Frequently Asked Questions
Recruitment Research
How is RW Stearns different from an employment agency?
Our services are designed to complement your strengths. We provide the candidates and let you focus on recruiting, interviewing and hiring. This is an extremely cost-effective method of finding qualified candidates for your positions. While an employment agency operates on a contingency basis, getting paid if/when you make the hire, our compensation is based on the material we provide you. On average, the cost per hire is approximately $5,000 - much lower than the typical agency fee of $20,000-$35,000.
How is RW Stearns different from a retained search firm?
We do not operate as a retained search firm in that we primarily provide information (names, titles and contact information for individuals who are relevant for your opening). When you purchase recruitment research from us, you are responsible for final recruiting and hiring - we are providing you with functionally-relevant individuals (we guarantee this) that you can then immediately reach out to.
Do you have a minimum fee?
We do not have a minimum fee, although we do accept only those projects that we feel have a good chance of resulting in a hire for our clients. One important component of this process is providing our clients with enough candidates to work with. Accordingly, our average project consists of 50-100 candidates provided to our clients. Please contact us for pricing information.
What type of positions do you specialize in?
Our services cover a comprehensive range of job families focused within a variety of service and development professional industries. Whether your hiring needs are in product development, manufacturing, test, product marketing, sales, customer service, field support or upper management, our research capabilities are unparalleled. This includes all levels, from the highest level of management to individual contributor roles.
On average, how many candidates do I need to get a hire?
This depends upon many factors, including the attractiveness of both the client and candidate companies, the appeal of the new position offered by the client, geographical requirements, etc. Since we identify individuals based upon their job functions rather than upon their openness to change companies, some of them may not be interested in leaving their current position (these are "passive candidates"). Our goal is for our clients to have several interested and qualified candidates per position with whom to do final interviewing. Since our founding in 1984, we have seen that, on average, 50-100 candidates are needed by our clients in order to yield a hire.
Tactical Intelligence & Organizational Mapping
Can RW Stearns acquire trade secrets or proprietary information?
We will not conduct any research projects designed to acquire trade secrets or proprietary Information. When conducting research, we comply with all applicable laws, domestic and international.
How is tactical intelligence different from competitive intelligence?
Competitive Intelligence is commonly divided into Strategic Intelligence, Tactical Intelligence, and Operational Intelligence. The activities in each of these areas can range from war gaming to studying Corporate SEC filings. RW Stearns specializes in the tactical aspect of intelligence gathering which usually has a focus on the short term, tends to be real time, and is fact-based rather than predictive or speculative. All information provided to our clients is obtained through direct conversations with individuals within the companies we are researching - we do not rely on secondary or online data sources.
Do you conduct market research?
We do not conduct customer surveys, field tests, or focus groups, nor do we investigate market segments or market trends. Our research is often focused on the composition (structure and size) and responsibilities of particular organizations/departments within companies.
How are organizational charts used?
Organizational charts are used for many purposes, including long-term strategic staffing, organizational benchmarking, and organizational planning. Many companies are interested in how their competitors organize their workforces, especially when planning the restructuring that follows a merger or a major reorganization. Organizational charts can also reveal information such as the size and geographic distribution of a sales force, for example. As more and more companies seek to expand (or optimize) their global presence, there is increasing interest in understanding how the most successful companies are strategically deploying their global workforce.