Objective:

The primary goal was to attract a highly qualified specialist with unique experience in international energy companies. The candidate needed to meet rigorous standards, including specific technical expertise and certain personal qualities.

Challenges in the Search:

The process of searching for and selecting the final candidate took 6 months. From the outset, we faced a series of challenges:

• The narrow talent pool required us to identify candidates with particular experience in major international energy companies, resulting in a candidate market of only about 15 individuals who met the client's criteria.
• There was a low motivation among candidates to change jobs and relocate. Many candidates showed little interest in moving to a remote region, necessitating our focused efforts on understanding and enhancing their motivations. For instance, one key candidate was already well-established in Moscow and had no plans to relocate to the Far East.
• Protracted negotiations were another challenge. Despite the complexity and duration of discussions, our team provided support at every stage of interaction with candidates and the client, effectively aligning their interests and expectations.

Approach to Solution:

To address these challenges, we took several strategic steps:

1. Firstly, we conducted a thorough analysis of the motivations of the preferred candidate. This involved a series of detailed interviews to understand what would genuinely interest the candidate from a professional standpoint. We explored their career aspirations, personal ambitions, and factors that could influence their decision to relocate. It became evident that a crucial factor for one candidate was the opportunity to take on a significant strategic role in a major project.
2. Simultaneously, we engaged actively with our client to align their offerings with market realities, leading to adjustments in the motivational package. This included a revision of the compensation level (an increase of 15% from the initial offer), improvements to working conditions, and additional bonuses, allowing us to create a tailored proposal for the candidate.
3. During the preliminary offer stage, the candidate initially declined due to unsatisfactory conditions. However, we did not relent. We held additional consultations with the client to modify the proposal based on the candidate's feedback, introducing significant changes such as covering relocation costs for the family and providing housing at the work location.
4. To further enhance the candidate's appeal, the client developed a new motivational scheme that included both financial and non-financial incentives, such as opportunities for professional growth, training, and development, making the offer more attractive overall.

Outcome:

After extensive negotiations and careful refinement of the motivational proposal, we successfully aligned the positions of both the client and the candidate, facilitating the recruitment of a highly qualified specialist to the client's team.

This case study illustrates how our deep engagement and personalized approach can address even the most complex talent acquisition challenges. We don't merely fill vacancies; we create unique conditions for long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships between our clients and candidates.

Case Prepared by: Pavel Nedobuga