Cesium Talent
FAQ's
Cesium Talent
FAQ for Clients
What types of roles does Cesium Talent specialise in?
Cesium Talent specialises in executive search for critical, complex and confidential leadership roles across the consumer and luxury industries.
What industries does Cesium Talent have expertise in?
We have extensive experience across multiple consumer and luxury sectors, with a strong focus on the global beers, wines and spirits industries.
What sets Cesium Talent apart from other executive search firms?
Our combination of global reach, refined methodologies and a highly consultative approach ensures we deliver the right talent, first time, even in the most challenging searches.
What is Cesium Talent’s approach to executive search and how does it differ from traditional recruitment?
Unlike traditional recruitment, our executive search process is highly tailored, research-driven and built on deep market intelligence to identify, proactively target and secure the best leadership talent for your organisation. In effect, covering all of the talent within a market as opposed to just those actively looking for a new role.
What is the typical process from initial consultation to placement?
We begin with a detailed consultation to define requirements and shape the brief into employer branding materials. This is followed by extensive market mapping, engagement with top candidates, assessment of their leadership capabilities and support for both the client and candidates throughout the hiring process to achieve a successful outcome.
How does Cesium Talent tailor a search to each client’s unique needs?
We invest significant time in understanding your business, its model, culture and the specific leadership challenges we are hiring against to ensure we identify candidates and assess talent who can truly make a difference.
What is Cesium Talent’s track record in handling challenging, confidential or mission-critical hires?
We are often called upon when other firms or internal teams have been unable to deliver. Our experience across 44+ countries enables us to navigate complex talent markets effectively. We have successfully delivered on over 99% of every mandate we have searched in the last 15 years.
How many people does Cesium Talent typically headhunt for a search?
It would be dependent on the scope of the project and the size of the talent pool. As an approximation, a typical piece of research would normally contain between 60 and 80 target candidates. This would, of course, be significantly larger if we are undertaking a regional or global search.
How does Cesium Talent identify and engage with top talent?
We leverage our global network, deep industry knowledge, proprietary research tools and cutting edge technology to identify, attract and engage top-tier candidates.
What research and market intelligence does Cesium Talent use in their search process?
Our approach includes deep industry knowledge, an extensive knowledge bank with talent mapping, competitor benchmarking and strategic insights into key trends within your industry to help shape a target company list and research talent pool.
How does Cesium Talent assess candidates beyond their CVs (e.g., leadership capabilities, cultural fit, potential)?
We conduct in-depth interviews, leadership assessments and behavioural evaluations to ensure strong alignment with your organisation’s needs. Utilising several time-tested tools, be that Leadership Architect, Discovery Insights or other MBTI tools.
What level of involvement do clients have in the search process?
We encourage client input and aim to partner with you throughout, providing regular updates, refining search criteria as needed via weekly or biweekly catch-ups. We also provide clients with real-time access to a client portal to give total visibility of all talent approached and market feedback along with a detailed picture of compensation and benefits within the talent pool we are exploring.
How does Cesium Talent ensure an inclusive and diverse executive search process?
We actively promote diversity in leadership by ensuring our search strategy is inclusive and that our candidate pipelines reflect diverse talent pools.
What happens if a placed candidate does not work out? Do you offer any guarantees?
Thankfully, we have only been in this situation 3 times in the last 15 years of trading. In the unfortunate instance of a candidate not working out, we offer replacement guarantees and provide ongoing support to ensure successful placements.
How does Cesium Talent ensure confidentiality during a sensitive executive search?
Discretion is a key part of our process. We manage all searches with strict confidentiality to protect both client and candidate interests, where required, by utilising NDA’s.
Can Cesium Talent discreetly approach executives who are not actively looking for new roles?
Yes, this is a core pillar of our offering. We specialise in engaging passive candidates who may not be actively seeking new opportunities but are the right fit for your needs.
How does Cesium Talent manage competing interests when working with multiple clients in the same sector?
We maintain strict ethical guidelines to prevent conflicts of interest and ensure a fair, unbiased approach to all our searches.
How long does an executive search typically take?
The timeline varies depending on the complexity of the role, but typically ranges from 3 to 5 weeks, compared to an industry average of 6 to 12 weeks.
What should we expect in terms of candidate shortlists and reporting?
We provide detailed reports, including candidate profiles, assessment summaries and market insights along with psychometric assessments and competency scoring as part of our shortlisting process.
How often will we receive updates on the search progress?
We offer regular progress updates, typically on a weekly or biweekly basis, to keep you informed.
Does Cesium Talent conduct international searches and how does Cesium Talent navigate different talent markets?
Yes, our global reach allows us to navigate diverse talent markets and identify top leadership talent across multiple regions. We also have a network of researchers with language capabilities across all key languages to enable us to truly operate globally.
Can Cesium Talent help companies looking to expand into new regions by finding local leadership talent?
Absolutely. We have experience supporting businesses entering new markets by securing the right local leadership, often helping to build out a whole board or organisation.
How does Cesium Talent manage cross-sector executive placements?
Our starting point is the business model, RTM and consumer profile. Through this analysis, we can typically make suggestions of aligned sectors to explore, enabling us to access talent who have the requisite leadership skills and industry insights to place executives in roles where they can drive success beyond their original sector.
Does Cesium Talent offer services beyond executive search, such as leadership assessment or succession planning?
Yes, we provide a range of advisory services, including talent assessment, leadership development and succession planning.
Can Cesium Talent support board-level appointments and governance advisory?
Yes, we have experience placing board members and advising on corporate governance best practices.
Does Cesium Talent provide ongoing support after a candidate has been placed?
We stay engaged post-placement to ensure a smooth transition and long-term success for both client and candidate.
Does Cesium Talent work on a retained or contingency basis?
We primarily operate exclusively on a retained basis to ensure a dedicated and thorough search process.
What is Cesium Talent’s fees and how are they structured?
Our fees are structured based on the complexity and seniority of the role, typically as a percentage of the candidate’s compensation broken into three components of equal weighting between a retainer, shortlist and completion fee.
What information does Cesium Talent need from us to start an executive search?
We require a clear brief outlining the role, responsibilities, key competencies and desired leadership traits.
Can we engage Cesium Talent for multiple searches simultaneously?
Yes, we have the capacity and expertise to manage multiple executive searches for your organisation.
How does Cesium Talent measure the success of a placement?
We track long-term performance and alignment with business objectives to evaluate the success of our placements. This is typically measured against financial performance, tenure, promotions and team feedback.
Cesium Talent
FAQ for Candidates
As a head-hunter, we proactively target talent who are relevant for the searches we are managing as often the experience and skill-sets we are searching for are very specific. Similarly, many of the searches we undertake are of a confidential nature.
We actively seek to network with and support our industry colleagues, but it’s important to note that our operations are driven by specific mandates. Given our global presence, we may not have an immediate opportunity that perfectly matches your background. However, we are committed to developing long-term relationships within our network. This approach ensures that we can connect with you when relevant mandates arise that can advance your career.
No, we don’t make proactive approaches on behalf of candidates to our network as it is highly unlikely at a leadership level that a business will be able to create a role for an individual if they don’t have a ‘gap’ within their leadership structure.
Unfortunately, we are solely focused on executive search for permanent roles at a leadership level.
When we approach an individual with a mandate, we consistently produce and share a very detailed candidate briefing pack, giving you a thorough overview of the organisation, its portfolio, organisational structure, vision, mission, values and a clear overview of the role we are searching for with regard to the specific skills, leadership behaviours and background we are searching for along with how success will be measured. You will typically undertake a two-hour assessment that covers both your career journey and a set of leadership competencies specifically designed for this search. We aim to share meaningful and transparent feedback at every step of the process, providing learning and developmental feedback as appropriate.
We invest significant time and resources in creating detailed candidate briefing packs to provide you a detailed account of an organisation and opportunity. We have also created a library of resources we share with talent to support them through the search process. We, of course, also invest time in coaching and preparation calls ahead of interviews, business case presentations and any psychometric assessments.
It would be dependent on the scope of the project and the size of the talent pool. As an approximation, a typical piece of research would normally contain between 60 and 80 target candidates. This would, of course, be significantly larger if we are undertaking a regional or global search.
We only work on exclusive assignments managed on a retained basis. This means we can invest the time and resources into effectively supporting all parties to a positive conclusion.
Over 15 years of trading, we have developed robust processes, policies and most importantly, a code of conduct that protects confidentiality throughout the process. This often includes two-way NDA’s for both candidates and clients if senior searches.
Of course!
Please contact one of our team who would be happy to share with you a number of resources around optimising your CV / LinkedIn profile and guidance on how to manage your career search.
We typically find a quarterly or bi-yearly cycle is perfect for arranging catch-ups with our key contacts.