Cracking Confidentiality
At CXL, we undertake confidential hiring with utmost privacy, sealing off any potential cracks that might be in the communication to prevent potential leakage. But what if there is a leak?
We will investigate to see at which point the information found its way out of our job vault and through the chain of communication, and there can be many like a slip of the tongue in a conversation with someone outside of the hiring table, the scribbles on a notepad thrown into the bin, a casual chat with the colleagues over coffee or the external reference checker accidentally exposing the information. At the extreme levels, it could even be eavesdropping like how we suspect all social media platforms are spying on us through our mobile phones.
As a matter of corporate policy, we also assess our legal exposure and liability when a breach occurs. Another is we conduct all reference checks on our own without assigning the files to third-party providers. This is to doubly and triply safeguard the confidential assignment so any erroneous data leak is mitigated as best possible.
To take confidentiality to another level, we do not store the candidates resumes in our laptops or pen down our interview data to send it via email or text to the hiring managers. But the question is, how then are we to still pair candidates to the client successfully?
More about that later but first, let us address why hiring confidentially has a place in the market.
Foremost, and this would apply to large companies such as MNCs or public listed companies. Although considered the behemoths of commercial enterprises, they are nevertheless susceptible to market sensitivities. For example, if a high performing Chief Financial Officer is to leave for greener pastures to a competing peer in the market, this would undoubtedly trigger all the alarms in the office before sending shockwaves to the industry and also the stock price of the company. So in the normal order of day-to-day business, even if Mdm. Hotshot CFO is leaving tomorrow, it would not be made known until the exit is fully executed to ensure the ship continues to sail unperturbed. In the same way, this is also why some positions are never advertised on public job boards or mainstream news portals. Although as far as corporate strategy goes, some positions are advertised as only decoys or as a branding exercise.
But if suppose the news did get out from the tight grip of the hiring process, all hell would likely break loose and losing market capitalisation without an equal or better maverick to replace the same would only weaken the company. No company and definitely no hiring managers in the right position would allow something like this to happen.
In that sense, Confidential Hiring is usually the preferred modus operandi for Executive Search assignments that are fitting for Board appointments, C-Suite positions (CEOs, COOs, CFOs) and the critical financial roles of a company. Secondary C-Suite positions such as CTOs, CMOs and CHROs can also do with confidential hiring. The aim is of course to ensure the corporate targets are achieved, not just because Confidential Hiring is trending.
In terms of cost and value, CXL is arguably one of the most technologically advanced in the market as far as hiring using tech platforms is concerned. And no, we do not use only LinkedIn but complement the entire job hunt with a full suite of tactical approaches which involves 70% of personal touch. This includes personally attending to the client, the candidates, presenting the candidates to the client at a preferred location and time, “recording” the interview with photographic memory without sending it via email thereafter and still closing the job order when the right person is found, matched and hired.
MI-CXL: Fortune 500 Regional Director
Taking a real life job order as an example, a Fortune 500 client wanted to source for a Regional Director from four different countries – India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
Initially, we had an inkling that this could be an uphill task but after mapping out the strategy, we went about matching the details as meticulously as possible before shortlisting the candidates that fit the JD most. We then presented the shortlist to the client and followed up with organising the interviews. Candidates who were off locations were interviewed remotely.
From job requisition to completing the hiring, the process took just six weeks to complete. The eventual hire was a Singapore-based candidate hired by an employer domiciled in another country. Yes, even at this stage we have to honour our pledge for confidentiality.
How was this accomplished when it involves 4 different countries and more so when everything had to be conducted remotely?
The answer to this question and the question posed above is simple – relationship, experience and network.
