The Search Process a Partnership

1. CREATE THE JOB DESCRIPTION AND DESCRIBE THE IDEAL CANDIDATE: The first step is getting to know you. What works best is to sit down with you and your executive team and a selection of direct reports (if available) and talk about what your company needs and what makes it attractive to top caliber candidates. We will talk about the organizational culture, and what it takes to succeed within your industry and internal environment. We will discuss desired outputs, what skills and experiences are required or desired, and what compensation will satisfy the right person. If we are conducting a national or regional search, we will talk about relocation strategies and how to promote your city. After that, we will write a customized job description that describes the opportunity, the environment, the challenges, and the ideal candidate. We will also try to capture the excitement and the dream. 2. DEVELOP THE SEARCH STRATEGY: We combine what weve learned from you with our own knowledge of your industry and the market to create a strategy that answers the questions: Where are we most likely to find the best prospects now? What are our best resources and networks for a comprehensive search? Are we thinking outside the box to identify the best and most diverse slate of candidates? And, how do we present your companys opportunity so that it leads us to the right individuals and excites them enough to become a candidate? You will get some quick calls and emails from us to confirm our strategy and target areas. 3. LOCATE AND EVALUATE CANDIDATES: We spend a lot of time here searching for the best candidates. We search the Internet and external databases. We call our industry contacts and our colleagues. We investigate targeted industries and companies. We will also ask you and your staff for ideas and names of people who might have impressed you in the past either as potential candidates or sources of candidates. We also include any internal candidates that you might wish to consider and compare against external candidates. The result is a strong list of the most likely prospects. We conduct phone interviews, building interest in your position. In the process, we review their qualifications. If they are not interested personally or not qualified, we ask them for referrals, expanding our network. Finally, we choose the best-qualified individuals and set up meetings where we objectively interview each candidate, assess whether s/he can do the job, whether s/hell be effective in your organization, and whether s/he is the kind of leader that inspires innovation and superior results from others. 4. CLIENT INTERVIEWS AND FINAL SELECTION:

After we present profiles of the top candidates to you, we schedule interviews with you and the selected interview team. Working with you and your team, we create an interview strategy; one that gives you deeper insight into the candidates knowledge, experience, and work style. We will also create a strategy that, even in todays tight market, will present the opportunity at your company so persuasively that it solidifies candidates interest. Plan spending a minimum of two hours with each candidate for the first interview. Interviews on site with team members can take place on the same day, or be reserved for second or third interviews. If possible, we recommend seeing all the candidates in one week, so as to more effectively compare and contrast. After your interviews we debrief you and the candidates. 5. CHECK REFERENCES AND CREDENTIALS: We contact reference sources to seek additional insight into the candidates and verify information. In addition to job related questions, we will probe any concerns that came to the surface during the interview process. We learn a great deal by talking with a candidates former employers and colleagues by both what is spoken and what is not. We report it to you either orally or in written form. One of the objectives will be to provide information that will help you work with the candidate on an optimal basis once on the job. 6. CHOSE THE BEST CANDIDATE: Once the information is all compiled, i.e., what you think of the candidates, what they think of you, what their reference sources told us, and our opinions, we make the final decision. We, of course, will have been discussing the candidates throughout the process. We manage the process of reviewing the strengths and weaknesses of each match. Then together we chose the best candidate. 7. DEVELOP A WINNING OFFER: The entire search can succeed or fail at this critical stage. Our first job is to help you understand what it will take in todays market to close a deal with the candidate you want. We will help you craft an offer balancing base compensation, performance bonuses, equity, relocation and perks that both you and the candidate feel good about. During this period of time we may talk several times. Whether this stage goes very smoothly, or requires some real soul-searching and compromise, depends on how realistic both you and the candidate are at the start. 8. NEGOTIATE: CLOSE THE DEAL: This is where we can really make a difference: closing the deal. We are the middle-person who presents the offer and leads you and the candidate to final agreement. During this stage, you may be asked to spend more time with the candidate to reinforce his/her enthusiasm about your company - while we manage the details of the negotiation. Were available at any hour until the deal is closed. 9. ASSURE A SUCCESSFUL BEGINNING:

We will develop a strategy for introducing, supporting, integrating, and setting expectations for the new hire within your company. During the search process we have learned a lot about your company, the market and the candidates. A debriefing and strategy session that sets the stage for the success of your new hire within the company and the industry is invaluable at this time. 10. FOLLOW-UP AND REVIEW: Once the candidate has been on board for thirty days, and again at four months, we will contact both you and the candidate individually to review the fit, expectations, any surprises, or concerns. We will ask each of you for feedback and will be prepared to assist as a go-between should that be helpful. 11. OUR GUARANTEE: If, within the first six months, the candidate leaves the company for any reason other than a change in business status due to financial or legal issues, a merger, acquisition, or change in leadership, we will replace him/or her with no additional charge other than expenses.