Kensho Focused Search Process

Excellence is refreshingly simple when you've mastered the art.

The backbone of any successful Search is a rigorous, thorough process. When you work with The Kensho Group, you are partnering with a team using an Eight-Phase, 30-Step process (summary 1-pager) that has been honed from many years of successful recruiting. When that solid foundation is combined with the industry experience and personal insight of our recruiters, you know you will have access to the absolute best talent available for your needs.

I. Profile the Position and the Ideal Candidate - Fundamentally, the Search Process is a team effort requiring commitment and cooperation, and we view ourselves as consultants to our clients. At its core, our work begins with a full understanding of our clients' business, culture, and needs. Through in-depth discussions with you, we complete our Kensho PREP™ (Position Requirements Profile). Through this process we understand the key drivers of the position and what will define a successful candidate within your organization.

Together, we will determine the ideal background and experience of the individuals that would bring the greatest value to your team - the skill sets, personality characteristics and background qualifications required to meet or exceed the desired specifications and objectives for the position. Then, depending upon if we are working with you on a retained, priority, or contingency basis, we will create a comprehensive and compelling job profile that will attract the most talented people or utilize one that your provide to us.

A key component of this step is to create a presentation with your input that convinces the top candidates that their best future is with you and your company. We will spend considerable time to understand in detail your company, its objectives, background, culture, products, technology, management structure, and other dynamics to ensure that we represent you and the company accurately and comprehensively in order to effectively attract the best talent.

Key Activities:

  1. Conduct thorough Needs Analysis
  2. Create comprehensive Job Profile
  3. Create compelling Position Presentation

II. Focused Search - Kensho will design a specific targeted recruiting program for your unique requirements. The objective is to talk to and attract the best talent in the industry. We make a target list of key companies to source from, as well as the top people in the industry and where they are located. A thorough research effort is conducted using competitive industry information, personal industry sources, and confidential referrals. Kensho uses state of the art tools to locate passive and hidden top talent - we research directories, periodicals, the Internet, and our own data bases to identify the very best talent.

We examine potential candidates' qualifications against the comprehensive profile developed during the planning stage. After that, we will systematically contact each of these pre-qualified candidates on a confidential basis - there could be as high as 200-300 or more candidates for each position. We will only look at top talent - most of these people are in-place at high profile firms, doing very well in their current positions, not looking for a job, and will be difficult to get to.

Key Activities:

  1. Agree on Target List of source companies
  2. Design a specific Recruiting Program
  3. Research and Locate Top Talent
  4. Confidentially Contact pre-qualified Candidates

III. Extensive Candidate Qualification - One of the key strengths of The Kensho Group's recruiters is our ability to bring our extensive industry experience to the candidate qualification process. We conduct in-depth personal and confidential interviews using the Kensho ASQ™ (Assess for Superior Qualifications) Profile to assess technical qualifications, motivational factors, and the candidates' fit within the clients' team and overall company culture. We act as the spokesman for the client's corporation and present your company's objectives as well as position duties, responsibilities and career opportunities. As former industry hiring managers, we know is important to the client, and, as recruiters, we apply Top Grading principles to our behavior-based questions to ferret out the candidates' real capabilities and reactions to situations.

For those candidates whose interviews show a strong match with the client's specification, we will check their references using the Kensho VERIFY™ (Validate Experience, Results, Intangibles and Fit) Reference Check, an extensive questionnaire to ensure we are getting a complete 360-degree assessment of the individual. Therefore, we will not send you any candidate without first speaking with their references to ensure that you are only spending your valuable time with true top talent. Additionally, we can schedule Assessment Testing for the top candidates if appropriate.

Key Activities:

  1. Conduct in-depth, Behavior-Based Interviews
  2. Gain valuable candidate insight through Reference Checks
  3. Schedule candidate Assessment Testing if appropriate

IV. Presentation of Candidates - We stay very interactive with you during the search to ensure we are generating the optimal candidates for your needs, and for you to phone screen the most promising prospects.

The final short list of candidates are then presented to you in our Kensho MVP™ (Matched and Validated Professionals) Package, created to assist you in making successful hiring decisions. This comprehensive package is comprised of detailed information on each candidate as well as a summary comparing all of them.

Included in the Kensho MVP™ Package are all of the detailed Kensho ASQ™ Results as well as each Kensho VERIFY™ Reference Check, using questions formulated specifically to determine success in your role. We also prepare for you the Kensho QUIK™ (Qualifications and Insight for Key Candidates) Matrix that compares the key attributes and differences between the candidates. This analysis contains key information about the candidates that we have gleaned from our interviews, and facilitates the quality and speed of your decision making.

All of these tools have been designed to make sure that you will only receive candidates who have been thoroughly screened according to your criteria, who are truly interested in your position, and whose aspirations are in line with your company's direction.

Key Activities:

  1. Provide resumes and analysis for Qualified Candidates only
  2. Schedule initial client/candidate phone screens if appropriate

V. Client / Candidate Interviews - Hiring decisions are some of the most impactful decisions you will make for your company. Given that those decisions will be based primarily on the relatively brief interviews you will have with the top candidates, it is imperative that they are conducted in a way that provides both parties with the critical information they need to decide how to proceed. Kensho's wealth of experience makes a positive difference in this area.

Of course, we will assist you in scheduling and managing the interview process with your management team. The real benefit of our involvement, however, comes from our skill in preparing both the interviewers and the candidates. Interviewing is what we do every day, and we can provide valuable assistance to both parties to help them make the best use of that brief interview time. We also make sure that the candidate is fully aware of the client's goals and priorities, and that the client knows the same about the candidate. The more they can know about each other before meeting, the more productive their discussion will be. We also have many examples of superior interviewing techniques we make available to both parties.

Similarly, our immediate debrief of both the client and candidate after the interview is key to ensure that the right critical information was conveyed by both sides, and there were not any accidental miscommunications. After you have interviewed all the top candidates, we will work with you to resolve any lingering questions, schedule follow-up interviews for the finalists, and politely disengage with those candidates not chosen. Prior to the second interviews, we again discuss expectations and key decision criteria with both parties.

Key Activities:

  1. Schedule face-to-face Interviews with candidates
  2. Extensively Prepare Candidates for interviews
  3. Prepare Client to ask the most insightful questions
  4. Debrief the Candidates, determining interest
  5. Debrief the Client, with discussion of Next Steps
  6. Follow Up with candidates on Next Steps
  7. Arrange Second Interviews, Prepare, Debrief

VI. Close with the Chosen Candidate - We maintain the candidate interface and conduct negotiations to a successful conclusion when the offer is presented. The Kensho Group offers expert counsel and advice at this critical point including communication on salary terms and benefits. We also provide relocation assistance, career guidance and background checks to solidify the selection process on both sides of the equation.

We believe this may be the most important part of the process. The successful close of the candidate is built on the foundation of a highly effective process - a thorough screening the candidate's motivations, detailed discussions with references to get a complete picture of the candidate, constant monitoring of the candidate's willingness to take the new position - coupled with the trust and mutual respect we have developed along the way. At this point, we have a consultative relationship with the candidate where we can have an open discussion regarding their career direction and help them arrive at the best decision. And we at The Kensho Group deeply believe the only right decision is one that is best for both the client and the candidate.

Key Activities:

  1. Consult with Client on constructing the Offer
  2. Present the Offer to the candidate
  3. Negotiate a win-win compensation package
  4. Assist the candidate in decision-making, if needed
  5. Communicate Offer Acceptance to the client

VII. Post-Acceptance Assistance - Many people underestimate the stress of leaving their current position. We will help the candidate maneuver through the emotional process of resigning from their current position and assure that no obstacles hamper the transfer to your company.

Key Activities:

  1. Advise the candidate on the Resignation and Counteroffer
  2. Confirm the Start Date
  3. Ensure the candidate has relocation assistance, if needed

VIII. Partnering after the Placement - Post hire, we will maintain a link with the successful candidate and yourself to ensure a smooth transition and integration into your company. We can provide additional consultative services to help with your continued success.

Key Activities:

  1. Maintain Contact with the new hire and the client
  2. Verify with the client that the project was successful
  3. Request client to provide a letter of reference