We are advocates for both you and the prospective candidates we put forward; after all, a successful outcome will be the right fit for both parties. Ours is a tailored process, of listening, understanding and forensic evaluation and assessment over a series of refining stages, from initial consultation to on-boarding and in-post support and development.
Click on the links below to read more about how we ensure you always place the right person in the right role.
Our starting point is to listen in order to develop a profound understanding of your business – its culture, organisational objectives, products, services, financial performance, market perception, competitive environment and position within your industry sector.We consult with key stakeholders to understand the role and its value to the organisation – the technical/capability requirements and responsibilities as well as the necessary emotional intelligence and interpersonal attributes required. We will then compile a detailed profile of the ideal candidate and agree delivery timescales.
Built over many years, our proven track record in the regions we serve, means we are uniquely positioned to leverage extensive talent networks and referrals to help you find the right people to give you the competitive edge. Because many of our engagements require unique skill-sets, we also have the value-added option of delving discreetly into a deep pool of ‘passive’ talent to find your exact match.Our reputation is built on integrity and trust. In the rare instance that we can’t find a suitable match, we’ll tell you. We won’t ever waste your time by puttiing forward someone who is unsuitable. In situations like this, we offer a range of value-added options, from online branded advertising to campaign microsites, that will extend the reach. These kinds of options are particularly beneficial for high-profile roles where you need to take a branded message about the organisation to the wider market to attract the right calibre of person.
Taking the time to build and manage relationships effectively is crucial for a successful outcome. Stage 3 is the flipside of Stage 1, where, this time, we listen carefully to our candidates, ensuring their career aspirations, work–life balance, personal development needs, technical capability, cultural fit and behavioural characteristics are clearly understood and align with any opportunities we discuss and share.We take the same rigorous approach in assessing, challenging and supporting candidates as we do with our clients, informing them of the application process and the timescales involved. The one thing the people we place appreciate above everything else is our communication – the fact that we proactively stay in touch.
We utilise a comprehensive range of sophisticated profiling and testing tools to give you the in depth and accurate insight to make the right decision. As part of a selection process these tools take you beyond a limiting and not always reliable past-performance-and-experience approach to a more holistic, accurate and predictive model that also profiles a candidate’s personality, emotional intelligence and interpersonal style. This kind of profiling can be an invaluable interview aid for developing questions that probe strengths and areas for development, too.Your specific context is our defining criterion. It is a proven approach that enables us to predict a prospective employee’s ability to adapt and develop within an organisation, ensuring a cultural as well as technical-capabilities-based fit. This is especially common practice for CEO, executive, director, senior management and other key strategic appointments.
Following evaluation, we will present the short-listed candidates, along with additional background information and consultant recommendations. As appropriate, we share our in-depth evaluation reports – detailing capabilities and competencies in relation to the ideal profile, their strengths, and potential for development. This enables you to probe any particular areas of significance or concern further, during interviews. After each interview stage, feedback is obtained and interest levels carefully monitored.
We will handle the verbal offer and acceptance process, followed up by written confirmation from your organisation. In a candidate-led market where competition for the best talent is fierce, our extensive experience in promoting offers to prospective appointees can make the difference between acceptance and rejection. As your representative, our role is to provide a sounding board for candidates and resolve any outstanding issues or concerns. It is at this stage that references are thoroughly checked. Our in-depth market knowledge means we are uniquely placed to advise on an equitable remuneration and benefits package as part of the contractual negotiations.
Working with fast-growing start-ups and SMEs to large corporates and public-sector organisations, we offer our partners a breadth and depth of industry experience and insight across a range of sectors and organisational structures that bring an objective clarity to the most complex of people-search challenges.
Seymour John demonstrated a real empathy with our organisation. Maria Edwards took time to listen to what we needed and created a recruitment plan that ultimately gave us a good range of quality candidates. As Director, Maria was in touch throughout the process and was always available to deal with our queries. Our search has found us an individual that was an ideal match for the organisation.
Richard Hughes
Chief Executive, Awen
Seymour John have been a great help during the busy start-up phase at Optimum Credit. Darren Richards has done an excellent job in helping us find high calibre compliance candidates for both permanent roles and fixed-term contracts.
Simon Merry
Head of Conduct & Compliance, Optimum Credit Ltd
My experiences of Seymour John have been both rewarding and successful, through delivering a professional and quality executive search portfolio. A delivery focused organisation with clients’ interests at the core of their business. I look forward to working with you more in 2015.
Adrian Clarke, COO, Rowan Dartington
COO, Rowan Dartington
The quality and potential suitability of all candidates was a testament to Michelle’s clear understanding of our situation…. Seymour John will now be my first point of call should we need to recruit in the future.
Gareth Haynes
Finance Director, Bowers Jones
I found the service and communication from Seymour John to be professional and thorough throughout the whole process. Lee did a great job of getting to the detail of what my business was looking for. Highly recommended.
Phil Burrows
Chief Executive, Apollo Home Healthcare Limited
Finding a new Chief Executive to replace me on my retirement was going to be a major task. Fortunately, having become aware of Seymour John’s expertise in this field, the appointment process couldn’t have gone more smoothly. Maria took great care to understand our business and the type of person we were looking for and from start to finish we were looked after in a highly professional way. Maria provided us with a range of high quality candidates and we were able to find the right person to fill the position. From advertising the position to appointing the successful candidate only took a little over two months. I would highly recommend Seymour John’s services.
Huw Cooke
Chief Executive, WHA (Welsh Hospitals & Health Services Association)
I have used Seymour John to assist me to find both permanent and contract staff at a number of organisations. I’ve also been helped by Seymour John to find contract work myself. These interactions have all been handled extremely professionally. Emlyn and Mark have both taken the time to fully engage with me on any appointment, and provide insightful feedback when needed.
Richard Webb
Chief Compliance and Conduct Officer, Principality Building Society
I am delighted with the results that Maria and Seymour John have delivered during our search for a Senior Finance Manager at Swansea Building Society. She understood both us as a business and how the new appointment would add value and play a key role in our future success. She was able to provide insightful information on the availability of relevant candidates in the market, her thorough understanding of our requirement fully assured me that her recommendations would be of the right calibre.
Maria’s ability to identify and attract suitable candidates has proved to be invaluable and I was presented with a highly credible shortlist at interview stage. I look forward to working with Seymour John in the future and would recommend them to anyone looking to recruit for specialist finance roles.
Alun Williams
CEO, Swansea Building Society
Darren at Seymour John has been a pleasure to deal with throughout our most recent recruitment process. Personable and professional, he has recommended high quality candidates and ensured the process has been smooth for all parties. I have been very impressed by Seymour John, and look forward to continuing to work closely with Darren and the team in the future.
Michelle Pearce
Chief Investment Officer, Wealthify
Seymour John have taken the time to understand our business and our needs and understand the importance of candidates sharing our company values. I would not hesitate in using Seymour John or recommending them to others with recruitment needs.
Mike Kerridge
Client Accountant, Carter Jonas LLP
