Orion Group bridges recruitment talent spotting with close ties to Scottish sport

Robert, a left hander from Oban, has had a tremendous run of success on the European Tour this year, including a second place in the Made in Denmark event in May and more recently, an incredible top five finish at The Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.

Finding Robert MacIntyre has parallels with the recruitment processes and executive search assignments that Orion Group carries out for clients – identifying not only the talent but someone who is ready for a challenge and who will fit with, and properly represent, a company’s brand and values.

Orion Group works hard to identify exceptional talent.  For an insight we spoke to Matthew Clark, Regional Director of Orion Group’s Permanent and Interim recruitment divisions in the UK and also Managing Director of its specialist Executive Search division.

Q: Could you give us an insight into the process of recruiting at various levels for organisations?

“The first thing we do is ensure that we meet the hiring manager and the key decision makers within the organisation to map out the skillsets and experience required for each role. It’s very important that we get a full understanding of the job brief before we do anything and it’s also equally important that we get under the skin of the company to get a real feel for the culture. At this stage, it’s also important to rein in and manage expectations. It’s a highly candidate driven market at the moment and candidates are more passive in their job search than they ever have been. The perfect candidate who ticks all the boxes is extremely rare or is very difficult to engage and attract. We work out the ‘must-have’ attributes, then begin the work to find candidates that match the desired specification.”
Whenever possible and depending upon the type of business we are recruiting for, there are occasions when we will spend a day on site with the employer which enables us to be a true partner when searching for senior individuals to join their business. 

"Given the seniority of roles at executive level, there is often a high level of business sensitivity surrounding each assignment.  This can lead to the recruitment process being highly confidential for a variety of reasons. There have been many cases when we haven’t been in a position to disclose the name of the employer until the very last minute, perhaps once the candidate has been invited for interview. At this stage we would ask each candidate to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to protect confidentiality but generally a fair amount of discretion is required from all concerned and senior candidates too expect their application to be treated with the very strictest of confidence.

"Our conversations with the organisation before we commence any assignment can also involve salary benchmarking to assess how competitive their salary and benefits package is in comparison to other similar roles or their competitors."    

Matthew Clark, Regional Director of Orion Group’s Permanent and Interim recruitment divisions in the UK

Q: What would the starting point for a targeted headhunt be?

"The starting point is for us to work in close partnership with our resourcing team and the employer organisation to map out the candidate marketplace and discuss and agree specific target organisations where specific candidates will be working at the moment. It is also key that the candidates we headhunt generally have very specific experience and are obviously at the required level of seniority for the role that we are recruiting.

"Our extensive networks we have built up over the last 32 years allow us to source candidate recommendations from people we trust. This is what differentiates us. After that the traditional methods of active database searches and job boards would also be employed to ensure that all sources have been fully utilised."
 

Q: Are there certain criteria that you look for in senior candidates?

"The obvious one is leadership qualities and we also look for positivity and a can-do attitude, backed by experience – that can be a powerful combination.
The chance for candidates to increase their earning potential and progress their career needs to be also matched by their desire to embrace the challenge that’s on offer. No matter what business discipline the role falls under it is generally always a key pre-requisite that senior candidates have a wealth of P&L management. Undoubtedly, senior candidates must have the necessary gravitas and credibility to lead and influence their people. It’s also vital that they have a proven track record and an ability to drive change, as this can very often be the key reason why they are being brought in to do the role."

Q: How do you go about identifying or assessing exceptional talent in candidates?

"Technology has advanced but the “human” element of physically meeting each candidate always has and always will be the best way to assess how talented and experienced an individual is. As part of the executive search process we often use psychometric assessments or personality profiling to probe deeper into an individual’s capability and behaviours. Before we start each assignment, we also discuss a range of key questions or competency based interview questions with the employer so that we can really draw out exactly what strengths they are looking for from each candidate."

Q: What additional tools are available on the market to facilitate and support recruitment assignments?

"The emergence of various technologies in our industry has been amazing over the last few years. Robotics and automation are making a meaningful impact in the field of recruitment and there are certain parts of the recruitment process that lend themselves to automation. Artificial Intelligent (AI) recruitment software is being talked about a great deal at the moment and is perhaps worth considering for certain recruitment processes and for certain roles. I get contacted every other day about all sorts of new and emerging technology products and recruitment software, the most common being video interviewing software. There are some really great video interviewing tools on the market at the moment and it can be a very useful tool to further assess candidates at the front end of the recruitment process. Again, some instances of use are better than others and not every candidate is comfortable answering questions in front of the camera!"

NURTURING TALENT

Orion Group also goes to great lengths to nurture talent within its own business and also look after staff wellbeing. Over the Group’s 32 year history, there has been substantial changes in the workplace, particularly when it comes to positive mental health and well-being at work, so Employee Welfare management is an area that Orion has been investing in. “If our employees are happy, they will be productive, but that can only be achieved by treating them well,” adds Mr Clark.  “If we succeed at this as an organisation, we can be of greater help in advising clients on what they can do to retain employees.”

Studies have shown that the more inclusive and diverse a company is, the greater potential for success. The wider a company spreads the net across age, genders, religious beliefs, and race, the better they perform, as the best minds and values propel these companies to the top of their industries.
“Orion Group’s own mental health study has shown that we are typically very happy with our working environment,” adds Mr Clark.
As in any high-pressure workplace, managing time and meeting deadlines are consistent forms of pressure but with high levels of self-direction, work satisfaction, and consultation there is strong support for Orion Group to continue promoting mental wellbeing.

An encouraging figure of more than 70% of employees at Orion believe that colleagues and management would provide support if they had problems with mental health.

Of course there are improvements to be made and Orion is continuing the promotion of mental wellbeing, with a working group set up to represent all UK offices. This can be done in relatively simple ways such as promoting policies where there are low levels of awareness.

This can be advice on workstation health or making sure that employees know about perks such as the AON discount scheme. It can also make more effort to ensure that available support is much more visible. Reviewing flexible working arrangements is important, as is making sure that employees have support on managing time and deadlines.

 “Healthy employees work better,” says Linda Dickson, Group HR Director at Labeyrie Food Group “it is well recognised that breaks and taking part in other activities help people to achieve their potential.

“More is expected of employers in terms of flexible working hours and welfare at work - and looking at LinkedIn and Glassdoor we have seen that employees are happy to share the positive experiences they have had at Orion Group.”

A key to retention, Orion believes, is role validation. Managing career paths and providing career management for clients and candidates over the long term.

“We do things differently at Orion. The flat management structure drives a collaborative, team culture,” adds Michael Downes, Divisional Manager for Orion Groups Procurement and Supply Chain division.

“We also learned from our beginnings in the oil and engineering industry. Contractors would work with us for many years, so we built relationships with oil majors who would keep coming back for more people. We have used what we learned at that time in the expansion into Permanent, Interim, and Executive Search.”