Imagine your television breaks down. Or your combi-boiler? Or your computer?
Where do you look for someone to fix things?
Well, there are several places to go – foremost of which are a plethora of “all things to all men” directory sites like the (now online version of…) Yellow Pages. Remember that big yellow book? Thousands of qualified professionals to choose from on hundreds of pages aye?
But what if you’re a company looking for a non-executive director, an expert in your field or sector – someone who has “been there and done that”? Or, looking at the other side of the coin, an established non-executive director with years of highly relevant experience (and a black book of contacts to die for!) in search of a company that fits the profile?
At the moment, there are obstacles in the way for both sides of that recruitment coin: recruiters with outstanding candidates often struggle to find the most suitable companies to place them with and then find themselves with dissatisfied clients; and companies are so nervous about the potentially high cost of using recruiters (often fees exceed £15,000!) that they use strategies such as ‘word of mouth’ or direct advertising. There are so-called “free” resources out there but how often do these free resources turn out to be an up-sell to premium or expensive “paid for” job adverts?
Indeed, for companies, both of these strategies contain potentially high, and costly, risks. Word of mouth, taking recommendations from friends who do not fully understand your business, sector or goals, is wholly dependent on trust. How much do you trust the source of the advice of the friend does not grasp exactly what your business is all about? And with direct advertising you don’t even have that to rely on. Applicants will understandably present themselves in the most positively glowing light. You more or less take their word for it, seek references and send for a small group for interview. And then what? The best interviewee gets the position, of course.
Which means only that the successful candidate is good at being interviewed.
Think about the recruitment process in terms of sifting flour. The object, in the old days, was of course to filter out not just the lumps in the flour, but other impurities as well – especially insects! These days, although most flour is fine with comparatively few of the problems of yesteryear, bakers still recommend sifting in order to prepare the flour, to aerate it and produce professionally prepared food.
Metaphorically speaking, it’s what recruiters are supposed to do, of course.
And yet… it doesn’t always run as smoothly as this!
There are, obviously, “market place” websites out there that allow companies to find potential non-executives or board advisors, but they are all weighted in favour of the hiring company – almost all do not allow the potential NEDs to have open, searchable profiles and where they are open and searchable, messages that are sent may be intercepted, leading to a steady flow of follow up calls, emails and more.
Now, VirtualNonExecs.com is building a worldwide directory of all established AND potential non-executive directors, chairs and trustees.
What VirtualNonExecs.com does over and above just connecting NEDs with companies:
It doesn’t just allow companies to find non-executives for free; it also allows a company to upload an executive vacancy at a fee it is happy with. Non-Executive Director members who are sector relevant then receive notifications and the member is then able to recommend previous contacts and ex-colleagues to these jobs with the company deciding who to interview – given extensive recommendations and notes supplied by the non-exec. The process is transparent and VirtualNonExecs.com takes no commission. The fee the member sees is the fee the company has uploaded. The two parties then connect and they run a normal recruitment process.
Why is this such an exceptional process to run when recruiting?
Non-Executive Directors have actually worked with the recommendations they put forward – a candidate due diligence that is simply unavailable to most recruitment firms who shortlist candidates based on submissions from advertised job adverts. Their so-called “due diligence” does not come from years of close working relationships and extensive career experience. And yes, the VirtualNonExecs.com member gets to generate significant income from their contact base – but companies get this access point and extensive candidate due diligence at a fraction of the cost of a traditional headhunter/recruiter. What is even better is that the company chooses the {contingent} fee they are willing to pay! Win: win.
What VirtualNonExecs.com offer:
- Hi-speed search and find of relevant non-execs/chairs/trustees
- Specialist sector experts with the right contact bases to help businesses appoint executive directors
- A completely free service to upload a non-executive director or get help with executive appointments at a contingent fee level you set and you are happy to pay a non-executive director for their personal recommendations
- A bank of useful guides on how to find NED work – from your first appointment to additional NED roles
- FREE 30 minute consultation with experts in the NED field – VNXD does not “sell” any training or other product than its full membership
- Full range of social media tools including video profile creation – attracting up to 1200% more social interaction and 400%+ more contact requests
- Your own dedicated page with an ever expanding range of job search and profile expansion tools
- Member benefits area including FREE webinar access
VirtualNonExecs.com is the future now. And it’s about time.