Nancy Neumann
Hong Kong Executive Search
Hong Kong
1. Promote and market your organization’s capability in handling international assignments through your NPA partnership network.
2. When you secure the job order, you have to determine how you wish to work this job order:
2.1. On an importer/exporter relationship (when the client is based in home country and looking for staff outside of home base).
2.2. On a referral arrangement (when the client is based outside of home country and your NPA partner has the charge to pitch the assignment, manage the client on-site, as well as source candidates). Here usually it will be up to the affiliates to negotiate an equitable fee split, usually 20/80 or 30/70 are the norm.
2.3. Work exclusively with one firm or a scattered gun approach. On retained searches, it is highly recommended to engage a qualified partner who is committed to the project.
3. Post the job order to SplitZone and email the job order individually to those consultants whom you identified as having the expertise to assist you in the project.
4. In the case of an exclusive working arrangement with one NPA firm, agree on the fee split and document such arrangement if it is not the normal 50/50 split.
5. For retained searches, agree with your NPA partner on timelines and milestones of the search including submission of progress reports. Communicate to your NPA partner your style of candidate presentation. If you want the candidate profiles/reports to be submitted according to a firm-specific presentation format, send your NPA partner a sample.
6. After you gathered your long list of candidates, arrange telephone interviews (mindful of the time difference between locations). On rare occasions, the importer may want to conduct video conferencing interviews.
7. Present the short list to your client and arrange telephone/video conference interviews between your client and the candidates.
8. Conduct reference checks on the finalists.
9. Offer accepted by candidate. Deal closed. Celebrate!
10. Importer submits placement report to NPA.
11. On receipt of client’s settlement, remit the exporter’s fee share and NPA brokerage via wire transfer as international checks can take a month to clear.