Frequently asked questions

What is retained executive search and how is it different from contingency?

With retained search, the client and the recruiting firm establish an agreement in which the firm has the exclusive responsibility to fill the open position and invoices the client throughout the course of the engagement. Conversely, with contingency, the client may hire as many firms as they wish and only pay the firm that places the winning candidate. 

The two methods utilize vastly different approaches. In contingent search, there’s pressure to move quickly or risk not being paid. Recruiters tend to screen lightly, if at all, instead pushing that responsibility to the client. Candidates tend to get frustrated with a contingent process as they may be receiving calls from multiple firms representing the same job, which can make for a messy process for all parties.

Retained search is preferred in situations where it’s critical the candidates be fully and thoroughly vetted. It’s also more typically used to recruit for more senior-level positions where passive candidates need to be approached and recruited in a thoughtful and well-organized process. Retained firms, like Stiles Associates, have access to the hiring managers; spend time upfront getting to know the client’s business; and stay closely connected throughout the process.  This allows retained firms to do a much better job targeting, recruiting and presenting a highly qualified slate of candidates.

Are recruiting agencies worth it?

While it may be enticing for companies to utilize their own employees to hunt for the industry’s top talent and save on paying an executive recruiting firm, going about it on their own has many hidden costs. The amount of time it takes to find, access, vet and work closely with passive candidates can overwhelm a staff, resulting in their time not being spent on more pertinent issues at a company. Human resources departments and internal talent acquisition specialists may easily find a large pool of candidates from online job boards, but finding the right candidates with surgical precision is a more effective and timely strategy.

There’s also the cost of hiring the wrong person. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average cost of a bad hire is at least 30 percent of the individual’s first year expected salary. This accounts for the time and expense of hiring; onboarding and training; lack of productivity; and team morale. While no method is perfect, partnering with a proven executive search firm greatly improves the odds of landing the most productive A-players.

On the candidate side, forming relationships with recruiting agencies is a great way to stay aware of open opportunities that may never get posted publicly. There is typically no cost to candidates who are considered for roles, as the hiring client is the party responsible for payment.

What is Interim Management?

Interim Management is a hiring solution for a short-term need, and is one of the services offered by Stiles Associates. Interim candidates are fully vetted and are ideal solutions for organizations bridging a talent gap, undergoing a cultural transformation or addressing a critical temporary need.

What are the benefits of using an Interim manager?

Addressing critical temporary needs: Sometimes, you need leadership for initiatives that are temporary in nature. These scenarios might include help with acquisition integration, assisting in new plant start up or relocation, new line launch or prepping a business for sale.

Bridging a talent gap: Perhaps your organization is experiencing unplanned vacancies in critical roles. With Interim Management you can have vetted, experienced leaders in these positions within days while you conduct a national search for a full-time hire.

Assisting with a cultural transformation: Cultural transformation doesn’t happen overnight. Having a seasoned operations leader on the ground to provide short-term support, guidance and transformational leadership for your full-time executives can speed the effort.

What is it like to work with Stiles? What can a client expect?

As a boutique executive search firm that’s been in business for over 30 years, we offer a custom hiring experience that has unmatched knowledge and expertise in the space. In a retained search, the top determining factor of lead time is calibration, which is why we designed a system for regularly evaluating candidate metrics to ensure an efficient process. We’re hands-on from the moment we kick off the search when we share sample resumes, through well after the winning candidate’s first day on the job.

What does a manufacturing recruiter do?

Though the growth of online professional networks, premier manufacturing recruiters make it easier to find the right candidate for a specific role. Firms like Stiles make sure they understand the business goals and objectives behind each hire—including spending time onsite with their clients learning their business and, most importantly, their culture to ensure they’re not just filling seats, but helping to truly change the performance of the organizations.

How does Stiles Associates find top talent?

Each assignment Stiles Associates takes on has its own specific needs and requirements. These could include industry or process knowledge, cultural considerations, organizational structure and size requirements not to mention individual traits, experience and skills.

Once these specifics are established and understood, we build a list of target candidates sourced through our database, referral network and in some cases external, third-party resources. Typically, these individuals are passive candidates, meaning that they are not actively seeking a new opportunity. 

We reach out to these individuals and present them with our client’s opportunity, including all upside considerations: growth path, responsibility / scope, compensation and other benefits. Those who are interested are then thoroughly vetted through a multi-step process that includes several in-depth conversations and at least one meeting face to face or via video conference. Those who best match the client requirements are then included in client presentation.

Where are Stiles’ offices located and what parts of the globe do you cover?

Our headquarters is located in New London, New Hampshire, but the team is spread across the United States. This allows us to properly and thoroughly work with clients looking for leaders spanning North America.