Situation
Search for a member of the management and a successor for the entrepreneur and managing director of a niche financial consultancy in Germany, founded in 1996.
The company provides women with independent investment and pension advise and motivates them to take these issues into their own hands, i.e. to show leadership in matters of their own finances. A topic which is also close to the heart of the entrepreneur and her 10 female employees.
The shareholder of the company is a family office. The managing director of the family office and the managing director of the consultancy are also the decision-makers for awarding the search mandate.
Negotiation, Search, Challenge
The initial contact resulted from a networking event and a recommendation. Now I had to convince the shareholder of my competence and professional experience as well as of the search process and had to conclude the exclusive fee contract.
By listening well, asking questions to understand the specific situation and the required profile of the ideal candidate, I was able to provide a structured description of the recruitment process, which included systematic, traditional but also digital elements and convince the client to entrust me with this special mandate..
The requirements for the sought after executive were very high and complex and it was clear that a successful search required, in addition to my profound consulting expertise, also leadership, empathy and moderation skills.
After definition of the position profile and close coordination with the shareholder and the managing director of the client, I started a Germany-wide systematic search process with my team for women with the seniority, the competence and passion for the topic and the personal qualifications such as commitment, persuasiveness, professional appearance, among others. The search focused on this profile at selected banks, family offices, independent financial service providers (IFA`s), other financial service providers.
During the search process there was a close coordination and exchange with the two client contacts about the status of the search and questions and feedbacks regarding certain profiles. This was followed by two rounds of interviews with candidates at which I was personally present. Once again, it turned out how important the presence of the personnel consultant can be at the first round of candidate interviews with the customer. Given that here two decision makers with different perspectives act and react, it is crucial to keep the balance in this decision process. Furthermore, the presence gives the possibility to clarify or prevent possible misunderstandings directly.
Result
Due to the broad and appropriate pre-selection and presentation of the candidates and the moderation of the interview rounds, the client finally decided on hiring two female managing directors for financial consulting. An experienced female financial advisor with a PhD who even moved to the company’s location for the position for the position and a younger candidate who was very business savvy and more familiar with digital tools and media. The combination not only helped the client decide on a successor, but also significantly expanded the consulting expertise and further aligned for the future.
Furthermore, the client subsequently hired another candidate as a partner for the family office.
Reference
“In addition, Ms. Mues-Walter was able to convince us due to her moderation competence and her natural leadership skills and empathy.”