company

Search and selection

Recruiting new leaders can be demanding. Often, there is a need for a professional partner who can shed light on the challenge from multiple angles. Let us assist you in finding the right person for the job.

To conduct an effective recruitment, we must first understand the business. Then, we need to determine the requirements of the position

Understanding the position and the company

For A`HEAD, it is important to unriddle the client. The more we know, the better.

This makes us better conveyors of the position and the opportunities the company has to offer. Additionally, it helps us make more precise assessments of candidates' suitability.

If the position is part of a leadership team, we recommend, as an additional service, to conduct an assessment of the overall composition of personalities within the group. This team profile assessment provides clear signals on which complementary personal traits we should look for to enhance the team effectiveness.

Exaggerated positive portrayal to increase candidate's interest in a new role, is one of the most common errors in recruitment.

If done, the candidate might become disappointed and leave quickly. Additionally, it creates a poor ambassador for the company.

Lin Therese Reese

We become your extended arm in the candidate market. Everything we say and do reflects on you. Therefore, we need to know what we can say and how to say it

Sourcing candidates

A`HEAD is a hub for leaders in the Stavanger region. Gaining the trust of leaders and making them willing to engage with us, we ensure discretion in all processes. This is combined with strong business insights and a deep understanding of the leadership role and its demands.

Candidates who start considering a career change know that it is safe, constructive, and opportunity-generating to talk to A`HEAD. This trust is crucial for our clients. It means that we are consistently approached by leaders who want us to be aware of them and their career objectives. This is a significant source for our research.

Of course, there are attractive candidates with whom we do not have such dialogues. To involve them in our hiring processes, we actively search. The core of our searches is our understanding of the business environment in Rogaland and the network we have developed over a combined experience of more than 100 years in the region. Often, we combine searches with targeted advertising campaigns in social media.

Following a search, the client receives a shortlist. The most interesting candidates are contacted and invited into the process. The client's choices provide us with guiding signals so that, if necessary, we may fine-tune the search.

An employment process involves multiple interview rounds. In the initial interview, the client meets the candidate for the first time.

Initial interviews

In our initial meetings with candidates, we provide information about the company and the position. Additionally, we look for obvious disqualifying factors

Can we find reasons not to invest more time in a candidate? If not, the candidate moves on to the next step. This streamlines the process and focuses time on the candidates most likely for employment.

An example: one of the areas quickly addressed is salary expectations. This is a question that is often postponed until the very end of a process. Quite often, it turns out that the gap is too wide, the candidate drops out, and you have to start over. If you had assessed the potential range right at the beginning, the candidate could have been excluded immediately. Alternatively, you would have been aware of the potential showstopper early, and both parties could have strengthened their motivation and adjusted their salary expectations during the process.

Other areas we assess include motivation, notice period, and any lock-in clauses (e.g., stock incentive programs). We also conduct an initial evaluation of whether the competence profile and personality seem to match.

The finalists undergo an 'in-depth personality assessment.' Here, we familiarize ourselves with personality, dark sides, and driving forces.

In-depth personality assessment

After the client interview, usually one to three candidates advance to the final round.

It begins with A'HEAD conducting a personality assessment, exploring motivation/interests, and tendencies for 'overreactions' (dark sides/personality under stress). For this, we use psychometric tools from Hogan Assessments.

Next, the consultant holds an in-depth interview with the candidate. During this interview, we go over the test results, explain their implications, and gather the candidate's thoughts on them. If the outcome is positive, we usually go on to interview references. The in-depth assessment is carried out without requiring any time investment from the client.

If you are interested in a deeper personality assessment and psychological tools, you can learn more on the 'second opinion' page.

After the in-depth assessment, we have much information. We are then able to provide a detailed description of the candidates' personalities.

Final report

Providing definite predictions about human behavior in future situations is not possible. However, with the information we have gathered, the client will now be able to make a significantly more informed decision.

At this point, we not only know the candidates' background and professional competence, but we also have clear indications of their personality traits, what motivates them, any biases their leadership style might involve, and what behavior can be expected when they face pressure.

Final reporting usually takes place in a meeting where we describe our findings and discuss the candidates. In our evaluation, we will use the Hogan results, but out of respect for the candidates and considering privacy concerns, these will not be provided to the client.

Administrative issues

Throughout the process, A'HEAD maintains contact with candidates, and schedules interviews and meetings. At the latest, when the assignment is completed, A`HEAD informs everyone who has been involved in the process.

Onboarding - supporting the new leader

It can be smart to give support to the leader at the very beginning of their new leadership role. Especially if the new leader has little leadership experience, or if it's their first time as a CEO and they don't have a direct superior to consult with.

Among our consultants, we have an experienced top executive. He has held several CEO roles and can provide a dedicated onboarding program for leaders.

Such a program can be a wise investment. Firstly, it can get the leader up to speed faster and ensure some early victories. Secondly, it reduces the chance of the leader going off track in the wrong direction.

Contact S learn mor

A`Head

Øvre Strandgate 118
‍
4005 Stavanger
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+47 454 49 444

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