We’re very pleased to say we’re now members of the Danish UK Chamber of Commerce. Go to http://www.ducc.co.uk/index.htm. Given SAM’s Danish roots this is a most apt and appropriate membership.

The DUCC provides a forum for the Anglo-Danish business community where ideas and experiences can be shared. We look forward to giving and taking in this new network.

As well as the DUCC we are also members of the Advisory Network for UK Trade and Investment. For more about SAM’s work in this arena go to http://www.ukan.uktradeinvest.gov.uk/investors-directory/categories/hr-recruitment-10643/page/2/sam-headhunting-ltd-93

It’s good to belong!

Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com

On the 7th August I wrote that we have started to look for 11 senior technical developmental roles for our Korean client, HYOSUNG (see http://samheadhunting.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/11-senior-developmental-technical-roles-in-wind-power-attractive-postings/)

Given the complex nature of this search, I thought it would be interesting to review what we had to do and how we’ve got the job done:

It was complex because:

• The client wants very experienced hands-on candidates from a truly international, relatively young (particularly in very large turbines up to 5MW), diverse industry. Candidates will not be falling out of the trees!
• The technical nature of the roles being filled would challenge our ability to engage candidates, understand industry language, and make sure we were delivering on the specific technical  skills required.
• The international scope of the search with the candidates coming from Europe, North America and Asia, and getting the interview timetable to work with a client from Korea with interviews (mainly) in Germany.
• Co-ordinating our own resources to be effective while ensuring every role had the right number of candidates.

We ‘re now almost 3 months in and very close to completing the early phase of this project. How have we done?

It looks like we have all roles filled, or candidates lined up for the last gearbox and drive train roles, with dates being finalised for those candidates needing to go to Korea.

I’ve been working with Jens Peters (from SAM Germany) and Per Krenk and Sten Appelon Petersen (from SAM Denmark) to get this assignment completed. I think our headline achievements have been:

• We’ve found a huge number of candidates and managed to get under the skin of a sophisticated sector with a massive range of skills spread around the industry itself, as well as within it’s hugely international spread of specialist suppliers and developers.
• We’ve kept track of each other’s progress and managed to share best practice quickly and efficiently.
• We seem to have found the knack of understanding the clients technical requirements, while also meeting their cultural needs.
• Overcome our challenges by talking openly with each other.
• Built a network that should stand us in good stead for future work.

We would normally pride ourselves that we could get a search done within 6 weeks. This has taken a little longer, but that’s been more down to getting a lot of busy people to co-ordinate diaries internationally, than it has been to identify target candidates and get them engaged.

There are parts of this I would do differently, but I’m proud to be part of a team that can just get this done, and I can see we can use it as a wonderful reference for more co-ordinated international work in the future.

When the world of the headhunter is so tough generally, it’s very encouraging to have something so positive that will add real value to our Partnership in the months and years to come.

Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com

Do you have team members that are ill-suited to their current position?

Do you have team members that do not gel?

Are you happy with your team dynamics?

Are you concerned that you are selecting the right person when bringing in new staff?

Our new service, INSIGHT, gives you just that – an insight into the people that you are currently employing or are planning to employ. It will give you an objective view of your team characteristics

It can provide a clear Insight into:

• What makes people tick 
• Who would work best with who 
• Who are team players
• Who work better on their own

This can be extremely revealing and very beneficial to the effectiveness of an individual, a team or a whole company. This is based on the science of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), and gives the ability to not just undertake snap shots, but to continually monitor the behavioural characteristics that make your team tick – and keep them ticking.

For more information, contact Ralph Warren on +44 (0)7788 561 299 (email rw@samheadhunting.com), or Martin Ellis on +44 (0)7823 887982 (email me@samheadhunting.com), or go to http://www.samheadhunting.dk/headhunting/saminsight-en.aspx

Written by Martin Ellis me@samheadhunting.com

These days I take a lot of calls from middle and senior managers who find themselves out of work for no fault of their own. Many of them have had long careers and didn’t think they’d be looking for a new job after their commitment to their employers cause over so many years. They’re not ready for the hunt, and their CV and interview techniques need to be polished up.

My top tip to anybody new to the job market is to get on LinkedIn. Not next week…..not tomorrow… not later……DO IT NOW! (Go to http://www.linkedin.com/)

Then…

1. Enter your profile…
2. ……Do it properly!…..
3. ….use the search facility to find old colleagues and friends and invite them to join your network……
4. ….when they’ve joined you, look at their network for new contact and people you’d forgotten……
5. ….and when you’ve done that, look at people who have also viewed your network’s network…..
6. …..then use the search facility to look at groups (it’s in the drop-down menu on the right half of the screen in the top white bar) enter some key words that describe the sectors that interest you…..
7. ….apply to join them……
8. …..then look at their job boards. There are stacks of opportunities laying there.

For those of you who are LinkedIn savvy you’ll think I’m crazy giving out such juvenile advice. Sadly I have this conversation, almost daily, with people who are getting to grips with the job market, sometimes for the first time in decades, and there are too many people who aren’t aware of the opportunity LinkedIn offers.

If you’ve not played with it – DO!.

I would not advise prostituting yourself. Be selective and be active. Don’t get sucked in and do everything, but do decide what you really think might be relevant and work at it.

LinkedIn is a great resource. If it doesn’t find you real career opportunities I guarantee it will re-unite you with old friends, and that’s never a bad thing.

Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com

There’s no doubt the world is shrinking, and the internet enables companies to operate without many of the old geographic and physical boundaries we were born to. More companies have broader international structures and managements, and Headhunters have to respond to changing organizational structures to provide services that work in this global economy.

If you’re considering an international placement, here are some of the issues and questions you should be aware of as you choose who to help you in your search:

1. Is the international structure and network the headhunter claims real, or is it convenient loose network of smaller organizations trying to look bigger? These days is very easy to construct a virtual network that presents an international impression, but where the systems, processes and organizational values are not aligned. Test the headhunter you’re talking to. See who they really know in the network and ask them who they’d work with again. Ask them if they have common systems and process and look for evidence that supports their claims.
2. Is the Headhunter you’re meeting aware of the consequences of cultural and governmental issues that impact on international and cross-border management structures, and activities? While nobody will be aware of every issue in every country, they should be able to give you real examples that illustrate their awareness. This may include the provision of pensions (which can be different country to country), the provision of company cars (did you know the purchase tax on new vehicles is 198% in Denmark – v. frightening!), or that in the UK for example, London prices and wages tend to be higher by around 10% than in the rest of the country?
3. What are the headhunters access to language skills? Having a network doesn’t mean the members can communicate with clarity between themselves. Does the company or network have a preferred language. For example, despite being Danish based, SAM’s company language is English. 
4. If you’re searching across borders utilizing a number of headhunters at one time, will they be able to deliver a consistent delivery of candidate, reported in a standard format, with the same systems (such as psychometric analysis) so you can really benchmark your candidate options? This is vital. Make sure you understand how the shortlist will be measured and reported before they’re presented to you.

It could be argued that IT systems and the internet makes the presentation of an international network easy to present. The reality of it’s values, processes and understanding have to be tested if you are to have the best chance of a well executed search assignment.

Buyer beware!

Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com

We are now looking for a new Nursing Manager for a Care Home in Leicester. The manager will run a team to care for the residents, and will have to have neurology and management experience and qualifications. Previous to this appointment, the home had been run by the same manager for 15 years, but they retire in the autumn of this year.

If you think you may have the skills and experience to take over the care of the residents, as well as the staff, administration and accounts of this well run home, then please contact my fellow Partner Davis Antoine by email at dan@samheadhunting.com

Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com

We are looking for 11 senior technical roles with our client, the Hyosung Group. 

Hyosung are based Seoul, although most of the roles will be in Hamburg, Germany. Their dream is to establish a top 10 market position with larger turbines, both off and on shore, so they will need a wide range of skills and experience. We’re currently looking for people with development experience in:

• AERODYNAMIC ANALYSIS (location Hamburg)
• CONTROL ALGORITHM (location Hamburg)
• LOAD ANALYSIS (location Hamburg)
• DRIVE TRAIN (location Hamburg)
• GEARBOX DEVELOPMENT, MANUFACTURING & DESIGN (location Seoul)

These roles will lead Hyosung’s international technical development, and we’re interested to talk with any engineers with experience in this arena, even if it’s not included in the short list above.

The postings have very attractive packages, and may include relocation support on top of excellent salaries.

You can see more about these roles if you go to: http://www.samheadhunting.co.uk/jobs/job.aspx?lang=3&ID=7359

If you would like to know more, please contact Martin Ellis on +44 (0) 7823 887982 or email him at me@samheadhunting.com

Let’s be honest. There are more headhunters than the market needs, and there are more candidates than roles to fill (and the overall candidate quality is stunning!) – it’s a buyers market. There was never a better time than now to do a deal with a headhunter.

The market will change. It will get stronger. So now is a great opportunity to get high quality people in place, at the right price, and put your company in a strong market position ready for the uplift – it is coming.

If you’re negotiating with a headhunter, it’s as well to know where they will draw their battle lines:

Exclusivity: This is probably immovable in most cases – it is in mine. I’ll negotiate on fees and fee structures, but not on exclusivity. If you find a headhunter who will deal on exclusivity, they’re probably desperate – They come with a health warning!

Fees: These will be negotiable. Just watch out for hidden costs at the end on expenses, media advertising, advert copy-writing and design, and psychometrics. Make sure you’re not gaining on one hand and giving away with the other. Read the Offer Letter and contract properly and check anything you’re not sure about. You should be able to negotiate at least 10% – 15% off their normal fees in real terms.

Fee Structure and Retainer: The Retainer fee will be closely guarded. It gives any headhunter the scope and headroom to do their job properly, BUT…..it’s normally 33% of the total fee – you may be able to get that down as a %age. Indeed, you may be able to keep a retainer of 33%, but use that to get bargain on the total fee. USE YOUR IMAGINATION!

Fixed Fees: A definite possibility here. You may also be able to roll in some expenses or variable costs so you and the headhunter are sharing risk. Fixed fees are attractive because they reduce the risk of surprises at the end of the assignment.

Quality: Don’t give way on quality – There’s no need. Keep the specification high and demand an SLA. The market is brimming with excellent candidates who are looking for new opportunities or career paths – you can be fussy, so don’t let the headhunter make shortcuts.

Salary levels: This is a competitive market. Look to do a deal on salary with prospective candidates, but don’t be too greedy – strike a sensible balance with the candidate to make sure they see you as a challenging, but fair, boss.

T’s & C’s: You should be able to get slightly improved terms and/or an improved guarantee. Anything that helps cash and provides a safety net is worth having in your back pocket.

Will I do a deal? Yes – But I’m also looking to provide a quality of service that will encourage a long-term relationship with the client. To do that, I’m not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater. 

This market will change, and, I suspect, quite soon. What applies in negotiating with a headhunter in July 2009 may not apply in just  few weeks.

If your judgement is that you need to position your company now for improving market conditions with new, high quality DNA, then now is the time to start looking and dealing.

Good luck!

Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com

Yesterday I met with my SAM Colleagues in Belgium:

Sidsel Graae is the Managing Partner. We’ve worked together in international projects before – sg@samheadhunting.com

Wim Braekman is a headhunter, but also considerable experience with finding Master Franchisees and Franchisees across the Benelux – wb@samheadhunting.com

Nick Boury has been a Franchisee, Master Franchisee and Franchise Consultant, with experience in Dubai, Europe and the USA – nbo@samheadhunting.com

I am always amazed (I should be used to it after 3 years!) about the quality and scope of people in SAM. We could talk about the business of franchising as a concept and learn from each other. It was a productive meeting and where I received a more international view of where franchising is going. It was an experience that should also give potential franchisors confidence that SAM Partners can operate from a position of knowledge, but not just from a headhunting perspective but also with a commercial experience from hands-on management. 

If anybody wants to conact any of these people,  their email addresses are inserted above.

If anybody wants to talk franchising with me, then they can reach me on +44(0) 7823 887982

Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com

I have been told it is good to Twitter, so I have started. Already people are following me, although I’ll be honest that I’m unclear as to the value of Twittering. You can follow me at https://twitter.com/samheadhunteruk

If it helps people find us, and helps us explain our market position, then we’re ahead.

Written by Martin Ellis – me@samheadhunting.com