Our Search Process
phase I
preparation
6 – 8 weeks
defining the role, defining success, and engaging key stakeholders
Our process starts with the organization of the search. The firm's two partners, Kristine O’Brien, PhD and Jennifer Rice, work together on each search. We have both spent our working lives either within academic institutions or at organizations primarily supporting academia. This has given us great comfort navigating the nuances of shared governance, and decentralized responsibility coupled with centralized authority, Since 2012, we have collaborated either officially or informally on nearly every search either of us has done - whether working at the same firm or not.
Our search process is built on a model that integrates three key elements for successfully recruiting new leaders: the strategy and plans of the organization; the culture of the organization; and the experiences, capabilities, and attributes of the organization’s key leaders.
We start with conversations with key stakeholders, as identified by the hiring authority and our research. When feasible, we like to understand the desired composition of the Search Committee before it is named and convened. These early meetings, including with the Search Committee, give us an opportunity to outline and, if appropriate, recommend modifying aspects of the position and the goal. This preparation before the search is officially launched is crucial to the success of the placed candidate. We also seek to understand the alignment between the publicly stated mission and goals and the actual desired culture and approach of our partner client.
We have seen time and again that culture can eclipse mission and goals if they are not aligned, which is why we devote substantial time to understanding both. These conversations will provide vital information for answering the following questions:
What does success look like in the short and long terms?
What must be accomplished in order to achieve success?
Answers will help us present a full picture of the position for which we are hiring. Reaching agreement among the Search Committee, the hiring authority, and important stakeholders in the position’s mandate is crucial. Doing so will not only enable us to identify the most appropriate candidates, but will also provide the selected candidate a welcoming consensus regarding goals and expectations, ultimately enhancing their ability to be successful.
This initial phase of a search presents an opportunity to do reimagine a role and to define and understand the dynamic working relationships with the leaders across the organization and externally. We will also seek to understand what competencies members of your staff have around topics broadly described as accessibility, inclusion, diversity, and equity, and what goals are shared across the organization. Early meetings with the Search Committee will include an open conversation of implicit bias.
At the conclusion of this phase, we will provide clients with the following information:
recommendations for specific actions and processes we consider useful for planning and preparing for the search to ensure its successful completion; and
a position prospectus for your review and approval. This will include an introduction to the organization, challenges for the position, key success measures, and a desired candidate profile and qualifications. In crafting this profile, we will challenge you to represent the organization and the opportunity truthfully and with a mind to the future.
During this phase we rely on full openness and access to members of your team. We may require some administrative assistance in scheduling, if that is the culture of your organization. While these meetings would normally occur in person, we are comfortable seeing how far we can get via video conferencing and telephone.
We have had great success with a variety of platforms for sharing documents securely. The various tools provided through Google have worked well for working collaboratively with Search Committees, for sharing view-only information with committee members and broader stakeholder groups, and for collecting feedback.
phase II
outreach and recruitment
8 weeks
developing a candidate pool
We take a multi-pronged approach to developing the candidate pool. We start by reaching out to our extensive national networks across higher education and other relevant not-for-profits to identify candidates whose prior experience and leadership ability make them worthy of serious consideration. In parallel, working from starting points suggested by the Search Committee and other members of the client institution, we carry out fresh research to identify organizations and individuals who either may have the kinds of experience we are looking for or have relevant thoughts about people worthy of consideration for the role.
We solicit candidate recommendations from former clients and candidates along with current and former colleagues. Recommendations from the Search Committee, staff at your organization, and senior leaders supplement and complement the outreach list.
Working with you, we will also advertise the position in carefully selected publications and websites. We will evaluate and interview individuals who indicate interest, and we follow up on almost all nominations we receive. We will also meet with any internal candidates, treating them with the same level of courtesy and respect as all other candidates. Our objective is to ensure as broad and thorough a reach as possible.
We work assiduously to include women and members of historically excluded groups in our outreach and eventually also in our candidate pool. Individuals from these groups have traditionally comprised a high percentage of our outreach and a significant proportion of the candidates we recommend to our clients.
During this phase we will work very closely with the Chair of the Search Committee - and the full Search Committee, as appropriate - to make sure that we are on the right track. In some cases, it is advantageous to have an additional meeting with the committee to get early feedback on the types of candidates we are attracting.
Marketing the position and the institution Many external candidates who are brought into a search are not seeking a new position when we contact them. We engage their interest through a series of conversations and meetings in which we explore with them the potential personal and career benefits as well as the challenges associated with the opportunity.
Candidates’ interest will develop through meetings with us, the Search Committee, and other key leaders. Through this process the candidates start to balance the attraction of a new challenge with the risks of changing organizations, assuming new responsibilities, and potentially moving their families to a new locale.
Some candidates will require significant courting to develop interest in the new position. We will work closely with the Search Committee to draw these potential candidates into the search. In some cases this means asking the hiring authority to engage with a candidate early in the process.
At the conclusion of this phase, we will provide you:
an evolving list of potential candidates and candidate types;
regular update reports on individual candidates; and
feedback on how the position and organization are perceived based on interactions with candidates and our network of contacts.
We recognize that eight weeks for this phase can seem like a long time. Experience has taught us that the primary casualty of shortening this phase is the diversity of the pool.
phase III
candidate evaluations
recruiting and vetting candidates
Candidate Evaluations – overlapping with phase II Pool Building and ending with the Candidate Review Meeting 8 weeks after going live.
Initial interviews We will have multiple conversations with prospective candidates to understand what is exceptional about each and to evaluate the compatibility of the candidate and specifications outlined by the organization. In the process we will develop information on each candidate’s:
leadership ability;
experience building collaborations at the most senior levels of complex
organizations;
experience and facility with DEI/IDEA conversations and work;
operational expertise and acumen as identified in the position description;
demonstrated success in prior assignments with change management;
proven ability to achieve goals; and
potential for personal and professional compatibility with other leaders.
It is our general practice to be very wide in our range of candidates with whom we have conversations. We will review the criteria that emerge with the Search Committee Chair and members as needed. By outlining the desired qualifications, experiences, skills, and attributes, we are able to introduce a broad range of candidates to the committee. As candidates’ materials are compared to the original description, varying degrees of overlap will be compelling. Occasionally a new area of expertise will emerge as important – which is why we continue to identify potential candidates until the search is concluded.
At the conclusion of this work we will provide you with materials that recap the search up to that point, including:
our findings regarding the organization’s and the position’s attraction to potential candidates;
a list of candidates that we recommend you consider for the position, including letters of interest and resumes;
a list of candidates that have declined to pursue the position or who we recommend should not be pursued;
a list of ad respondents, including letters of interest, resumes, and other background information; and
interview guidelines for Search Committee meetings with candidates.
At the Candidate Review Meeting, we will review the top candidates and the search process to date with the Search Committee, and hiring authority, if different, to determine which candidates should be invited to meet with the Search Committee. We may require administrative assistance to facilitate scheduling.
Should members of the Search Committee identify individuals on the shared lists who are not candidates, but should be, we can do that promptly because we always keep that door open. Our approach with candidates is to be respectful, first and foremost; in some cases this means giving them a sense of where their experience sits in relation to the rest of the candidate pool and helping them to map out how they could be a stronger candidate for a similar position in the future. Sometimes, however, candidates surprise us all. In a recent search, two of the three final candidates (including the finalist) did not fully meet every requirement that the Search Committee had originally outlined; the flexibility, energy, and time spent learning about the candidates and reciprocally, the candidates’ openness to exploring the opportunity brought much more diversity into that final candidate group.
phase IV
introducing top candidates
2 days
first round interviews
For most searches we recommend introductory meetings with candidates and the Search Committee. These initial meetings can be scheduled in whatever format best meets the needs of the organization. We have had successful experiences holding these initial meetings via video conference.
In general, first round interviews are approximately 45 minutes in length. We prefer to hold the interviews over the course of 1 to 2 days, much like we would if we were convening the Search Committee and candidates in person. We recommend including as many candidates as the committee wants to learn more about – generally between four and eight individuals.
phase V
finalist interviews
1 day per candidate
interview and recruitment
In person interviews can be scheduled quite shortly after the first round interviews. This is often not a normal experience for our client institutions and as such will require early and proactive communication - internally and to candidates during the process.
Immediately following the first round interviews, we recommend that the Search Committee discuss and invite the top two or three candidates for a more extensive visit. During this visit each candidate will meet with many stakeholders and future potential colleagues. This allows the organization to evaluate a candidate’s synthesized experience and potential over several meetings and allows candidates to assess the opportunity thoughtfully.
We will assist the hiring authority in arranging the visits and participate in the interviews. Frequently a part of this step is conducted in person. While remote work is a very attractive part of the eventual package, there are likely key people and spaces that should be introduced in person. We gained experience doing this hybrid model during COVID. We will require extensive help from the administrative team to carry out the scheduling and to present all of the candidates with a rewarding experience - bearing in mind that only one candidate can be offered the position at the end of this rigorous process. During this time, we will also work closely with you to gather feedback from stakeholders who engage with the candidates.
As the finalist visits wrap up, we conduct detailed reference checks (usually 4 to 6) on the top candidates. These checks cover all junctures of a person’s career, and all levels in the workplace – senior leaders, supervisors, peers, and direct reports. We often encourage the hiring authority to make a few of these calls themselves, particularly for the candidate to whom an offer is extended.
We can verify educational degrees and employment history, if desired.
At the conclusion of this work we will provide the hiring authority and/or Search Committee Chair with:
a summary of the credential check results, if performed; and
candidate reference documents.
We will also share the feedback from staff and stakeholder (preferably not anonymous) surveys with the Search Committee in an agreed upon format.
Using information from interviews and meetings, the Search Committee will recommend final candidates to the hiring authority, who will then select the candidate whose experience, capability, and personal characteristics hold the greatest promise for success. If desired, we will assist in employment and compensation negotiations.
transition and follow up
As the selected candidate transitions into their new role, we will communicate regularly with you and with them and help facilitate any questions or challenges as they arise. It is our aim to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible.