28 weeks from the project start to the first day at the office may feel too long; I get it!
However, these are the market realities.
Decreasing time is doable but you need to understand the inner workings of a recruiting project, first.
And remember: getting all stakeholders' buy-in is the most time-consuming component.
There are 2 distinct processes:
Building the shortlist
Interviewing and assessments at the Employer level
1. Building the shortlist:
For a head hunter, a period of 3-4 weeks is reasonable.
The main reason for dissatisfaction at this stage stems from the lack of communication between the External Recruiter and the Employer.
While the Recruiter is working against the clock to prepare the shortlist, the Employer does not have enough visibility and may feel that valuable time is being wasted.
The best solution is complete transparency of the entire process carried out by the recruiter.
2. Interviewing and assessments at the Employer level:
Un termen de 14-16 săptămâni pentru aceasta porțiune a procesului este realistă.
The initial interviews:
The employer may engage a number of 3-4 people in the recruitment process:
-the representative of the HR department - with a focus on the organizational cultural match
-the functional manager - company strategy and relevant experiences are discussed
-the matrix manager - where the discussion is firmly anchored in the technical and strategy area
-depending on the type of organization, there may be a dialogue with representatives of the shareholders
At this level of recruitment, the focus is on relevant past experiences and on the fit with the organizational culture.
Technical skills
For a job of this scope, technical testing is not a mandatory step.
However, there are Employers who require Candidates to solve a business case.
Some high-profile Candidates do not take this kindly.
Involving them in solving these tests is a difficult task.
Delays or even refusals may occur.
When they engage, they may engage superficially, and often this is visible in the final result.
It's not a general rule, but these things can happen.
It is up to the Employer to decide if the Candidate's "weight" justifies promotion to the next phase.
Psychometric evaluation
For a limited number of Candidates, the psychometric evaluation is carried out.
The tests are very varied. They can last around an hour.
Most psychometric tests have the ability to determine response variation.
So most of the time the attempt to "cheat" the test will be detected.
The platform will highlight answers that are not consistent across the test.
In spite of plenty of "gurus" recommendations on how to promote a specific kind of psychometric test (available on the internet), the best way to approach these tests remains honesty.
Panel interviews
A modern CFO needs to position themself as a business partner for the other departments.
Hence the appearance of the panel interviews. These interviews often include (well) a panel of 4-6 relevant colleagues.
If panel interviews were more occasional 2-3 years ago, today they have become the norm, in most cases.
This type of interview is set towards the end of the recruitment campaign with the 2-3 Candidates with a real likelihood of filling the position.
In practice, a panel interview can generate two types of surprises:
- I have met Candidates with particular charisma in their 1 on 1 conversations. Some may manifest quite differently in front of a larger group of people. The experience may prove disappointing for all parties involved.
It may seem unfair but the ability to support your point of view within a Group is becoming essential for a contemporary CFO.
- The second mention is related to the confidentiality of the interviewing process. The probability of a Nomination being accidentally disclosed is directly proportional to the number of people who are aware of this Nomination.
Some valuable applications have been canceled due to information leaking out of control outside of the hiring company.
Even when this happens with no bad intentions, ramifications may be devastating for the Candidate.
Remote or Face to Face interviewing?
If initial interviews can take place virtually, executives' preference goes for face-to-face meetings, at a later stage.
Panel interview takes place with a physical presence.
It is a perfect opportunity for Employer's management and the potential CFO to get a feel for how a management meeting would run in the new structure.
How long does it take?
External head/hunter - 3-4 weeks for the shortlist (a firm deadline that should be assumed by the recruiter)
Employer interviews and assessments - 16 weeks (estimate)
The notice period at the old company - 8 weeks (according to the law for management positions)
Total 28 weeks
While #3 is a law requirement, #1 & #2 should be on your focus list when trying to get the project done as soon as possible.
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