Investing in Big Hires: Weighing the Options

We welcome from Coconino County, Ariz., HR gurus and contributors, Erika Philpot, human resources director; and Rose Winkeler, deputy county attorney. Each month Philpot and Winkler will address common and critical HR questions from their "boots on the ground" perspective, while HR Doctor Phil Rosenberg continues his unique vision of the HR practice.

Your current county manager has just given notice. Whether this is a happy or disconcerting event, you are about to embark on a process full of opportunities. Yet you feel alarmed. How long will your recruitment of a new manager take? How much will it cost, in time, money and effort? Who knows how to do this important work?

When hiring a county manager, the first question is often “Can we do this ourselves or should we use a consulting firm?” Consulting firms can be costly. Yet, it is important to invest in the right recruitment decision. The wrong choice will have additional costs, not only in turnover and secondary recruitment, but in morale, time and leadership.

If you have well-experienced recruiters on your human resources staff, or other recruiters you can borrow from a larger jurisdiction, you might be able to do the process yourself. However, consulting firms offer many benefits.

First, they have a network of contacts, which creates a deeper applicant pool. This includes candidates who are not actively in the hunt for a job change, and might never have thought to apply if not for the consultant asking.

Such candidates generally are seeking an opportunity to make a difference, have great impact and tackle a new opportunity.

Second, the consultant’s network of contacts often includes “next-step” candidates, or candidates who are ready to take the next step to advance in their career. They may include deputy county managers or a county managers for smaller jurisdictions.

Third, using a consulting firm makes a recruitment process more transparent and candidate-neutral. This can be critical if there are several strong internal candidates and you want to ensure that the process does not appear to favor any particular candidate. Having internal candidates compete in a consulting firm recruitment gives them the recruitment experience, which is an opportunity to clearly outline the expectations of the position, as well as have them prove themselves.

If you decide to use a recruitment firm, the next question is how much work do you want them to do: partial or full recruitment? Most consulting firms offer the choice. In a partial recruitment, you receive all of the benefits of the firm’s “headhunting” network and contacts, and you conduct the second half of the recruitment yourself. This is the less expensive option.

In a full recruitment, the firm sees the recruitment through to the end, including the employment offer, and they provide a guarantee. Terms of the guarantee vary, but if the hire leaves employment within a designated period of time, the firm will conduct another recruitment at little to no cost.

In selecting between the two options of partial or full, it is important to consider several things. How important is the guarantee to the organization? How long have previous county managers stayed in the position? How deep is the local applicant pool? How difficult is relocation to the community?

If you decide to use a consulting firm, invariably, someone will ask the question: “What are we paying them for? We are still doing a lot of work.” Even with a firm, there will be a great deal of work for staff. Plan to name a liaison to work with the consultant. This person will ensure communication is clear and deadlines are met on both sides. The consultant will need names and contact information for panel members. They will need assistance scheduling meetings and posting legal meeting notices. There will also be changes to the advertising, edits to interview questions and refinements on process.

Things to Remember

● Details: Plan ahead and ask for a detailed timeline. It is very difficult to squeeze in an additional meeting or change dates, not just with the County Board, but for any outside interview panel participants. Discuss what compensation package you plan to offer a final candidate based on years of experience, budget constraints and the previous incumbent’s salary. Include any lessons learned from previous recruitment efforts.

● Screening: Ask how the candidates will initially be screened. Will they be individually interviewed? Will they participate in a panel phone or video conferencing interview? Some firms use technology to have the initial interview screening be recorded at the candidate’s convenience. Some counties want to have public meet-and-greet receptions for final candidates. Different options may have different costs.

●  Communication: Ask how the consulting firm will communicate on different topics. How often will they present their progress in person, versus on the phone or by email? How many people will be working on the recruitment? Do they answer questions after hours? Don’t forget to ask how many other recruitments the consultant will be assigned while working on your project. It is nice to know up front if you will be working directly with the consultant or with an assistant. Find out who will be talking directly to the candidates, as this person will be representing your county to the candidates.

So how long will it take? Plan on four to six months from the time the position posts until your new hire starts. Build some time into the process for some unexpected glitches.

Whatever route you choose, with a consultant or without, be certain the process reflects the culture, values and mission of the organization. The process should showcase the uniqueness of your county and its citizens.

Share with us — Send us feedback on a previous high-level recruitment. We would love to hear about lessons learned and successes. Shared ideas may be included in a future edition with your name and contact information to allow for reader networking. Send to: cnews@naco.org.