Our client is a World leader in the provision of telecommunications modelling and regulations software. Many of the World’s telecoms regulators and major telecoms network operators use its software. Many rely on its consulting services.

The firm needed one telecoms consultant to bolster its UK consulting group and a second consultant with a commercial bent to lead business development.

Our client had very specific needs. As a specialist, its staff needed very specific domain knowledge and skills. In such cases, the only viable approach to candidate search was headhunting.

As the Managing Director commented, “We needed to recruit engineering consultants with understanding of the architecture of planning and modelling hardware and software used by regulators, network operators and systems integrators. It’s a very specialist area. We also needed people with, or able to attain, UK security clearance.”

The search activity began by drawing up comprehensive job descriptions and from that comprehensive person specifications. The person specifications detailed precisely the competencies and behaviours needed by the two jobholders. To aid the selection process, ideal personality profiles and general mental ability statements were built.

From the profiles of the ideal jobholders, the search criteria were developed.

Headhunting then involved following leads across the labour market, identifying specific people who could do the jobs and approaching them. Before long, several viable candidates had been identified for each job.

As the MD commented, “We knew TimelessTime’s competence in technology search and their background in dealing with telecoms and with the military. We could be sure that TimelessTime understood our requirement.”

But it’s one thing to identify candidates and another to persuade them to apply. Many were happily employed and reluctant to move. TimelessTime also advised on the likely offers that would attract candidates.

Ultimately, TimelessTime was able to offer ideal candidates for each role and offers were made.

As the MD went on, “We were pleased to have one new hire in-post within about four months and another offer made. And the new hires were able to contribute almost immediately to the business.”

Hiring in specialist segments and sectors is difficult. Search activities must target specialists and specialists don’t typically register on jobs boards.