Client profile: A global leader in manufacturing with over 4,500 employees across 40 locations worldwide, delivering innovative, advanced technological solutions.
The main challenge was finding a candidate who met the company’s high standards, with limited remaining avenues for exploration. Previous search efforts spanning several months by both the client and other agencies had yielded few interested candidates, and those presented lacked the necessary experience and expertise to thrive in such a technologically advanced environment.
We thoroughly analyzed the client’s previous recruitment efforts and their collaboration with other agencies. The client decided to end those partnerships for this project, allowing us full control over the search. We carefully defined the key competencies required for the role and created a list of similarly profiled companies from which the client would prefer candidates. To streamline the process, we proposed creating a database of potential candidates, allowing the client to review them before any contact was made.
We reviewed nearby competing companies for candidates in similar roles with over 5 years of experience in Process Engineering. Candidate lists were sent to the client for approval before making initial contact. We only reached out to unknown candidates with salary expectations within the client’s budget.
After two weeks of detailed searches and candidate vetting, we presented the first candidate who matched the required profile. Although the client invited them for further discussions, the candidate ultimately withdrew due to personal reasons. We continued our search and, after two more weeks, found another suitable candidate, leading to another recommendation and invitation to the next recruitment stage.
The second candidate had 20 years of experience, having worked for a single company in Process Engineering. After two interviews with us and three with the client, it was clear that the candidate was an ideal fit for the role. However, the candidate was hesitant to leave his long-term employer. This required additional discussions and negotiations to convince him that the career change would be a positive and necessary step. We worked with the client to extend the decision period and offered more favorable contract terms, providing the candidate with greater reassurance. Through careful communication, we highlighted the candidate’s strengths, the growth potential, and the benefits of joining the client’s company.
After four weeks of searching and another month of interviews and negotiations, we successfully placed the candidate who met the client’s expectations for skills and experience. After many conversations to convince him to accept the offer and negotiating contract terms with the client, the candidate accepted the proposal and began the role after a three-month notice period.
Despite the challenging aspects of this recruitment process—financial, locational, competency-based, and with limited room for further searches after previous efforts—we successfully helped the client hire a highly qualified candidate. This required in-depth market knowledge, a strong understanding of industry requirements, and exceptional communication and negotiation skills. The process was a success for both the client and the candidate, who was able to step out of his comfort zone and take on a more developmental role in a company where his contributions would be highly valued.