1. We’re different (and by that we mean better).
But to reap the benefits of working with us, you need to understand how we operate:
What’s different and why, what we need from you, and what you can expect from us.
Please read on…
2. 2
Big decisions change your life, so don’t leave your career to chance. Get expert, independent advice.
You wouldn’t choose a mortgage on a whim. You’d find a financial advisor you trust to understand your
circumstances, represent your interests with integrity and know the market inside out so they can find the best deal
for you. After all, once the decision is made you’ll either reap the benefits or live with the consequences.
Finding your next job should be no different.
Career decisions are even more delicately poised - the right move could put you on a fast track, but the wrong move could set you back years.
It’s not just about which job you take, it’s about how you go about finding and securing it. You need to think about:
• Your long term career goals and what your next move should be
• Where to look for the right move and which opportunity to pursue
• The package you can negotiate now and the longer term pay-off
• Protecting your reputation along the way.
3. 3
As with any big decision, expert, honest and independent advice is vital.
Think of genuine recruitment consultancy in the same way you would think of trusted financial advice.
It costs nothing, except a little time and commitment, but the benefits in terms of getting the right deal (both now and
over the longer term) are potentially huge:
• Don’t fall into the career opportunist trap.
Dead end jobs are not as easy to spot as you might think
• Keep your CV and reputation in safe hands.
It is a precious career tool and a good consultant will use it sparingly. If you don’t know where it might end up, don’t part with
it at all
• Broaden your horizons.
The right move for you might not be the obvious one, so understand all your options before you decide what to do next
• Plan ahead.
A detailed and personalised career strategy developed with help from an expert consultant is like a road map
Regularly reviewed, it will help you to make the right career move at every turn
• Get it right.
Work with a consultant who will invest time in you - understanding your goals to help you make the right move and get the
right package even if that means staying where you are
• Find a guardian angel.
A true consultant is someone you can turn to even after you start a new job - for advice and guidance, and to help iron out any
early teething problems.
4. 4
At Definitive Consulting we reject short-term fee chasing so prevalent in recruitment agencies large and small...
We offer genuine, independent career advice, to help you make the right career decisions:
• Every potential candidate gets expert, independent career advice.
We’ll work with you to understand your aspirations, skills and experience, and develop a strategy to guide and inform the next
step towards your career goals. If we don’t think the time is right for you to move, we’ll tell you
• Becoming a Definitive candidate is never a foregone conclusion.
We will only agree to work with you if we genuinely think we can make a difference, and we only represent our candidates on
an exclusive basis
• We treat our candidates like people, not commodities.
We won’t upload your CV to public databases, or mail shot it to every potential employer we can think of. We’ll take a
proactive, personalised approach to protect your confidentiality whilst finding a selection of ideal opportunities
• We’ll take the uncertainty out of the process.
Interview preparation, resignation coaching and package negotiation, as well as support during the early days in
your new role, are all part of the service.
5. 5
Genuine consultancy works.
Definitive Consulting is one of the UK’s fastest growing specialist recruitment consultancies, driven by our ability to
provide outstanding advice and service to outstanding candidates:
• Major employers know Definitive candidates are a cut above: Four out of five candidates that we submit to employers for each
opportunity secure interviews
• Definitive candidates only pursue the right opportunities and are well prepared: 95% of offers put to candidates are accepted
• Word gets around: Our candidate referrals double year on year.
Some of the biggest brands in the accountancy, finance and legal sectors trust Definitive Consulting to match exceptional people with outstanding
career opportunities:
Accountancy & Finance
WHSmith, JP Morgan, Zurich, Bayer, RSM Bentley Jennison, Baker Tilly, Horwath Clark Whitehill, Target Consulting, Vantis, Alix Partners,
Navigant Consulting.
Legal
Herbert Smith, Berwin Leighton Paisner, Reynold Porter Chamberlain, Baker & McKenzie, Nabarro.
6. 6 6
Anyway, now you knowknow moremore about us, you’ll want to know more about what happens next.
Anyway, now you a bit a bit about us, you’ll want to know more about what happens next.
Well, we don’t just talk a goodagame and our success isn’t down to luck. We guide every candidate through an innovative step by step step
Well, we don’t just talk good game and our success isn’t down to luck. We guide every candidate through an innovative step by
methodology. It might take a take longer longer than simply uploading your a selection of recruitment websites, and you might have to invest invest
methodology. It might little a little than simply uploading your CV to CV to a selection of recruitment websites, and you might have to
some time intimeprocess, but if you care about your career career it is time well spent.
some the in the process, but if you care about your it is time well spent.
Here’s how it works:
Here’s how it works:
7.
8. Step 1: CARMA 8
Goal based candidate induction. Before we agree to represent you, we will ask you to take part in a CARMA
appraisal - a unique candidate consultancy process based on long term career goals, which is vital to our ability
to deliver personalised and effective career counsel: One of our experienced industry specialists will act as your
personal career consultant, meeting with you to gather a detailed picture of your career history and goals.
• This meeting can be arranged at a time that suits you, be it early morning, over lunch or after hours.
• Based on the information you provide, your consultant will quickly give informed and honest feedback on what your next
career move should be.
• If they think you are not ready to move, they will say so, provide detailed feedback on the additional skills and experience
required to realise your goals and agree to stay in close contact with you until you are ready. Under these circumstances,
they will not agree to represent you in any immediate job search.
• If they believe that you are ready to make the step up and that they can make a real difference, you will receive a clear and
personalised career strategy designed to ensure you can achieve your long term goals.
• If they believe you could achieve your aims with your current employer, they will advise you on how to negotiate the package,
training or career path guarantees you should be looking for.
• If current employer negotiation is not an option, or is not successful, they will agree a targeted approach, based on your career
strategy and a selection of desirable employers and potential roles.
9.
10. Step 2: 4WD 10
Four week exclusivity, guaranteed delivery. We only represent candidates on an exclusive basis. However, if we do
not deliver at least two interviews for ideal opportunities during the first four weeks, our period of exclusivity will end.
This exclusive approach allows us to invest time and effort in securing your ideal career move, as well as removing
complication and uncertainty from the recruitment process.
Registering with an agency on a non-exclusive basis is fraught with risk.
Your CV will be speculatively mailed to a database of employers, without any thought for your long term goals and often without your
permission. Losing control of your CV in this way can have disastrous consequences, and you will be pushed to pursue any “opportunities”
come along, whether they are right for you or not.
By contrast, every candidate we represent gets a tailored proactive service.
We will call a selection of employers agreed with you in advance to identify the opportunities that are right for now and in the long term, but we
won’t even mention your name without your permission.
You might think that exclusive representation will narrow your options, but nothing could be further from the truth.
Definitive Consulting has a reputation for delivering high quality candidates that are not available through any other recruitment consultancy.
As a result, employers always pick up the phone when our consultants call, and you will be a ‘must see’ candidate. We might come up with fewer
options, but they will all be right for you and, just as importantly, you will be right for them. Remember, 82% of the candidates we put forward for
any role are invited to interview.
11.
12. Step 3: Step Ahead 12
Putting you in control, from search to selection. To secure the right opportunities for you, we don’t leave anything
to chance and make sure you are always one step ahead of the competition. We will:
• Agree target roles and employers with you
• Have initial telephone conversations with employers to discuss your CV - your name will not be mentioned without
your permission
• Secure you at least two informal meetings or formal interviews with potential employers
• Send your CV to the employers with whom meetings have been arranged
• Meet with you to provide a detailed briefing on each role, employer and the people you will meet
• Carry out detailed interview preparation, even if you are only meeting for an informal chat
• Take your feedback on the meeting or interview first
• Gather employer feedback from your meeting or interview and discuss it with you either in person or over the phone
• Arrange second interviews, and carry out detailed interview preparation
• Manage the offer and package negotiation process on your behalf, and in close consultation with you
• Help you make a painless exit from your current employer, with resignation advice and preparation.
13.
14. Step 4: Stay Ahead 14
Any-time advice and support in your new role. Our work on your behalf doesn’t end when your new role is secure.
Your consultant will remain as an independent career advisor, available whenever you need them.
In the early days:
• To make sure you are settling in and help to iron out any initial teething troubles. We will call you during your first week, to see
if there is any way in which we can make settling in easier, even if that means making some discreet calls on your behalf. Less
than 1% of the people we place leave their new employer in the first 12 months.
As time goes by:
• A consultant will contact you every three months to see how you are getting on. They can help with
everything from salary negotiations to training needs, and will be happy to offer expert advice on your
career strategy at any time.
15.
16. Our candidate promise 16
When it comes to proper recruitment consultancy, you should be able to take some things for granted.
But we’ll put them in writing anyway, just to be sure.
We take your career, confidentiality and reputation seriously, so we:
• Never mention your name during initial conversations with potential employers, unless you give us permission
• Never distribute your CV without your permission
• Never upload your CV to public recruitment databases
• Discuss with you and agree in advance the most convenient and discreet way to keep in contact with you - by text message
or mobile, at specific times or on a personal email address
• Only target employers we have discussed with you in advance
• Only pursue opportunities that are right for your career
• Carry out detailed research on every employer and role we discuss with you, so we can give you a clear, honest and realistic
picture of the opportunity
• Work closely with you to arrange interviews or meetings and give at least 48 hours notice of agreed times whenever possible
• Call you with interview feedback within 48 hours
• Catch up with you at least once a week between offer acceptance and start date
• Speak with you on your start date, to check that everything is OK
• Keep in regular contact to make sure everything is working out, and continue to look after your interests.
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About Definitive Consulting.
Definitive Consulting is a recruitment consultancy specialising in the accountancy, finance and legal sectors.
By combining in depth market knowledge and expertise with a commitment to genuine consultancy, the company
gives clients and candidates access to people and opportunities that are not available anywhere else.
It has four trading divisions:
• Legal - responsible for hires in and inhouse legal practices (from newly qualified up to and including Partner level)
• Finance & Industry - responsible for industry (or in house) hires from part qualified up to and including Director level
• Tax and Audit - focused purely on the tax and audit disciplines, predominantly within chartered accountancy practices
• Advisory - unique in specialising in all advisory disciplines (such as M&A, forensics, insolvency and corporate finance) across
all types of businesses.
Established in 2002, the company has offices is London and the South West, serving clients locally, nationally and internationally. It is one of the
UK’s fastest growing recruitment businesses.
18. 18
If you know someone who is talented, motivated, dynamic and hungry for success we’d like to know them too
(and they don’t even have to be looking for a new job).
Talented, high performing candidates are the life-blood of Definitive Consulting. They are the reason leading
employers pick up the phone when we call – we are known for the quality of the people we represent.
What is more, because we insist that our candidates register with us exclusively for a minimum of four weeks, they
get a genuinely consultative, personalised and proactive service. Not surprisingly, around 80% of our candidates
come to us following recommendations from friends and colleagues.
Those who have worked with us know that we only represent people when we can make a genuine career difference.
So, if you are happy with the advice, consultancy and service you get from us, recommend a friend – and you’ll earn
a reward.
• £25 John Lewis or House of Fraser vouchers
• iPod Touch or iPod Nano
• Molton Brown Premium Skincare
• Fortnum & Mason Hamper
• Veuve Clicquot Champagne
• A Mont Blanc Pen
• £500 De Vere Hotel vouchers.
Rewards provided only once we have successfully represented a candidate previously unknown to us. Terms and conditions www.definitive-consulting.co.uk
