Case Study
"One-Stop Shopping" Yields More than 100 Candidates for National Organization

By Scott Smith

A major national biomedical organization needed to fill more than 130 specialized and
complex positions within one year.

Former Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Stan Davis realized the
recruitment challenge -- to hire the best qualified candidates for a large number of positions
in a short amount of time. Headquartered in a major metropolitan city, the high cost of
living and crime rates would also factor into a candidates' decision to relocate and accept a
position.

Working with a number of search firms may have achieved the overall goal, but it would
have been costly and potentially difficult to manage. As a result, the organization turned to
a firm that went beyond traditional recruiting and offered a more integrated recruiting
service.

"To get this job done right, and in an accelerated timeframe we needed a highly reliable
single source," explains Davis. In the past, Davis had worked with a firm that tailored its
recruiting services based on the client. A Phoenix-based company that provides solutions in
the areas of mid-level management recruiting, executive search and human resource
contract services considered the assignment.

Quickly realizing the sheer volume of jobs and the task of delivering quality people in one
year was not the only challenge; the firm knew someone would have to work on-site.
Operating as an internal force, the firm worked with a human resource department that was
not as adept at responding in a timely and efficient manner. The biggest challenge was
inner politics and consistently remaining on top of hiring leaders to interview and collect
feedback amidst organization change and various other priorities. The one-stop-shop
recruiting firm participated in the biomedical company's weekly meetings and updates, kept
a close working relationship with the senior HR leader in charge of the project, provided
compensation detail on candidates within the marketplace to combat lower salaries
expectations.

With three divisions, each dealing specifically with the focused requirements of their
clientele, the firm was able to develop an effective recruiting strategy that successfully met
the organization's needs. They started by examining the job positions and the three
divisions' areas of expertise. Key project leaders were strategically structured to oversee the
positions they would be successful in. For example, a certain team managed the technical
positions while another team handled all plasma positions that required heavy research.
Aligning personalities and expertise enabled the firm to do the job well.

An expert in the field of organizational development was provided by the Human Resource
Outsourcing Division that serves as a source for companies looking to supplement their
current human resources departments for short-term or extended assignments using
contracted HR professionals. Working on-site at the client's headquarters, one of the firm's
principals worked objectively with the management team to assess the managerial and
behavior competencies, creating a precise analysis for the client.

The Executive Search Division led the effort to fill critical leadership positions. The Sourcing
Division identified, screened and evaluated candidates from competitors, hospitals,
pharmaceutical companies and medical device firms. Working directly with the hiring
leaders, the firm was able to provide a steady stream of qualified candidates for
consideration.

"A real benefit of having all these services under one roof," explains Davis, "was the culture
of the organization transcended its three different operations and we knew we were
engaging people committed to producing a quality result in a very short timeframe."
Utilizing integrated recruiting services, the national biomedical organization successfully
hired over 130 candidates in seven months and received the most cost-effective service for
each placement. Davis' employer saved over $500,000 while still receiving the best possible
candidate for every position. In fact, every hiring leader responded to a customer survey for
every position and the over quality results were 4.8 on a 5.0 scale.

The HR community is being asked to get more and more involved in strategic issues.
However, at the same time they are under pressure to reduce the costs of providing HR
services. Many organizations must attract, retain, and develop exceptional talent to achieve
its strategic objectives. With margins declining, the truest competitive differentiator will be
the caliber of talent in their organization compared with that of their competitors.
As a result, HR departments who are exploring creative ways to align with integrated
recruiting services in their quest for top talent, will be positioned to win 'The War on Talent.'
A third party's insight is an asset to match the field of candidates not only to the job
requirements, but also to the business culture and operational character. By deploying the
right resources and experience a good recruiting consultant will provide companies with
experienced, unbiased operational and organizational insights.

Forming a strategic partnership as Stan Davis did, will ensure companies reach their goals
of reducing the costs of providing HR services as well as attracting, retaining and developing
talent to achieve its strategic objectives.

www.duffygroupinc.com.
email:ssmith@duffygroupinc.com