15 Sep The Value of Retained Search: Why Senior Appointments Require More Than a CV
When you are recruiting a senior finance or exec appointment, the decision goes far beyond finding someone with the right qualifications and experience.
A CEO, MD, CFO, Finance Director, Financial Controller or Senior Finance leader can have a significant impact on the performance, culture and future direction of a business. Getting the appointment right matters and so does getting the process right.
This is where a retained search approach can add real value.
At Rotheram Carrington Financial Recruitment & Search, we believe retained search is not simply about finding candidates. It is about understanding the business, accessing the right talent, providing honest advice throughout the process and ultimately helping our clients make a confident, informed appointment.
It starts with the relationship
We build long-term relationships with our clients and candidates. Our role is to become a trusted adviser rather than simply another recruitment supplier.
That means taking the time to properly understand the business, its culture, its challenges and what success looks like in the role.
Throughout an assignment, we communicate regularly, provide honest feedback and offer advice and support not just when the shortlist is presented, but throughout the recruitment process and beyond.
For senior appointments, that level of involvement can make a significant difference.
Access to the right candidates
The best candidate for a senior role is not necessarily the person actively applying for jobs.
Often, they are already successful in their current role, may not be actively looking and will only consider an opportunity if it is genuinely compelling.
A retained search allows us to take a proactive approach to the market.
We combine:
-
Our extensive database of senior finance professionals
-
Our established network across the North-West
-
Confidential advertising
-
Direct networking with passive and active candidates
-
Targeted search of individuals and businesses with relevant experience
-
Referrals through our established professional network
This allows us to reach people who may never have applied for the role directly.
Quality over Quantity
Senior recruitment should not be a numbers game.
-
Our process involves detailed screening and a formal interview with every candidate we put forward. We explore their career history, technical experience, leadership capability, motivation, aspirations, behavioural competencies and cultural fit.
-
We also undertake appropriate qualification, eligibility and reference checks.
-
Our aim is not to send a client 15 CVs and ask them to work out who might be suitable.
-
Our aim is to present a small number of genuinely relevant candidates, with enough insight and context for the client to make an informed decision.
-
Typically, we will identify a long list of around 30 potential candidates, conduct a detailed pre-screening process and ultimately shortlist around five candidates for client interview.
-
For each shortlisted candidate, we provide a written profile setting out their strengths, potential gaps, experience, aspirations and suitability for the role.
Reducing the risk of a senior appointment
Recruiting at senior level carries risk.
-
A strong CV and an impressive interview do not necessarily tell you everything you need to know about an individual.
-
For clients looking for an additional layer of robustness, we can also provide Executive Assessment solutions.
-
These assessments can provide additional insight into an individual’s capabilities, leadership style and potential, giving clients greater confidence when making critical appointments.
-
The information can also support future on boarding, development and integration once the successful candidate joins the business.
Local market knowledge matters
The North-West has a strong and diverse finance community, but it is also a relationship-driven market.
Understanding who the key finance professionals are, where they have worked, what motivates them and how businesses operate across the region is particularly important when making senior appointments.
Sarah has worked with businesses across the North-West for more than 25 years and has built an extensive network of senior finance & exec professionals across Cheshire, Merseyside, North Wales and the wider region.
That market knowledge means we can often identify relevant individuals through our own network or through a trusted referral.
It also means we understand the realities of recruiting within the region including salary expectations, availability, candidate motivations and the competitive landscape.
Managing the process from start to finish
A retained search should take responsibility for the whole recruitment process, not simply the introduction.
Our role includes:
1. Understanding the brief
We meet with the client to understand the business, role, objectives, culture and requirements in detail.
2. Taking the role to market
We agree the appropriate strategy, combining confidential advertising, database searches, networking and targeted search.
3. Managing candidate engagement
We handle candidate communication throughout the process, protecting confidentiality and ensuring candidates understand the opportunity.
4. Screening and assessment
We conduct detailed interviews using agreed criteria to assess technical capability, leadership experience, motivation and cultural fit.
5. Shortlisting
We present a focused shortlist, supported by detailed candidate profiles and our assessment of their suitability.
6. Interview management
We coordinate interviews, prepare candidates, gather feedback and keep communication moving between both parties.
7. Offer management
Once the preferred candidate has been identified, we remain closely involved through the offer process.
For senior appointments, this stage can be critical. We help manage expectations, address potential counter-offers and ‘buy-back’ situations and maintain candidate engagement throughout their notice period.
The process does not stop when the contract is signed.
Why choose an independent specialist?
Rotheram Carrington Financial Recruitment & Search is a North-West focused specialist Senior Finance & Exec recruitment business, specialising in strategically important appointments that require a professional, confidential and highly personal approach.
As an independent business, our reputation matters.
We want our clients to come back to us, recommend us and view us as a trusted recruitment partner. That means delivering a high-quality service, providing honest advice and, ultimately, delivering the right appointment.
Our track record over the past 18 months includes senior and confidential appointments for organisations including:
-
£5m turnover sports business – Managing Director
-
£13m turn over group of companies – Interim CEO
-
£65m turnover technology business – Chief Financial Officer
-
£65m turnover logistics business – No.1 in Finance
-
Not-for-profit organisation – Finance Director / Deputy Director of Business Services
-
£10m turnover Business Services Group – Finance Director
-
£20m turnover growing SME manufacturing business – Finance Director
Ultimately, the value of an executive search partner is demonstrated by its ability to deliver.
So, what is the real value of retained search?
For us, it comes down to five things:
Access – reaching candidates who may not otherwise be accessible.
Insight – understanding the person behind the CV and how they are likely to fit the business.
Market knowledge – knowing the North-West finance market and the people within it.
Process – managing the assignment professionally, efficiently and confidentially from brief through to on boarding.
Confidence – giving our clients the information, advice and support they need to make one of their most important recruitment decisions.
A senior finance appointment is an investment. The right person can make a significant difference to a business; the wrong appointment can be costly in both financial and organisational terms.
That is why we believe retained search should be about much more than filling a vacancy.
It should be about finding the right person, for the right business, at the right time — and giving both the client and candidate the confidence to make the move.
Thinking about a Senior Finance or Executive appointment?
If you are considering recruiting a CEO, MD, CFO, Finance Director, Financial Controller, Finance Manager or another senior finance professional across the North-West, Sarah would be happy to have an initial confidential conversation about your requirements.
Direct Dial 01244 980085 or email sarah@rotheramcarrington.co.uk