The simplest answer would be to save time and money. Most clients agree that time is money and through utilizing a recruiting firm much of the legwork is eliminated in locating the most ideally suited candidate for the position. On the contrary, for an employer to advertise a position, sift through stacks of resumes, contact the most appealing candidates, arrange interviews, physically meet with several candidates, check references, extend an offer, hope it is accepted and pray that the candidate does not accept a counteroffer is obviously very time consuming. Also, the employer is only viewing candidates who are actively seeking new employment. The most highly qualified candidates are not always actively looking for a new position, but will gladly entertain new opportunities if approached and the positions are correctly presented to them. Therefore, an employer is handcuffed out of the gate with either a print ad or internet posting in that he or she is only receiving resumes from one channel; candidates who are actively seeking a new position. These candidates represent a narrow part of the available labor pool and often times are not the most desirable individual for the position.

In order to open every door on a job search and view the greatest variety of worthwhile opportunities, it is imperative that a candidate utilizes a well-regarded recruiting firm. It is a well-known fact the vast majority of companies use recruiting firms to locate the most talented individuals for vacant positions. Merely responding to classifieds or networking through business associates limits the selection process substantially and may not yield as desirable a position as one found through a recruiting firm. Even more importantly is the fact that a recruiter will represent the candidate to the client company throughout the hiring process. This is essential because of the invaluable assistance a knowledgeable AE can offer in terms of guidance throughout the process as well as negotiating the terms of the agreement if an offer is extended. Working with an experienced AE, who offers counseling both before and during the job search process, provides the candidate with additional input from a professional who can act as a conduit of information and assist the candidate in interpreting this information. In the case of a job search, two heads are definitely better than one.

If you are a prospective client, then your interests should be in finding a recruiting firm that has expertise in your field and with the types of positions you are seeking to fill. You should also be seeking a recruiting firm that values your time and listens to your needs. At CarterMacKay, we pride ourselves on being able to listen well, share our views when appropriate, and locate the proper talent for our clients in a timely manner. We value our clients’ time, as well as our own, and will only present the most highly qualified candidates for review. We strictly adhere to the axiom “quality instead of quantity.”

If you are a prospective candidate working within an industry that CarterMacKay services, than we can be your representative, similar to a sports agent for professional athletes. We will consult with you as to your needs in finding a new position and then execute based on a mutually agreeable game plan. Having an in-depth knowledge of the industry you are looking within will enable us to market you to the most highly regarded companies in a way that lends tremendous credibility to your background. When we locate a position that measures up to your needs, we will then aggressively represent you, making certain that you are aware of the client’s interests and concerns and ultimately advise you as to whether or not we believe the match to be a mutually beneficial one. We will handle the financial negotiations making certain that you are well compensated for your efforts in the new position.

CarterMacKay uses thoroughly modern techniques in screening the candidates we represent to our clients. Candidates who are local to one of our offices are met with for a face-to-face interview. Candidates who are remote are interviewed over the telephone or met with at industry trade shows. It is important for us to understand the motivating factors for change. This is accomplished by first going over the candidates’ employment and educational history and then subsequently delving into the candidates’ most recent position. Performance throughout the candidate’s employment and educational career are critical. We are firm believers that history can and will predict future success. Many clients view team players as highly desirable and our interview process enables us to determine if the individual is willing to embrace the team concept. True leadership skills are very important, particularly to young, rapidly growing companies and our line of questioning addresses this issue as well.

Many of our clients work with us on an exclusive contingency basis. This is a hybrid approach that is quite literally the “best of both worlds” for both parties. In a traditional contingency search, the recruiting firm is in competition with other firms for a fee that is earned upon the placement of a candidate with the client. The client is dealing with several firms who are presenting candidates of varying qualities and frequently there is overlap with two or more recruiting firms representing the same candidate. Dealing with the barrage of phone calls, arbitrating which recruiting firm has first referral and ultimately spending more time screening resumes and interviewing more candidates than is necessary, leads to squandered time. In a retained search, the client selects one recruiting firm and pays a portion of the agreed upon fee in advance, with the balance paid upon completion of the search. The benefit is that the recruiting firm has control over the search process by being the only firm dealing directly with the client and this enables more effective management of the client’s time. Fewer candidates are presented to the client, so therefore less time is tied up interviewing, which enables the client to spend more productive time with his or her primary responsibilities.

The importance of the “hit ratio” is simple to explain, but critical in choosing the right recruiting firm to utilize. Thorough screening is essential in the selection process of candidates we refer to our clients. To properly justify the utilization of a recruiting firm and the associated expense, the firm must be able to produce a select group of highly qualified candidates to meet with the client. We pride ourselves on being able to refer a minimal number of candidates to our clients, yielding a high rate of job offers. It is not unusual for our AE’s to refer two or three candidates to a client and have the client feel comfortable in extending an offer to one of the candidates. This approach saves time and makes the hiring process an easier, more enjoyable one. While our preference is to earn our fee by eliminating the vast majority of prospective candidates from our presentation list, we take direction from the client. If the client feels more comfortable in interviewing a larger number of individuals for a given position, then we will do our best to accommodate his or her wishes and screen a greater pool of candidates to yield the desired number.

There are two approaches to uniting candidates with clients. The first and most commonly used method is client driven. With this approach, the Account Executive solicits both established and new clients and upon receiving a new position, proceeds by matching it with candidates in the database. The second approach, which we utilize extensively, is to market the candidate to prospective clients. Because CarterMacKay has been in business since 1970, we have established relations with many clients who contact us when their recruiting needs arise. However, we are very pro-active in securing new clients as well. When contacted by a candidate, who is in search of a specific opportunity, we will check our database of client companies to find a suitable match and discretely market the candidate’s background to the appropriate parties. If a highly qualified candidate contacts us and we have no current opportunities of interest, then we will carefully market the candidate to prospective clients in an attempt to solicit new positions specific to his or her needs. Sometimes the process of securing a new position requires more time and patience than initially expected. However, since we want the candidate to step into a career enhancing position, we believe it is in their best interests to allow us the time to research and locate the correct opportunity for them.

If you are a prospective candidate seeking to utilize our services to find a new position, simply go to our Resume Submission page and e-mail or fax your resume to the office geographically closest to where you live or if seeking to relocate, the office closest to the desired location. Your resume will be given to one or more of our Account Executives by our administrative staff and the initial contact will be made with you.

If you are a prospective client, the most convenient way to initiate contact with CarterMacKay is to go to our Conduct a Candidate Search page and submit a position. You will be contacted by the AE specializing in your industry. If you are seeking to determine if CarterMacKay is the appropriate recruiting firm to fulfill your personnel needs, you may go to our Info page and contact our nearest office. You will be connected with the appropriate AE who services your industry. With either approach, the AE will listen very carefully to the job description, take notes, ask questions, make suggestions and then formulate a game plan that he or she will execute with your approval. In all likelihood, the AE will have recruiting experience within your market, which will provide you with a very comfortable feeling about his or her potential for success in fulfilling your needs. After thoroughly discussing the position, the AE will search for candidates that fit the job description and then narrow the group down to a select few. The AE will present only the most highly qualified candidates to you and subsequently arrange meetings with those of interest. We will work patiently with you throughout the interviewing and hiring process, providing you with reliable candidate feedback, offering suggestions when desired and help you construct the appropriate financial package when the time arises to generate an offer. Please remember that we are a specialized firm and if after discussing your needs with you it is determined that CarterMacKay cannot properly handle the assignment, we will explain why and make an effort to refer you to a firm that is better suited to the project than we are.