Client Bill of Rights

What can you expect when you choose to work with RPM Search Group? Great question. Because choosing an executive search firm is such a critical business decision with long-term impact on your organization, we want you to know what you get when you work with us.

Here’s what we’ll do for you:

1. RPM Search Group will provide clients with an accurate and candid assessment of its capabilities to perform your search.  The assessment includes our internal resources, knowledge of the function and industry in which the search will be conducted, and an understanding of the client’s cultural or regulatory environment.

Before agreeing to undertake any search, RPM will:

  • Verify we have the resources, time, and expertise
  • Disclose circumstances that may create actual or potential conflicts of interest
  • Define with you which part of the organization is the "client" (i.e. which subsidiary, division, etc.) and establish any off-limits provisions
  • Define the scope and character of the services to be provided and the fees and expenses to be charge

2. RPM will be forthcoming about the team that will service the client.

Clients will meet (via phone and/or in person) with the individual consultant and the team (is applicable) who will handle the search assignment. RPM will:

  • Provide full and open disclosure regarding the consultants performing the search and their ability to successfully handle the assignment
  • Disclose the resources the firm has available to support the consultant and team working on the project
  • Define the sourcing strategy

3. RPM will develop a thorough understanding of the organizations and its hiring objectives.

 Effective, successful searches require that RPM and the search consultant possess a deep knowledge and understanding of a client’s unique talent needs, organizational culture, customer strategy and regulatory challenges. In order to clarify search requirements, RPM will:

  • Confirm the client’s desired level and type of candidate experience
  • Identify the background, education and technical skills required
  • List responsibilities, interpersonal, behavioral, and other skills required for success
  • Capture the client’s diversity goals and document steps to achieve them
  • Identify the background, education and technical skills of the hiring leader and key constituents with whom the successful candidate interact

As trusted advisors, RPM will help you develop, modify and refine your understanding of the position to be filled, and explore the opportunities to acquire new skills and aptitudes that a vacancy might present.

4. RPM will provide a high-level consultative relationship.

At RPM, we seek relationships, not transactions with our clients. We work in partnership with our clients to help define the assignment, identify and evaluate candidates, assess talent using proven methodologies, and select those best suited through comprehensive, quality-assured search processes. Part of the consultative relationship requires that RPM:

  • Prepares a detailed profile and/or agreement that specifies roles and responsibilities; clarifies expectations, limitations, and restrictions; and anticipates conditions and situations that may evolve, and the appropriate responses to each
  • Agrees in advance that reference and background checks will be conducted and academic degrees verified, when they take place and who is responsible for conducting them
  • Delivers market research based on a specific talent profile and competitors’ market position and activities
  • Evaluates current recruiting strategies and provides new ones
  • Communicates the business case for diversity and shares best practices

5. RPM holds client information in strict confidence.

A successful executive search process requires that clients divulge highly sensitive information. RPM Search Group and its consultants treat any and all information with the utmost confidentiality while providing necessary information to candidates. To protect client interests, RPM:

  • Uses confidential client information exclusively for the purpose of conducting the assignment
  • Discloses client information only to those within RPM who are working on the assignment, or candidates who have a direct need to know
  • Never uses confidential information for personal gain
  • Never provides information to third parties for their personal gain
  • RPM Search Group adheres to the AESC Code of Professional Practice and Standards of Excellence and has made a commitment to protecting client and candidate confidentiality, preserving RPM’s integrity and that of the executive search profession.

6. RPM will provide clients with regular, detailed status reports of the progress of the search.

Depending on the position to be filled, the availability of talent, and a host of other factors, a successful search can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. To ensure effective, ongoing communication, RPM:

  • Shares the market response to the search
  • Identifies obstacles to finding or attracting candidates
  • Lists candidates being developed
  • Communicates openly if it becomes apparent that the search as defined cannot be successfully completed, and needs to be reevaluated or adjusted

7. RPM will present qualified candidates who fit the position and culture of the client organization.

RPM and its search consultants present a range of qualified candidates, and for each candidate RPM will detail and present:

  • Experience and achievements relative to the position to be filled including relevant key performance indicators
  • Education and background
  • Intellectual, interpersonal and motivation competencies
  • Personal strengths and weaknesses with respect to the position to be filled
  • Perceived cultural fit
  • Reference information and feedback
  • Interest in the position and remuneration and financial expectations

8. RPM will invest itself in the entire process and help you negotiate with the final candidate.

Once an RPM client has selected a final candidate, our consultant role evolves from that of search agent to negotiator and communicator. In order to best represent the client and increase the likelihood that the candidate will accept an offer, RPM:

  • Acts as client advocate and intermediary between client and candidate regarding compensation, benefits and other conditions of employment
  • Shares with the client any reservations or concerns the candidate may have
  • Helps the candidate to assess the opportunity
  • Works with both sides to create a "win" for everyone

RPM Search Group recognizes our behavior reflects directly on our clients, and can influence the likelihood that a candidate will accept the client’s offer.

9. RPM will provide the client with a clear understanding of any replacement policies and other unusual situations that may arise during and after a search.

RPM provides written explanation of our policy regarding possible outcomes. These include:

  • RPM's obligations and responsibilities to clients if a newly recruited professional leaves the client company for any reason within an agreed period of time
  • The client’s obligations to RPM should they hire a candidate presented during the current engagement for a position other than the assigned vacancy
  • The conditions under which RPM can withdraw from a client assignment or consider an assignment sufficiently changed to begin a new search
  • Conditions around which RPM is unable to fulfill an assignment after the search has begun

10. RPM will commit to follow-through.

As a trusted advisor, RPM’s responsibility does not end when the candidate accepts an offer. As a partner committed to client relationships, not transactions, RPM:

  • Assists with onboarding and integration if requested
  • Contributes to a smooth transition for candidates
  • Remains in communication with the new hire for a period of time for support
  • Determines with the client that a search is indeed concluded

How to Maximize Your Relationship with RPM Search Group

Now that you know what RPM can do for you, you may be wondering: what do we need to do to make sure we get the most out of our partnership with RPM? Because executive search is a specialized form of management consulting, retaining an executive search firm for an exclusive assignment is a strategic decision. In order to maximize the benefit of that relationship, you should:

  1. Select an executive search partner with tremendous care and diligence
  2. Set clear expectations and establish an understanding of the agreement with special attention to conflicts, restrictions, and other provisions
  3. Provide full and accurate information on the position and the organization
  4. Proactively address concerns during the course of the assignment
  5. Communicate fully, clearly, and openly

The competition for top executive talent is intense, and the stakes have never been higher. Companies are wise to choose exceptional firms at the top of the profession and should partner only with firms that are committed to professional excellence in executive search and leadership consulting: RPM Search Group. Contact us to get started today.