"We are looking for a Head Quality", says the customer on the phone. He sends us the job description, asks for an offer, and expects to receive the first suitable profiles in the same move. Fast and high quality? You'll think it's absurd.

This can, but does not have to be contradictory. Modern and effective methods can also be used in personnel recruitment, ensuring rapid project success taking into account individual requirements. Because even with the same job title in the same industry, every company environment is different and must be taken into account from the outset.

There are the very quick solutions. Access to the database and the network: With some luck, you have identified the perfect candidate immediately! The agent screens his address book, existing contacts are searched and acquaintances from the network are presented. Including mention of name at the first telephone contact! The potential group of candidates remains manageable and becomes increasingly narrow.

The agile approach in personnel selection

We advocate for quick solutions, but not the fastest. We have been inspired by the "Agile" approach from software development. Gloorlang summarizes the Search & Selection process in four steps: Briefing, search approach, selection and presentation. These steps are broken down into small sub-steps. These can be executed iteratively in parallel in repetitive steps. In this way, we ensure quickly visible interim results, rapid project progress and simultaneous adaptation to customer requirements during the course of the project.

Briefing: Situation analysis and outlook

Those who aim too quickly at tangible results, i.e. finished candidate dossiers at the beginning, often lose valuable time. Therefore, we suggest a compact briefing with the client. In addition to the job description of the predecessor, there are always company-specific, unique and individual goals that the new jobholder should achieve in the future. There are tasks that require a set of technical knowledge, corresponding experience and previous successes. A preferred way of deciding, leading, communicating. We consultants must understand from the outset what the company means by leadership, performance-oriented or communicative. Ideally, we also exchange ideas with the environment of the position to be filled. Only in this way can we ensure that we apply the right selection criteria during the search. This makes the search and approach efficient.

Search approach: The right start with parallel approaches

It is important to start by carefully placing the profile on the ground. Few people involved internally and internal research. This way the information remains bundled with us as consultants. Mistakes in these first steps are fatal for the result. This is followed by a systematic and thorough search, in which we exploit all the possibilities offered by the Internet and modern information technology: Social media, corporate websites, presentations at conferences, professional articles, annual reports etc.

In iterative, labour-intensive and tailor-made steps:

Then we drive different circles around possible goals and work in iterative small steps. The Agile approach also requires regular customer feedback. We define boundary conditions, set up different search runs, optimize search strategies and deliver first intermediate results, which we review with the client. As with every customer-specific service, the aim of tailor made recruiting is to maintain an intensive exchange with the client.

Selection:

In a Mile Stone Meeting, we discuss the interim results and "lessons learned" with the client and incorporate them into all further activities. A real orienteering is that every time, along set waypoints, with compass and map of the client in hand. The selection process can include various cycles. Our consultant becomes more closely meshed and takes the individual requirements, the existing team, the company environment, the unique selling points of the position even more into account.

Presentation:

The circles become narrow, the selection smaller, the results concrete. The client now actively participates in the discussions. Often there are first successes but also insights, changes, adjustments and corrections for the search process. We accompany the process and continue to work through the open points in the background.

For a contract to be signed, a lot of things must come together. We advise clients not to rely on a single candidate in the final round. We stay on the ball until an optimal solution is found.

Tailor-made with rapid success

Every search is different, even if the job title is identical. Our clients have individual requirements for a "Head Quality", a specific company environment, different focuses and different selection criteria. We can offer tailor-made solutions with a clean search approach and a hand for quick solutions. So don't be satisfied with quick fixes from recruiter databases when it comes to your next urgent vacancy!