There are many benefits to using an executive search firm when looking to fill an executive position. Search firms have existing connections with top talent that they can put to work for your organization. They also have experience sourcing executives, which is much different than finding talent for lower-level positions. Here are some steps to take when working with an executive search firm. 1. Choose an executive search firm that fits your needs. The first step in the process is to meet with the person who will be in charge of the search, rather than a representative of the firm, to make sure you feel comfortable with that individual’s grasp of your needs and ability to get the job done. This search professional should have a thorough understanding of your industry and be able to articulate how the search will be conducted. Unlike most recruiters, executive search firms are contracted exclusively and get paid whether or not a suitable candidate is found, so choosing the right firm is important. 2. Launch the search process with a meeting. It is important that the hiring team is present at the launch meeting to communicate exactly what the executive position requires and for the search firm to see the management style and corporate culture, which is exceedingly important to fill an executive role. Use this time to share desirable attributes for the position, as well as target companies and industries from which to recruit as well as ones to avoid. Thrive TRM can help the hiring team stay up-to-date on the progress of an executive search as well as keep everyone in the loop at every stage in the process through updates, group notifications, and reporting features. 3. Use HR to coordinate and train the hiring team. While HR may not be conducting the executive search themselves, they do have a role in facilitating communications between the search firm and the hiring team, which likely consists of the organization’s CEO or COO and possibly members of the governing board. These top leaders may know the skills and abilities the executive who fills the position needs to have, but they may not know how to participate in the search and how to hold the search firm accountable at each step of the process. HR can be tremendously useful in guiding communications between the search firm and the hiring team, and Thrive TRM can also keep everyone on track and engaged throughout the process. 4. Interview in a timely manner. Executive candidates are often working with several search firms or organizations at once and need to be interviewed promptly once they are identified. Organizations will lose qualified candidates if they do not conduct interviews right away; time is of the utmost importance in an executive search. Thrive TRM is an excellent tool to hold everyone accountable to timely interviewing. It enables feedback to be shared electronically in case schedules do not allow collaboration to happen face-to-face. Why not let Thrive TRM be a partner in executive searches to streamline the process and make it easier to work with a search firm? Contact us to learn more.