A Recommendation That Matters

By Niklas Sutela, Partner & Director
Region: Helsinki and APAC (Team Director China)
Sector focus: Industrial Sector

WHAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DIFFERENTIATE MERCURI URVAL FROM OTHER SEARCH FIRMS? WE DEEPLY TRUST OUR PROCESS. WE KNOW THAT OUR RECOMMENDATION IS ONE BORN IN SCIENCE, AND DECADES OF INTELLIGENCE, AND DATA. WHEN IT COMES TO OUR RECOMMENDATIONS, WE KNOW WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT. THIS IS WHAT ENABLES US TO “STICK TO OUR GUNS” WITH DIFFERENT CLIENTS, EVEN IF THEY OF COURSE HAVE THE FINAL SAY IN WHO THEY HIRE. THAT’S WHAT MARKS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND OTHER FIRMS.
WE SAW THE PROOF OF OUR WORK IN A RECENT RELATIONSHIP WITH ONE OF OUR CLIENTS. THIS WAS AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH FOR A PUBLICLY-TRADED FINNISH COMPANY FOR A SALES DIRECTOR POSITION. AS IT TURNS OUT IN THIS CASE, OUR INITIAL THOUGHTS ON BOTH THE CANDIDATE WE SELECTED AND THE CANDIDATE THEY CHOSE PROVED CORRECT.
WE EMBARKED UPON THE HIRING PROCESS IN THE SAME WAY WE ALWAYS DO – USING OUR UNIQUE, SCIENCE-BASED METHOD. WE IDENTIFIED, ATTRACTED, AND SELECTED THE BEST SUITABLE CANDIDATES FOR OUR CLIENT’S SPECIFIC NEED. BY CONDUCTING A THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF THE CURRENT STATE OF THE MARKET, WE PROVIDED AN OVERVIEW OF AVAILABLE CANDIDATES SUITABLE FOR THE ROLE IN THE AGREED GEOGRAPHY. WE USED EFFECTIVE PERSONAL APPROACH TO ATTRACT AND ENGAGE THE RIGHT CANDIDATES. AFTER THAT IT WAS TIME FOR OUR ASSESSMENTS, AND FINALLY OUR RECOMMENDATION.
IN THE END, THE COMPANY HAD ONE CANDIDATE THEY WANTED TO HIRE. THE PERSON IN QUESTION DID THE PRE-WORK VERY WELL. HOWEVER, WHEN IT WAS TIME TO TAKE THE SUCCESS PROFILE FROM MU, THIS PERSON CAME UP SHORT, DESPITE HAVING THE REQUISITE EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS. IN ALL CASES, WE LOOK BEYOND THE RESUME! WE EXAMINE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND MOTIVATIONAL STRUCTURES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, FOR ALL OUR CANDIDATES. IN ALL THOSE AREAS THIS PERSON, UNFORTUNATELY, CAME UP SHORT.