Saturday, September 21, 2013

Top Talent in Logistics Frequently Asked Questions

Why use a recruiter?  Recruiting is both an art and a science. Collectively, our team has many years of research and practice in talent acquisition.  We are experts in finding the talent you want and need because this is what we do – all day every day.

Most companies outsource the recruiting function when there is a sense of urgency in filling a mission-critical position or when they need our expertise in sourcing top talent they cannot find on their own.  Top Talent has many resources at our disposal.  As we target passive candidates, we are going after successful people who are not necessarily looking for jobs.  Because we source nationally, our database of prospective candidates runs deep and wide.  With a sole focus on logistics, we know your competition well and what it takes to get the best.

What is the difference between a Contingency Agreement a Retainer Agreement? 

Contingency:  This agreement does not require a commitment from either party, but stands as a binding agreement to discuss opportunities. A contingency agreement essentially says that we are not obligated to show you any candidates and you are not obligated to hire any of our candidates.  However, should we present a candidate to you and you hire them, you will owe us a fee.    The fee is due in its entirety on the day the candidate starts.  We offer a 60 day guaranty on the placement and if the candidate leaves within a 60 day period, we replace them at no additional charge. Contingency agreements are not our preferred way of doing business, but we do offer the option.

Retained - This commitment agreement is used when clients have a sense of urgency.  When a position needs to be filled within a certain period of time and with a specific type of person, we are obligated through this contract to find the right person in the designated time period.  Through a retained contract, you agree that if we find the person you have specified, you will make the hire.   The fee is the same as with a contingency agreement, but the structure of the fee differs. One third of the estimated fee is due when the agreement is signed, and the balance is paid on the day the candidate starts.  If you are serious about getting specific talent in place, this is the way to go.  If we do not source the candidate within the time period specified in the agreement, we refund the retainer portion in full.  Our guaranty period is longer for this agreement and if a candidate leaves on their own accord or is terminated in that 90 day period, we replace them at no charge.  Retained clients get the first look at our candidates, and are a priority over contingency searches.  We also assign a specific recruiting team to retained clients and hold our team accountable for meeting your needs.  

Why do you recommend retained searches?  We believe that both parties have to have skin in the game. What we have found is that firms that put a retainer up front are more invested in the search process, our calls get returned faster and there a greater sense of urgency across the board.  Our executive recruiters know that you are committed to hiring Top Talent from us and are fully committed to providing you with thorough communication and timely results. We like dealing with companies that say “Make us a priority”!  Because we do.

What if I hire an Agent and they don’t perform to the level you say they will?  In our Agent search agreement, we incorporate something we believe no other firm is doing – we provide a 1 year performance guaranty.  If the agent does not produce at least 80 % of what they say, then we make up the difference with another agent at no charge.  Is this a strong guaranty? Absolutely.  We want you to feel comfortable with bringing on agents we represent.

You don’t offer terms and require payment on the day the candidate starts. That’s awfully fast.  Yes it is. We work fast and very aggressively, and our staff of recruiters is highly incented to bring you the best talent possible.  Since the bulk of their compensation comes in the form of commission, they want to be paid when the search is complete.  In Logistics, the companies that pay their carriers or vendors the fastest, win.  Carriers then make those firms a priority.  We work the same way.  If you pay us fast, you will get first consideration.  Pay us slow and don’t expect to be a favorite among our recruiters.

If I hire you to find me someone, will you recruit any of my people down the road?  Never. Once you are a client, you are always a client. Some of our clients hire talent from us every year and other come to us for one executive. Our belief is once a client, always a client.  There is a saying in recruiting:  “You are either a client or a source for candidates” but you can’t be both. We are very proud of this because not all of our competitors conduct themselves the same way. Being ethical is extremely important to us.

What is a passive candidate?  Passive candidates are the cream of the crop. They are currently employed, well respected, strong contributors to their organizations.  Most are not actively looking for a job and therefore do not have their resumes posted all over the internet.  It takes solid recruiting techniques to encourage these people to engage with us and consider making a move. We help open their eyes and minds to other outstanding opportunities and are experts in doing so.

Do you do any consulting?  We are available for a wide variety of consulting assignments.  Our staff and affiliates have consulting experience in the following areas: Agent Programs, Sales Compensation Plans, Business Coaching, Human Resource Management, Organizational Analysis and Sales Development, Restructuring and Sales Acceleration.

I have been burned by a recruiter in the past, why are you different?  Unfortunately, we hear this more than we’d like.  While we cannot atone for the sins of another, we will be right up front with you and spend a lot of time getting to know you and understanding what you want.  We are not a resume service or a staffing agency so we don’t just throw resumes at you hoping one will stick.  The majority of our clients see less than three candidates and it is not uncommon for our clients to hire the first person we present. Why? Because we have an extremely in-depth due diligence process with both clients and candidates where we ask a lot of questions to ensure we understand what is important. We also will not bring someone to the table unless we feel we have hit the nail on the head.  If our initial candidate is not chosen, we dig deep to find out where we missed the mark, recalibrate and in most cases, the second candidate is hired.

Why do I need to give you my account list?  Prior to joining one of our client firms we do our best to insure your accounts are not already customers of our client. We also want provide our client companies with the opportunity to do cursory credit checks on your clients.  All of our clients understand the confidential nature of our business and we have not had any issues sharing this information.  This step is taken to insure your transition will be easy and profitable for everyone.

Do you work with all companies?  No. We only do logistics and we screen clients prior to representing them.  Clients range from $2 million to $2 billion in sales, the majority of which range from $25 million to $100 million.  Clients must be credit-worthy, ethical, growing, and pass the “we would work there ourselves” test.  In addition, we like organizations that have “Sizzle” rather than being milk toast.  We connect with top executives so that the highest decision makers possible are involved in the process.

Do you work with any candidates?  No. We have a saying at Top talent – “We do not market mediocrity.”  Not everyone is Top Talent, so we screen all candidates prior to representing them.  We dig deep to fully understand who they are and what they bring to the table. Are they high producers? Top Sales Executives?  Experienced, ethical agents? More importantly, do they exude certain traits that are common among other highly Top Talented individuals?  In our candidate searches, we look for these traits in addition to experience and expertise.


For more information, please visit http://toptalentinlogistics.com/

No comments: