“An unusual business experience.” That’s how one client described the CEO search that ZurickDavis conducted for his organization. He said, ‘‘the level of attention to detail, orientation to our needs, conscientiousness…and the ease with which they moved into our space” led to “a wildly successful result”. Why? Because of our people, our service and our process.
When you meet the ZurickDavis team, you’ll understand the people part of the equation. Service is always top of mind for us, being available and responsive is our standard. As for our process, it’s both rigorous and highly customized as we work in harmony with our clients, and then with potential candidates, to achieve the best possible outcome.
Here’s a summary of the key stages of our executive search process:
Organizational Assessment and Position Specification
Building our relationship
Through in-depth discussions and research, we gain a clear understanding of your organization’s values, culture, vision and mission and the experience, technical skills, personality traits and managerial style required for the position. We work with you to analyze the marketplace and business environment and formulate the search strategy, including milestones and a timetable.
During this process we will work closely with you to develop a clear and compelling Leadership Profile. One of the most critical elements of the search, the Leadership Profile describes the position, organization and candidate, and guides the candidate generation process and subsequent vetting of candidates. It also provides the basis for promoting the position in a way that attracts well-qualified candidates.
Candidate Sourcing and Identification
Promoting your opportunity
We aggressively promote your opportunity to prospective candidates through our ZD email announcement, a targeted media campaign, and our extensive professional networks. Early in the search process, we present information on a sample of “benchmark” prospects so that you can provide feedback on your priorities while comparing and contrasting different candidates. We review these candidates with you and determine which profiles are best suited to focus on through the next stage of the executive search process.
Candidate Evaluation
Getting between the lines of the resume
We are now ready to evaluate the behavior, personality and leadership style of the remaining candidates to determine how well they will fit within your organization. We conduct in-depth face-to-face interviews and initiate preliminary reference checks in order to develop a “recommended list” of outstanding candidates. We then provide you with comprehensive feedback on everyone we interviewed and discuss their attributes, skills, and experience so that you can decide which candidates you want to interview.
Client Interviews and Final Selection
Engaging the best of the best
We work with you to plan the interviewing and selection process, including the development of interviewing guidelines and rating forms, and we help arrange and facilitate the interviews. Once finalists are chosen, we conduct comprehensive reference checks and verify credentials. And, when you make your final selection, we assist with the employment offer and transition, including advice on contract terms and compensation, and provide coaching for “on-boarding” your new executive.
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
Celebrating our mutual success and continuously improving!
We’re never complacent about our success or our relationships. We conduct a comprehensive review of each search and use an objective third party surveyor to gather feedback from clients and candidates. This allows us to continuously monitor and improve quality, processes, and outcomes.