Bio:

Established in 1989, DHR is the fifth largest retained executive search firm in the United States, and 10th largest in the world. As its presence has continued to broaden and encompass the globe, it has continued to be a fast-growth, innovative firm.

Headquartered in Chicago, DHR offers complete search services through nearly 50 offices across the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America. Its local and regional locations allow consultants to offer personalized service, while leveraging the firm’s global relationships.

DHR conducts search assignments at the Board Director, C-level, Vice President, and Director levels. Its search consultants are experienced professionals, typically with both extensive corporate senior management and executive recruiting experience, who are retained by Fortune 1000 companies as well as prominent venture firms and early-stage companies.

DHR is recognized as a quality-driven firm that exceeds expectations by actively listening to clients and consistently delivering results. This enables DHR to achieve and maintain long-term partnerships with its select client base.

The War For Talent: How One Leading Executive Search Firm Approaches It

By Larry Munson
Executive VP, DHR International, St. Louis

& Scott Harris
Executive VP, DHR International, St. Louis


In today’s highly competitive environment, companies throughout the world are competing to win the war for talent. Investing in the right executives is the most critical decision for every business. We believe that a company is only as great as those who lead it, and those who manage its critical elements. We also believe that an executive search firm can provide greater value to a client by becoming an extension of a client’s management team, focused on identifying and delivering excellent candidates who fit that client’s culture, and can make a near-term impact.

With our own business too, DHR is committed to recruiting the best talent in the world. We have attracted the most successful search consultants with cutting edge industry and functional expertise.


Strong Internal Collaboration
DHR is able to provide its clients with the most comprehensive expertise to complete each search successfully. This is made possible by our definitive market segmentation and strong collaboration across recruiting teams. These capabilities afford us significant domain knowledge and offer rapid access to the right candidates.

We have one of the highest researcher/consultant ratios in the industry, with no geographic restrictions. Our expansive global network is routinely drawn upon to identify all available sources, contacts and industry expertise.

These results are further enhanced by our Industry Practice Areas, which are as follows: Advanced Technologies, Board Services, Consumer Products & Services, Education, Financial Services, Healthcare, Industrial, Life Sciences, Media & Entertainment, Nonprofit, and Retail. Carefully selected team members are brought together from across the firm to maximize team results and minimize time.


Two-Year Guarantee
Our clients are served on a highly personal and professional basis. Above all, we will not sacrifice our quality, level of service, or commitment to our clients. We stand behind our quality with a powerful, but remarkably simple, guarantee. Should a candidate leave or be terminated within two years of the completion of the search, we will recruit another candidate for no additional professional service fee. Of course, as great as our guarantee is, it is seldom used.


20-Day Market Analysis
At 20 working days, we present our Market Analysis Report to our clients. This unique and confidential report contains a detailed profile on each of our most qualified candidates as well as a concise, yet detailed, written summary of each individual we have contacted during the course of the search to date. This valuable management tool enables clients to gain added insights into:

· The industry and marketplace overall as well as how the client is perceived.

· The competitive landscape, providing valuable information and perspectives.

· A compensation study revealing expectations in the marketplace.


Performance Metrics
DHR has integrated client-defined performance metrics to ensure that each search is carefully monitored from initiation through completion, and is on target to achieve significant milestones.

These performance metrics include timelines and scorecards to enable the search team to engage quickly and develop strong candidate flow, validate the initial search strategy early in the process, and facilitate regular communication with the client. The foundation of our firm is a high level of personal service, a strong dedication to quality, and our value-added approach. It is demonstrated by our unparalleled researching capabilities and timeliness in completing assignments.


Targeted Research
Our search team conducts a thorough market analysis to identify individuals who are contributing to the success of target organizations. This is accomplished through in-depth direct sourcing of target companies as well as organizational charts/mapping of competitive companies.

Launching an industry-first best practice, we have formed Knowledge Management teams segmented by practice area. These resources aid search teams by providing timely competitive intelligence during the recruiting process.

We dedicate vast resources and creativity to each assignment, adjust our approaches as needed in response to the market, and end up opening minds and attracting quality candidates.


Extensive Reach
Our select client base means we can recruit from a larger universe of talented candidates. Therefore, DHR presents a larger slate of qualified candidates in a shorter period of time. We are known as the “smallest large firm in the business.”


Technology
DHR utilizes proprietary technology that integrates project management and database functionality to support our search process. We employ best-of-breed technologies, online tools and databases to further our ability to effectively provide our clients with top candidates.


Summary
In summary, DHR has taken a highly proactive and thorough approach to retained executive search and the war for talent. The DHR approach has enabled us to find, typically very rapidly, highly qualified candidates who our clients want to hire because the candidates not only fit the position specifications but also fit the culture of the client.