clients. The hiring process also has financial ramifications, as human capital drives business success. Glasford brings a quantitatively different approach to the executive recruiting process by empowering our partners who are experts in the markets they represent. We possess an international network of premier talent, sophisticated technology, rigorous market research and analytics, a holistic communications process, and deep industry knowledge. You will receive quality consulting and multiple touches from every level of our organization to make the hiring process both productive and profitable.
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Through the Glasford partnership, we share a global belief in long-term relationships, not short-term transactions. We want to establish and nourish a partnership that lasts over many years and multiple, successful placements. The most important asset How many times don’t we hear companies proclaim that our people are the most important asset in the company. An Executive Search firm is there help develop and improve your most vital asset class. Should you then let any Tom Dick and Harry manage that critical exercise? I think the answer to that is clear but yet we often see clients opting for a cheap so called “risk free” solution. Enter the most deceptive concept of all time, non-exclusivity on contingency (success) terms. In theory, wonderful you get multiple-search firms going all out to find your talent. In practice, search firms will not put in the effort in a non-exclusive contingency arrangement – it’s simply too risky as the consultant could end up producing great work for several months without reward. Think about it, do you know any professional that works for free?
We care for your reputation
If Human Capital is indeed your most valued asset then mange the talent acquisition with the respect it deserves. Reputational Risk When an Executive Search firm takes on an assignment, they effectively become an extension of your company, whether you like it or not. Therefore ask yourself do we want this firm representing us in the market. A lower quality firm is not going to care about your reputation. All that matters is closure at any price. The more fast and furious it becomes the better it is for them. Strive for Partnership Clients do yourself a major favour and develop a relationship with a retained search firm that will care about your market reputation and your talent needs. We are not suggesting that it has to be Glasford. There are many good search firms out there but sadly there seems to be an abundance of poor operators hunting for business without being prepared to care. The easiest way to spot those shady operators is their competitive rates and phantom risk-free solutions. If the consultant does not Page 2 of 4
care about quality, it’s easy to throw time consuming and care preserving items out of the window. At Glasford we are not interested in securing a one-off deal with a client. We are seeking to build a lasting long-term relationship. We go to great length to understand our clients’ organization and working methods. Understanding each other is what true partnership is all about. Candidates . With offices in 40 countries, Glasford covers the globe with intelligent executive search Providing solution to your problem solutions to suit your career ambitions and allows us to assist each candidate with a network of global recruiting practices to meet the demands of today’s mobile executives. We understand how important the hiring process is to everyone involved. It can make or break a career. It can uproot families and change life trajectories. It can transform a company and sometimes the world and this belief is one that all our global partners have held in great respect through their organizations. We want to know you We want to know about talent. Our very survival is built on knowing and understanding your career aspirations. The best way to start forming a relationship is to send your CV to a few search firms that you feel can be trusted. You clearly don’t want someone sending your CV around town like it was running out of fashion. Choosing a partnership like Glasford will enable you to leverage your ambitions in a diversity of countries while ensuring your career ambitions are handled by some of the world’s most sought after executive search professionals who have a sincere interest in developing your professional career in your targeted area of expertise. Understand the limitations of a Search Firm We sometimes encounter candidates that are disappointed that we can’t find them a job. The disappointment is understandable but a search firm is only as good as the mandates it receives from clients. Be patient with us and eventually one day that call will come. Well it will come provided you are barking up the right tree and happen to be a talented individual in your particular field. If you are star architect you may not want to be talking to search firms that don’t specialize in architecture. Always ask the consultant what practice areas the firm specializes in. Page 3 of 4
The Future of Executive Search Today’s executive search industry provides the only tool sufficiently exhaustive for the proactive identification and recruitment of executives that guarantees the client the hiring of the best professional available in the market. Furthermore, headhunters like Glasford distinguish themselves by providing direct, personalized and highly qualified management of the candidate recruitment process. Therefore, the methodological approach of executive search is incompatible with the “commoditization” and “mechanization” that other recruitment models offer. It also cannot simply be substituted by advances in new technology. Nowadays, concern for retaining and incorporating the best talent is common among businesses that operate in more competitive environments. Converting this necessity into reality is precisely the added value that executive search consultants bring. In addition, the capabilities developed by headhunters can be applied to similar fields, such as on-boarding programs, executive director and internal candidate evaluation and career planning and succession consulting, all of which brings even more added value to the client. At Glasford we meet continually in different parts of the world to keep abreast of the industry and create and implement new services and strategies while keeping in mind the ultimate goals of our clients and candidates.
Peter Lisney Managing Partner Glasford International Malaysia p.lisney@glasford.com www.lisneysearch.com
Santi Campanella Managing Partner Glasford International Thailand s.campanella@glasford.com www.ssrecruitment.com
Glasford International, the global executive search partnership founded in 1998, maintains a direct presence in over 40 countries spanning across; Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. With over 350 consultants worldwide, our group provides retained executive search and selection services to client organizations that require cross border executive recruitment and real-time local knowledge. The partnership also provides assessment and associated talent management solutions. Glasford International is a registered company in the Netherlands, owned in equal shares by its global partners with an elected Board of Directors. Global meetings are held twice a year to ensure our partners continuously keep abreast with international best practices and market developments. (www.glasford.com) See this article on Lisney Search Blog (http://lisneysearch.wordpress.com/) Page 4 of 4