CASE STUDY: Confidential Search

Foodservice Case Study: Confidential search

What is a confidential search and why would a client request it?

Traditionally around 40% of vacancies brought to us by clients are private and confidential but this number has risen post pandemic as companies look to recruit the best talent on the market.

Exactly as the name suggests a confidential search is a recruitment process conducted on behalf of a client, usually for a senior position, in which key elements of the company and vacancy must remain confidential during the recruitment process for a variety of reasons. These reasons could include, internal restructure, planned growth, succession planning or the simple desire of not letting competitors know future strategy.

Objective

To engage with and present stand out candidates and ultimately recruit a senior position within the organisation in a confidential manner.

Challenges 

• Understandably candidates are cautious when approached about a role in which very little information can be divulged. This is why we engage with candidates on a regular basis and really understand what they are looking for, so when the perfect role comes up, we can approach them with confidence.
• Due to the confidential nature of the recruitment no advertising of the role was possible which eliminated this stream of candidate generation.
• Specific expectations around experience and skill set were presented by the client which creates a small pool of candidates who should be approached and would require a detailed headhunting campaign. A deep understanding of the company and ‘ideal candidate’ was needed narrow the search.
• Once candidates were identified, there was limited information we could disclose pre-NDA which makes candidate engagement difficult but does highlight the importance of professional relationships.

Execution

• Potential candidates were identified through professional social media, extensive in-house database searches and industry connections.
• Once identified, candidates were engaged with on a speculative level to gather their career aspirations along with suitability for the client. This was made easier as the majority of candidates had been previously engaged with and a fundamental understanding of what they were looking for was in place.
• If candidates were determined to be a match with the client, Non-Disclosure Agreements were put in place to allow the divulging of information around the company and vacancy.
• Candidates were then presented to the client and confidential interviews were set up.
• Candidates were taken through a four stage, confidential interview process with a superb candidate being offered and accepting the role.