I received a call recently from the SVP of a Biotech company who had just gone through an extensive recruitment process to identify a Sr. Marketing Director and the process had failed.
He couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong, yet after 7 months and a full recruitment fee they still didn’t have a new Director identified.
They had used one of the “Big agencies” and felt confident that having a “team of people” on the search would ensure the right candidate quickly.
He wondered if the company was somehow unattractive…
He wondered if the job description was putting potential candidates off….
He wondered why the candidates they had presented weren’t fitting his expectations….
When I hear companies who have had negative experiences like this my first question is, did the agency you hired disclose their “NO-TOUCH” restrictions to you?
Huh? Their “what”, he asked?
Many CEOs, hiring managers and even sometimes HR forget to consider the ethics behind recruitment searches and that Executive Search agencies are limited due to “No-Touch” clauses with existing clients.
When an agency accepts a search mandate from a client, it often comes with a 12-24 month “No-touch” clause preventing them from recruiting employees away from that company.
When you choose to work with one of the “Big agencies” you need to be aware that they work with tens, if not hundreds, of clients within your industry. All of these companies will likely have “No-Touch” clauses in place meaning your agency won’t be able to approach candidates there.
The key companies you are hoping the agency will recruit from, may be completely off-limits.
This significantly limits the pool of candidates an agency can target for your role, often resulting in a poor short list of candidates and a failed search.
By working with a smaller, boutique agency, you are going to have access to a much larger pool of potential candidates as they will have much fewer companies who are on the “No-Touch” list.
Before signing an Executive Search mandate with an agency, be sure that you get written confirmation of their “No-Touch” companies, and the part of the market you will be agreeing to exclude from your search.
If you have recently had a recruitment process fail to deliver the candidate you so urgently need to drive your business forward and are wondering what your next step should be, connect with me via LinkedIn or click HERE and you can directly schedule a time for us to talk.
We can look into the factors which may have led to the failure of your search, be it the “No-Touch” restrictions or other aspects, and can discuss some alternative approaches which will ensure you are able to find that ideal candidate.
Finding that perfect internal hire is your ultimate goal, but like most Life Science Executives in the industry, you know that the process can take 6, 9 or even 12 months. Don’t despair, as there are alternative solutions that can help you alleviate the stress and workload of having a hiring need, but not being able to identify the right candidate. You have several options available to get you the highly qualified Talent you so desperately need with immediate availability.
If you’re having difficulty finding the right candidates for your team, or are struggling under headcount limitations, and want to learn more about how Contractors and Interim Managers could be the solution you are looking for, download our free eBook: How to Hire Contractors and Interim Managers in the Life Sciences Industry.
What every Life Science Director needs to know about hiring Interims in the Pharma, Biotech and Medical Device industry
Kelly Brändli, Founder and Managing Director of MTS Talent services has over 15 years of experience in the life sciences industry. Since 2010, she has grown MTS Talent into Switzerland’s leading Life Science interim staffing provider, supplying high-caliber Marketing & Medical Affairs Talent on an interim and contract basis.