Before placing the order, a detailed briefing meeting is held with clients. In this meeting the following topics are discussed between client and consultant:

• The company, its markets, its business strategy and its corporate and leadership culture
• The scope of responsibility of the position to be filled and its organizational classification
• The range of experience that ideally qualified candidates must have
• The financial resources of the position to be filled
• The group of persons involved in interviews and¬ in the appointment decision

Based on the briefing, BCI develops a position description (“specification”) that describes the professional and personal characteristics of the ideal candidates and their core competencies. The specification includes e.g.:

• A – anonymous if necessary – description of the company
• Main tasks and objectives of the position to be filled
• The professional requirements, the main areas of experience and the personality traits that the future job holder must have

The specification is the basis of BCI’s search activity and is handed out to qualified candidates interested in a dialogue with the client.

Our systematic search process for identifying potential candidates involves several steps:

• Identification of sectors and companies in which potential candidates ¬are active
• Definition of the management level currently occupied by potential candidates
• Definition of companies that are located in the industry environment sought, but which for certain reasons are not eligible for the search

The above information is summarized in a “target company list”. This is coordinated with the client.

• The research process includes not only those candidates who are identified as potential candidates in BCI’s research activities, but also people who are already known to BCI and are eligible for the current search.

We usually conduct several interviews with managers who, from BCI’s point of view, are particularly qualified for the position to be filled and who are interested in an intensive exchange¬ of ideas¬ about the position. In the course of these interviews, we determine the personal and professional suitability of the candidates for the position and their concrete interest in it.

At the end of the interview phase, BCI makes a preselection among the leading candidates for the position and proposes them to the client for an initial interview.

BCI prepares a confidential report on all candidates, which contains:

• Personal data, education, current remuneration
• Professional career and main areas of experience
• Assessment of personal and professional qualifications in comparison with the job profile (see specification)

We introduce BCI’s proposed candidates to clients in an initial round of interviews (“presentation”). During the selection process, the candidate portfolio is usually reduced to two candidates who appear to clients to be ideally suited for the final selection.

After intensive considerations, a preliminary decision is made on the planned appointment. The consultant responsible for carrying out the search participates in these evaluations in order to be able to advise both parties from a neutral point of view.

The responsible BCI consultant also contributes his expertise to the subsequent contract negotiations.

Once client and candidate have reached an agreement, the phase of an intensive reference check by the BCI consultants in charge of the search begins.

In particular, BCI contacts former supervisors, former colleagues and, if applicable, former employees or other persons we consider suitable who can provide qualified information about candidates. If the candidate agrees, managers from the candidate’s current work environment may be contacted.

A written record of each reference interview is prepared and submitted to the client.

Note: During the search process, the BCI consultant already obtains initial candidate assessments from the candidate’s environment (market, competitors, former colleagues, etc.) without violating the candidate’s need for discretion, which still exists at that time.