There is a situation that is presenting me a problem and a doubting of my erstwhile previous faith in the business atmosphere here in Ghana and indeed the basic ethos of business practice with regard to, specifically, the “recruitment industry”. At least from the point of view of outsourcing it to a professional provider. Such as me, for example. 

I am consistently and regularly approached by the whole cross section of industry in Accra from medium sized local companies to national organisations to the multinationals. From finance and banking to retail and consumables, from property to engineering, sales and marketing to regional manager and senior country director positions both domestic and expatriate. 

In all these cases, it becomes clear in the meeting that the need is urgent, the requirement to fill the role immediate, and the demands clear – highly qualified, experienced, adaptable, familiar with the environment, the best individual to match the criteria of the position. In short, they want the ideal candidate. Of course. And that’s what I do. That’s what any professional provider of executive search does! We find the best. More than that, we apply as much importance to the character and personality of the candidate as we do to the qualifications and requirements as we do the unique culture of the hiring company. It’s an all round, comprehensive and inclusive service that results in the client being presented not with a selection of CVs but with a shortlist of high quality candidates all capable of executing the requirements of the role and with the right mindset to match the client’s culture. 

Such an assignment to find candidates of the calibre a client demands is an exacting process that depends on several factors – experience (in my case 30+ years), industry exposure (in my case both local, West African and international), intuition (you either have it or you don’t – I do, which is why I devote my life to executive search) and a substantial current database of candidates that are valuable and essential (in my case, a database developed and updated over decades of global and local hard work). 

Experience, exposure, ability and resources are all vital USPs, but it should also be recognised (and it’s astonishing how few hiring manager know this) that to conduct a professional executive search campaign for just one single placement takes between 100 to 250 hours of dedicated, exclusively reserved time, work and attention. Promotion; direct contact with potential candidates; targeted, personalised messaging; forum participation; networking; discrete approaches; then deselecting (often from 100’s of candidates if the position is posted to certain communities or groups); filtering; several shortlisting stages; further selection – then questionnaire or application forms; initial screening; further shortlisting – then interviewing! More shortlisting. Then report writing before getting to the point of candidate presentation to the client in the form of a very precise and tailored shortlist of interviewees. It doesn’t end there either. The whole process involves communication, understanding, and time. A huge amount of time. And skill. And experience. And dedication. Actually, just like any other professional service be that accountancy, interim management, architecture, construction, legal representation, medical consultancy, plastic surgery, car mechanics, et al. A large list of professional services. All of whom provide those services by virtue of their skills and experience gained through practice, qualification and ability. And all of whom charge a professional fee for providing their particular specialised service. 

Unlike contingency agencies who simply download CVs from online job sites and provide a selection of candidates for a client’s consideration and generally for junior or entry-level roles (and let me be clear here – these services are just as valuable as those provided by people like me and serve a purpose of their own), Executive Search applies to more senior roles, more essential management positions and for companies seeking the best talent: Demanding quality over quantity. 

So why then when it comes to the costs of suppling a professional Executive Search service that by necessity depends on all the factors mentioned above (experience, resources, intuition … and time!) do hiring managers and HR executives express surprise that there is a professional fee attached to it? It really shouldn’t be such a shock!

If you want a professional job doing and engage a professional to undertake it, you need to accept that there is a professional fee payable for providing it. In most parts of the world, professional Executive Search carries an upfront payment (mainly to demonstrate commitment on behalf of the client, but also to protect the provider in the event of the client withdrawing from the contract at an advanced stage), an interim payment on completion of a certain pre-agreed milestone (i.e. presentation of a shortlist for example), expenses and a final fee when a candidate accepts an offer of employment. And the total fees often payable to a professional Executive Search provider in most parts of the business world range from $15,000 to $45,000 per placement (in a senior or executive position). Companies are happy to pay these sums because they acknowledge and appreciate that outsourcing such an assignment or project to an expert in Executive Search is both cost efficient and effective – it frees them from the arduous task of doing it themselves and running up expenses far greater than the professional fee they will pay, and it results in them finding a candidate that they are otherwise unable to find themselves because they lack the time, the resources, the contacts, and the skills and experience required.

Although Ghana and Africa as a whole is every bit as expensive as Europe and the USA, etc (and in many cases more expensive), businesses in this part of the world seem to have adopted a belief that everything, including professional services, needs to be a fraction of the normal cost, discounted to the point of ruin and so diluted in price as to warrant the professional service valueless. In striving always for the cheapest deal, refusing exclusivity (a very valuable component of the Executive Search process – it ensures the client receives a dedicated, proactive and prioritised service), and expecting a professional outcome for an amateur’s fee only achieves in demotivating the provider and relegating the client’s own position, seriousness and reputation.

The fact that the salary levels on the whole are still lower than in the West might give reasonable cause for a client to expect a lower fee. And I completely agree with this. My own fees are not only reduced in proportion to the norms charged in most other areas of the world, but have also been further reduced in an effort to contribute to the business community here and to help ease some of the financial pressures that so many companies are suffering in the fallout over Covid and the global economic downturn generally. But this works both ways. I too am suffering those consequences and it strikes me that if a small company like mine can make sacrifices and does what it can to cooperate by minimising its fees, then companies in demand of high calibre staff and who insist on the best should likewise be more fluid in their approach to paying for the best.

For a hiring manager to argue that their budget only allows for a fraction of the normal fee is not an acceptable argument. Recruitment is an essential part of a company’s survival, growth and operation. Potentially, recruitment and staff retention are THE most critical components when running, building or expanding your company. If you want to increase your presence or market share, to stay ahead of the competition, and to be taken as a credible business, engaging the right people is essential – and engaging with a professional provider to source those people is equally essential. If the budget assigned to the finding of new and excellent talent is too small, then the hiring manager or HR representative needs to negotiate a higher budget with their board of directors. If the company is serious and recognises a need to recruit for a position then it needs to be serious about the fees they have to pay professionals who can fill that position and expand their budget accordingly.

For my own part, as well as dropping the normal requirement for a deposit and interim payments, DWR Executive Search has reduced its own minimum contract fee from the standard £3500/$5000 (a figure that is many times more in cities across the world!) to a mere $2000 – that’s ridiculously little for 250 hours of work and the provision not only of a professional service, time, experience and resources but for an ideal candidate at the end of it. And the standard commission percentage is likewise reduced to just 12%. Sure, “Contingency Agencies” charge 10% or even 8% – but for a figure to make sense and represent anything of value you need to weigh up what it is you receive in return. There is a reason why it takes a couple of weeks or more before receiving a shortlist – the huge amount of work that goes into creating it. Understand that and you’ll understand that 12% commission is actually very low!

Ultimately, of course, a Hiring Manager or HR Director has a choice. It’s an easy one – pay peanuts, take your chance, be disappointed, and spend more money repeating the process. Or pay a professional fee, get what you want, and save money in the long term by virtue of not having to constantly recruit for the same positions over and over again. Disappointment versus satisfaction. A mediocre and unreliable process versus a professional service. What do you want most: A long-term vacancy or a candidate qualified to fill it quickly?

There are plenty of recruitment companies and contingency agencies in Accra (and most good at what they do), but Professional Executive Search is still very much a new concept in Ghana and I am among only a few here that can provide it (perhaps the only one at the moment). Both these types of recruitment serve a purpose and provide an invaluable resource to companies here in all sectors. But if companies want to be serious about their workforce, to develop their market share and/or compete with the big boys, they need to start paying the going rates to those professionals in the world of outsourcing that can be of such invaluable assistance to their plans.

So, please stop expecting me (and those like me) to make all my resources and experience available to you, investing 150++ hours of exclusive and dedicated time into your requirements, and searching the market for the perfect candidate, all for $300! It doesn’t work that way: If you want the best, you need to pay for it – if you want a provider of professional Executive Search, you need to pay their professional fees just as you would any other provider of professional services. And if you consider $2000 – $3500 too much to invest into the development of your essential management and workforce structure, or that your employees are not worth it, rather than wasting yours and an Executive Search consultant’s time talking about wanting the best but with no intentions of paying for it, simply don’t agree to a meeting to discuss it all in the first place! I can then at least save some money and countless hours in traffic on unnecessary taxi trips all over Accra meeting people who aren’t serious!

As well as reviewing the DWR website below, you might also want to check Dominic’s LinkedIn page to review his background and business experience. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicryan/

DWR Expatriate & Executive Search, UK-West Africa

Email: [email protected]

Join the LinkedIn DWR Executive Page and Follow for updates, news and vacancy posts.

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