Executive search
and Leadership
Recruitment
Recruitment your way
Choosing bfpeople as your executive search and recruitment partner means the end of prescriptive processes and fee structures.
Whether you are looking for one key person, need to create a new team, or you are thinking of outsourcing all your recruitment, we will design a bespoke solution which suits your requirements and budget. Our fees reflect the complexity of the project and what you need from us, not the salary of the appointment.
The “hard sell” is not our style: more than 75% of our work is repeat business with existing clients or comes from recommendation. The rest comes from companies that have been unable to find what they are looking for themselves, or are frustrated by other recruiters and give us a difficult assignment as a trial.
We recognise that recruitment is a “distress purchase” for many – we do all we can to make it a positive experience for you.
See our executive search process here.
In more than 30 years of trading, thousands of successful executive search and leadership recruitment projects have been completed – and we have seen many successful candidates develop into great leaders, CEOs and clients.
Recent executive search projects
Executive Director – housing association
Managing Director – engineering consultants
Managing Director – commercial fit-out
Client Services Director – advertising agency
UK Sales Manager – musical instrument manufacturer
Investment Director – Venture Capital
Sales Manager – mortuary equipment and consumables
Managing Director – laboratory supplies and equipment
Plant Manager – automotive components
Manufacturing Director – turbine manufacturer
Country Manager – hospitality and commercial interiors
Sales Director – food packaging
Head of Housing – local government
Chief Information Officer – retail
SVP, Global Finance – marketing services
Finance Director – SAAS start up
Head of Projects – shopfitting/fit-out
Creative Director – retailer
Design Engineering Manager – aerospace
Commercial Director – toys and crafts
Human Resources Director – Communications agency
Group Reporting Manager – global marketing agency
Production Director – retail design manufacturer
Financial controller – bespoke joinery manufacturer
Creative Director – design agency
Supply Chain Manager – logistics group
In addition to key leadership appointments, we have managed the recruitment of many commercial and technical specialists in sales, IT, finance, design, project management, engineering and manufacturing for a vast range of industries.
Creating or Recruiting Teams
There are times when you may need to create or build a team rather than search for individual leadership roles. You will want to work with a recruiter who understands what makes a great team and will use appropriate assessment as part of the hiring process.
Recent team hiring projects
8 sales people – automotive OEM
14 call centre operatives – outsourcing business
Creative and product design teams – toys and crafts
Senior management team (6) – local government
Head of sales and 3 regional sales managers – textiles
15 graduate trainees – energy services business
48 management trainees – government organisation
Are we a good fit?
Do you want to work with a recruiter who….
- recognises who pays our bills – we solve your recruitment problems, we do not find people jobs?
- works on a fixed fee, agreed in advance, based on the complexity of the job, not on a percentage of salary?
- doesn’t send you speculative CVs or lists of candidates so you do all the work?
- completes assignments in weeks, not months?
- conducts extensive behavioural and ability-based interviews to assess suitability and fit?
- includes personality and motivation profiling for shortlisted candidates?
- offers a free replacement guarantee should the appointed candidate prove to be unsuitable?
- has a clear “off-limits” policy, so won’t approach your employees about other jobs?
- has a strong track record of leading and growing successful businesses?
- shares knowledge and expertise to help you make the best decisions and to do more yourself?
- has global reach through membership of Executive Resources International, the international executive search network?
Recruitment has changed
Gone are the days when executive search and recruitment was all about the old boys’ network and “little black books”. LinkedIn, social media and job boards have all played their part in changing the way the recruitment industry works. But finding great talent – people who will make a positive difference to your business – is as hard as ever.
While a strong network and in-depth sector knowledge are still invaluable, recruitment today is a rigorous process to find and assess the best people available – wherever they may be. It is often argued that the best people already have jobs and are not actively looking for something new.
That’s not always true, of course, but identifying and approaching potential candidates who might not naturally apply is an essential part of the process in finding the ideal match for your job, your team and your organisation’s culture.
“70% of senior leaders
believe they’re in the
top 10% of their
professional peer group.”
Marshall Goldsmith, Triggers, 2015
It also means understanding what makes a winner – being able to know the difference between self-confidence and ability and potential: in research for his book, Triggers, Marshall Goldsmith found that 70% of senior leaders believe they’re in the top 10 percent of their professional peer group; 82% believe they’re in the top 20 percent and 98.5% believe they’re in the top half.
It’s no wonder that nearly all candidates think they deserve the job!
Objective assessment is a key part of search projects, providing insights on crucial areas such as behaviour and motivations, leadership style, resilience and cultural fit. These are things that can not be gleaned from interviews alone. Read more about how assessment can inform your most important people decisions here.
If you hire mediocre people they will hire mediocre people.”
Tom Murphy, CEO of Capital Cities
Recruitment case studies
We have some examples of projects available to read (clicks open a new tab):
Delivered on a tight recruitment brief
Recruited a complete sales team
Created a talent pool of candidates
If you’re an ambitious employer or manager who wants to recruit, develop and retain the best talent, call bfpeople on +44(0)333 202 2225 or complete the form below to get things started.
