FAQ

There are many reasons and some will apply more to some nonprofits than to others, but they include:

• When it is not cost effective for you (or your employees) to deal effectively with the process yourself.
• When you need to ‘tap into’ a stronger field of candidates than you might identify yourself.
• When you need to preserve anonymity or confidentiality.
• When you need to approach candidates directly.
• When you would like to secure a higher profile reach.
• When you want to ensure that you do not have to deal with the cost of an unfilled opening.

Mission Talent Recruitment specializes in the recruitment of executives from the nonprofit sector and the UN system.

There are 7 reasons why you should consider the services of Mission Talent Recruitment. This is our client ‘Executive Advantage’.

• Mission orientated: Founded by nonprofit professionals, we appreciate the importance of considering your unique organizational culture when recruiting.
• Networked: Our global recruitment networks and research skills result in better candidates, faster searches, and filled openings.
• Diverse: A diverse workforce is a key to impacting social change. We are committed to promoting diversity throughout the nonprofit sector.
• Professional: The recruitment process is conducted by highly experienced well-travelled professionals allowing your employees to be productive in their jobs.
• Capacity building: We are here to build the capacity of your organization — not see rapid turnover.
• Integrity: We make honesty, integrity and professionalism the core principles of our business
• Affordable: Our service fees are designed to be flexible and cost-effective.

Serving the nonprofit sector is not just a business for us. It’s our mission. We understand that the field of international NGOs, large nonprofits, and the UN needs specialization because the nonprofit field is such a broad sector. And that sector can be categorized further into:

• Charities/NGO’s
• UN/international development
• Museums, galleries, & libraries
• Education
• Boards
• Trusts & foundations
• Government/Public sector
• Health & human services
• Volunteerism & civil society
• Sporting administration
• Religious administration
• Climate change & the environment
• Professional & trade associations

Mission Talent Recruitment specializes because we want to know our market and because we want to ensure our services are never overstretched. As an executive search agency with nonprofit and UN expertise we help you determine an executive candidates' ability to handle the complex strategic challenges facing your organization now and in the future.

Mission Talent Recruitment recognises that it is better to ‘add value’ to our searches. We not only save you money by ensuring that organizations find the right match in a new hire, thus preventing high turnover and the costs of a vacant executive position, we also offer the following 2 key items:
A guarantee
We guarantee the professionalism of our recruitment process to ensure the quality of the candidates we place. In the event of a candidate proving to be unsuitable due to unsatisfactory performance within 5 months of commencement, we will recruit a suitable replacement with no additional consulting cost. However, if further advertising is required this cost would be to the client's account.
A fresh approach
Mission Talent Recruitment distinguishes itself from the current culture of the recruitment industry through our ‘Executive Advantage’:

• Mission orientated: Founded by nonprofit professionals, we appreciate the importance of considering your unique organizational culture when recruiting.
• Networked: Our global recruitment networks and research skills result in better candidates, faster searches, and filled openings.
• Diverse: A diverse workforce is a key to impacting social change. We are committed to promoting diversity throughout the nonprofit sector.
• Professional: The recruitment process is conducted by highly experienced well-travelled professionals allowing your employees to be productive in their jobs.
• Capacity building: We are here to build the capacity of your organization — not see rapid turnover.
• Integrity: We make honesty, integrity and professionalism the core principles of our business
• Affordable: Our service fees are designed to be flexible and cost-effective.

Mission Talent Recruitment’s unique executive recruitment process is built on many years of experience within the nonprofit sector and the UN, backed by a range of advanced technology tools and executive recruitment resources.

Search consultation – listening and understanding
Every assignment begins with a client consultation where the unique requirements of your search are packaged in a detailed specification. Our dedicated executive recruiter stays with you throughout the entire process. A completion date is agreed upon (we carry out the majority of our searches in three to four months). Then we adapt the search based on your specifications.

Search implementation – an informed process
The next stage begins with Mission Talent Recruitment being accountable for the following 5 steps:

• Research: We find people who are not only outstanding professionally but see working with your organisation as an attractive opportunity. And Mission Talent Recruitment finds these people using leading innovative, technology assisted solutions. Based on what you have told us, combined with our own experience, we will look for people who can do the job as you’ve described it. We troll our various databases and review our national and global networks for those who can lead us to qualified and interested candidates/candidate referrals.Mission Talent Recruitment then follows-up the various leads. Before submitting any names to you, we will qualify prospective candidates on the phone.
• Advertising: Advertisements are placed in targeted media. Mission Talent Recruitment has developed a range of proven techniques to enhance the impact and effectiveness of its advertising and to maximise the inquiry rate from quality candidates.
• Shortlisting: Mission Talent Recruitment has the experience and resources to ensure that only quality candidates meeting your expectations are recommended on a shortlist.
• Interview and assessment: When your main goal is to appoint the best person for the job, we believe it is essential to carry out rigorous competency-based interviewing. All shortlisted candidates may (if requested by the client) undertake in-depth psychological appraisals to profile their personal qualities and to determine how well they will fit the position and your organisational culture. Testing costs will be charged to the client.
• Background and reference checks: As a mandatory part of the process, exhaustive reference checks are conducted on preferred candidates. These aim to identify reasons why candidates should be eliminated from consideration, rather than justification for giving them the job.

This is a collaborative process. The executive search consultant ensures that the recruitment methods are detailed to the client; that the right test methods and reference checks are selected and agreed; and that the client's interview and decision making process is clearly understood.

Search completion - satisfying all requirements
For our clients, the recruitment lifecycle starts from the point of need and finishes when they have a productive and integrated employee. Matching the client’s needs with the job seeker’s needs is thus vital. To assist with organizational fit, Mission Talent Recruitment takes the time to understand the needs of both parties.

Finally, we conduct a client satisfaction survey after every search.

At the same time, we are so confident in the professionalism of our recruitment process to ensure the quality of the candidates we place that we guarantee it. In the event of a candidate proving to be unsuitable due to unsatisfactory performance within 5 months of commencement, we will recruit a suitable replacement with no additional consulting cost. However, if further advertising is required, this cost would be to the client's account.

Offering complete transparency in fees charged with no ‘hidden' charges is one of the strengths of Mission Talent Recruitment. Providing three service options tailored to individual client needs is another.

Option 1: Retained
Mission Talent Recruitment will charge at a rate of 10% of each successfully placed candidate's annual gross remuneration (i.e. gross salary plus the value of other compensational benefits including guaranteed incentives, commission and allowances). The client pays a retainer fee to have Mission Talent Recruitment perform a search. A portion (2%) of the overall search fee is paid upfront and is paid whether or not a placement or hire is made. The remainder of the payment is due upon our successful placement of an executive candidate that meets your requirements. The benefit to you in selecting this option is that you pay a lower overall fee.

Option 2: Contingency
Mission Talent Recruitment will charge at a rate of 14% of each successfully placed candidate's annual gross remuneration (i.e. gross salary plus the value of other compensational benefits including guaranteed incentives, commission and allowances). The payment of the fee is contingent upon our successful placement of an executive candidate that meets your requirements. In other words, there will be no fees paid unless you hire a candidate presented by Mission Talent Recruitment. Therefore, we place the profitability of Mission Talent Recruitment on the success of the executive search. The benefit to you in selecting this option is you pay only if Mission Talent Recruitment finds the executive candidate you hire.

Option 3: Special situations
If you have special circumstances we are happy to negotiate a fixed fee for a particular assignment. Our fees are more than competitive in the executive recruitment marketplace and are commensurate with the level of involvement required for each search. At the same time, it is not all about the fee. The focus of Mission Talent Recruitment is to help your organization succeed by building its capacity. We understand the nonprofit sector and have your best interest at heart.

For an executive or development positions the full recruitment process typically takes three to four months. Harder-to-fill positions with fewer potential applicants can take a little longer.

The delineation between the two is fading as more and more retained recruiters supplement their income with contingency based searches.

Contingency Recruiter
A Contingency Recruiting Agency does an executive search on a contingency basis for an organization. The recruitment agency is paid upon a successful hire/placement. The recruiter is responsible to do the initial recruiting, screening and interviewing. The contingency recruiter will also arrange interviews with the candidates for the client. The organization pays either a flat fee or a percentage of the first year’s salary. Traditionally, the candidate does not pay a fee.

Retained Recruiter
A Retained Agency is similar to a contingency recruiting agency in that the client pays the fees. The main difference of a retained recruiting agency is that the client pays a retainer fee to have that organization perform a search. A portion of the overall search fee is paid upfront and the remainder is due upon a successful hire. The initial retainer fee is paid whether or not a placement or hire is made.

Mission Talent Recruitment is flexible with a fee structure to meet your needs.

The nonprofit sector has great challenges yet offers great rewards. These sectors develop stakeholders not shareholders. You can apply your business skills as a talented executive in the nonprofit or humanitarian sector for the benefit of human advancement rather than increasing company profits. It is an opportunity for you to work for a mission, and make a real difference to the lives of others on a local, national, or even global level.

The results of philanthropy are always beyond calculation.
Miriam Beard

In more difficult economic times old truisms such as value for money and quality lasts longer come to the fore. At less than 15% in fees Mission Talent Recruitment believes it is offering real value for money for global executive searches across all NGO, nonprofit and UN positions. In fact, we specialise in the difficult to find candidate. We provide personalised and very targeted service throughout the search process at a time when similar percentages are being requested by online competitors. But the quality of the work of Mission Talent means that the client’s staff can focus on other tasks or duties rather than spending weeks researching for the elusive candidate that one want to become a real asset for the organization. Newspaper and online advertisements will provide quantity not quality.