The Unsuccessful Candidate: Maintaining Relationships Beyond the Initial Search

Visit any executive search firm’s website and you will see a great deal of emphasis on client relations. This is not to suggest these statements are superfluous. Retaining an executive search firm requires a substantial investment of an organization’s time, finances and trust. Search firms should be committed to providing clients with outstanding professional service and high-caliber leadership. However, these same standards are sometimes easily overlooked in dealing with candidates.

Most reputable retained executive search firms operate according to a clearly defined set of professional standards reflective of their ethical commitment. FaithSearch Partners is no exception. Our search standards document is the embodiment of the “FaithSearch Way.” This is a compendium of performance methods and measures for every phase of a search engagement – from pre-search meetings to post-search follow-up –that represents the industry’s best practices and our firm’s Christian commitment. We believe it is the latter that sets us apart from other firms. We are called to answer to a Higher Power, which motivates us to extend the same level of compassionate top-level service to all clients and candidates, regardless of their final placement status.

We understand that the majority of candidates considered during a search engagement will not be placed with our clients and many will be discouraged when we have to tell them the job they thought God was leading them to isn’t going to happen. We consider it an honor to have the opportunity to help these individuals discover God’s plan for their lives. “I believe the success of a firm does not necessarily rest on how we relate to our successful candidates, but rather how we treat the unsuccessful ones,” said Ed Fry, President/CEO.

We were reminded of this recently by a recent phone call from a previous CEO runner-up candidate who wanted to discuss the firm’s role in two leadership positions at his current hospital. “We are constantly inspired by the providential influence in all of our professional endeavors,” said Fry. “Maintaining meaningful relationships with unsuccessful candidates is not simply a business tactic, it’s a reflection of our core values.”