Research: The Firm Foundation for Extraordinary Executive Search

Explore Dise & Company’s Population Health Executive Recruitment Experiences through the eyes of their Expert Researcher, Dori Lieber

Matching the best candidates for any executive position is not a simple process. Each new opportunity is an exciting journey of research, interaction, recommendation, and resolution. 

Once Dise & Company has been selected to conduct an organization’s executive recruitment, my intensive research begins. Locating and qualifying outstanding candidates means digging beneath superficial attributes and qualifications to determine whether the individual meets our client’s needs at every level.

Dise & Company is actively engaged recruiting in the Population Health Management (PHM) field, one of our placement categories that I find fascinating. Because it’s a relatively new field, understanding the roles and functions in population health is fundamental to our recruiting success. PHM is a discipline that endeavors to lower healthcare costs in groups by bringing together multiple health information technologies, analysis, and patient records to create actionable clinical choices and reduce healthcare costs.

Population Health Management is gaining notable strength as an option to improve healthcare at lower cost. Recruiting for this discipline requires searching for candidates with very specific skill sets that may include management experience, a working knowledge of the medical field and an understanding of the intricacies of information technology.  In some cases candidates must be practicing physicians, too.

Importance of Research

To be successful in recruiting, I believe two elements must be present.

• First, a successful executive recruiter must have passion for the work.  It’s too hard a profession not to be “all in.”
• The second essential element is the drive to dig deep when conducting the extensive research that pinpoints the client’s needs.

Intense research is the key to successful recruiting.

Sharing Expectations

In my experience, meeting search expectations requires first delving into and understanding the organization’s culture. While a job description addresses professional, educational, and experiential expectations, further investigation of the company culture is also necessary.

Discussing expectations and experiences with the executive team, peers of the position and subordinates will paint the clearest picture of the environment and conditions of the position. In-depth discussions uncover critical elements like management style, business pace, and communications protocol. How success is defined and even the culture of the working atmosphere can shape the parameters of the search. This evaluation allows me to identify the less measurable expectations for the position.

Creating Candidate Requirements

When any search begins, every recruiter employs their network of contacts and methods of searching for candidates. In all industries, there are experienced candidates in similar positions who are looking for a new challenge. Moreover, there are less experienced candidates with outstanding skill sets who may be looking for an opportunity to stretch their talents. Thirdly, excellent candidates can come from different backgrounds, yet demonstrate proven management success with similar responsibilities. Also, social networks such as LinkedIn have become increasingly important recruiting tools as well.

Assessing Potential Candidates

After developing a slate of interested, qualified candidates, the next research step is to obtain evaluations and referrals for each. This research leads to querying professional organizations and other professionals within the individual’s scope of contact. Besides the candidate’s professional reputation, I seek to learn to learn as much as I can about the personality and personal reputation of the candidate. It is important to flag negative feedback for further discussion to determine if the concern is a real or contrived.

Refining the List

Once the research of each potential candidate is complete, matching the individuals to the client’s expectations and culture comes next. The candidate list is boiled down to a slate of six to eight for closer review. Each finalist is carefully interviewed to ensure he or she meets our client’s requirements and that I’ve obtained all required information. I also must determine how easily and quickly a candidate can transition to the new position if it is offered.

Presenting the Candidates

At this point, the remaining candidates will interview with our client. If each of these levels of research and follow-up has been successful, the client will find the right match for their organization.

Key Quality: Passion for Research

Dise & Company has one of the highest close rates in the recruiting industry thanks to our extensive research process. Not limited to domestic sourcing only, Dise & Company searches international markets as well to find the right candidates for our clients.

In summary, research is critical at several points in the process. Successful recruiting can be defined by the depth and accuracy of the research at each step in the process. Whether we are conducting a population healthcare search for a healthcare system, a CEO search for a manufacturer, or an executive director for a professional society, a passion for what we do is the most important element.

Learn how Austin Powder relies on Dise & Company search-after-search by downloading the case study.