Case Studies and Success Stories

Challenge

A long-standing client of DAV's but a new HR contact called us to say that they were urgently looking for an employment equity Finance and Admin Manager for their Rustenburg operation.

Action

We took down a comprehensive brief from the client and spoke to them about our new Panther Process. What we required from them, in return for utilising our resources on a more in-depth level, was 4 interview times upfront. HR called me back within one day to give us interview times with the HR and finance panel members

Result

Within 2 days, we had headhunted directly from their competitors and sourced 4 suitable candidates, employment equity with relevant healthcare industry experience. These interviews were set up and psychometrics scheduled for the successful candidate. The placement took 1 week from 1st interview to offer stage.

Karen Schmoor
Senior Consultant - Management and Executive Search

Challenge

We have an amazing working relationship with a leading academic institution, built out of mutual respect and years of delivery beyond expectations. Recently we had a great experience where the client asked us to be part of the process regardless of the fact that they had three candidates referred through to them internally.

Action

These candidates then had to work through us because the client relied on our ability to screen and present candidates that are aligned with the culture and values of the client.

Result

We made a successful placement! Another is on its way and there are rumours of a third. Not bad - a recruitment hat trick of note!

Lindsay Sher
Team Leader - Commercial, Financial & Executive Recruitment Cape Town

Challenge

Our client, a local bank in Nigeria, needed an individual highly experienced in South African banking - focusing on retail banking products - to head up their retail banking division, and introduce all retail banking products to the market.

Action

to attract suitably experienced candidates. Over and above this, the role required relocation to Lagos, Nigeria, which entailed arranging visas, flights, permits, accommodation, and finding highly experienced candidates willing to take on the challenge in Africa.

The assignment was a 2-year contract, with an option to renew thereafter.

Result

After 3 months of sourcing, as most experienced and suitable candidates were not prepared to relocate, we managed to find a shortlist of two candidates. We set up telcons, and then arranged flights for formal interviews in Lagos. Both candidates did well, and the client was impressed with their levels of skill and experience, as they were both from our big 4 retail and corporate banks

They client was so impressed with the candidates they decided to hire both, one to head up Retail Banking and the other to start up and head Corporate and Investment Banking. After a 4-month process, both candidates started in Lagos Nigeria, to date one is still with them, making a valuable contribution to Nigeria's banking system and development.

Caroline Demetriou
Senior Consultant - Financial Markets

Challenge

Our client - a boutique asset manager - needed to find a Business Development Manager and a Marketing Manager in one. Their BDM had just left and they wanted to combine the roles of marketing and business development, which is a very rare skill to find in financial markets as it is a huge risk for any asset manager to have one person responsible for two very key and integral parts of their business, the image of the company and bringing in the business. It was very tough as Cape Town is a very niche market. This, along with the fact that our client is a boutique firm and we knew we'd need to lure someone away from a more recognised asset manager

Action

I worked on the role for about 4 weeks and identified 3 candidates in Cape Town with this skill.

Result

I found the perfect candidate in terms of experience and very importantly culture fit (as the company is niche the right personality fit was critical).

Roxane Truter
Specialist Consultant - Financial Markets Cape Town

Challenge

We were approached by a British based investment manager who were setting up offices in Cape Town. They had no idea about the South African recruitment market, specifically the skills and talent we have in Cape Town, and were understandably nervous about the pending venture.

Action

After an initial telephonic conference I was able to give them insight into the recruitment market in South Africa and specifically their competitors in the investment management and investment administration space, along with the project timelines we would propose for the recruitment of their senior key position. They had already been looking for this candidate for 4 months through headhunters in the UK but were not comfortable with the candidates that had been presented.

They agreed to give DAV the mandate exclusively and flew down to South Africa and interviewed our shortlist of 5 candidates within 3 weeks of us getting the assignment. After an initial successful screening process they then invited 2 candidates to London to meet the team and have further interviews. They then selected and offered their number one choice who accepted immediately. The process took approximately 6 weeks in total.

Result

From the feedback I have received they have been incredibly impressed with our efficiency, approach and general knowledge of the financial market in Cape Town. We were able to do what international headhunters could not: successfully place a key member of their team which allowed them to set up the operation in Cape Town. I look forward to partnering with them going forward and being able to assist them further with Cape Town superstars!

Joanne Meyer
Team Leader - Financial Markets Cape Town

Challenge

My client is a large project house who had secured a contract to run a desalination plant in Namibia. We were tasked with finding a Plant Manager with over 10 years experience in running these types of plants. When I went to meet the client, he basically said: "Well good luck, because we don't have people like this in SA. All the experts are in India or Middle East."

Now that sounded like a challenge to me!

Action

I decided the best route to follow would be networking with people on our vast database with any knowledge of desalination. I got on the phone and started gathering information on who the desalination experts are and where to find them

Result

After days of networking and headhunting, I got hold of a guy who was perfect... and, yes, he was in SA! I approached him with this fantastic opportunity which he felt sounded excellent. I immediately presented to the client who met with him a few days later. They flew him to Namibia and all was perfect. The client made him an offer and after much negotiation and some soul-searching the candidate accepted!

Done deal! Unfortunately, no - he was made an impressive counteroffer and his family resisted the move. So, after a week or so he withdrew his acceptance

What now?

We start from scratch. I still had some names of people I then approached and again found another guy who was actually better qualified than the first. However after discussing the move with his family he decided it wasn't the right time for him to relocate. I continued and this time decided that I would get a few (if I could) for us to choose from. I headhunted and found 3 candidates, of which one was perfect. Perfect also because of his previous experience in Namibia, he had lived in a different country before, so relocation wasn't a new experience for him, and his spouse was apparently also very keen to go to Namibia. So I set up the interview between him and the client, and well, the rest is history...

Natalie Lotter
Senior Consultant - Engineering Recruitment

Challenge

Our client, an established flexible packaging converter, had to replace an employee who was well over his retirement age. The role had been open for one year, and covered 4 different areas of specialisation. And while the industry has exceptionally good female talent, after hours call-outs were required in the role, and the area where the company is located is not ideal for women.

Action

We placed an advertisement, networked through our database of candidates and also headhunted from all relevant competitors. We had two successful female prospects but the environment wasn't suitable for them and they declined as expected.

We then researched additional organisations with flexographic skills across South Africa and decided to approach candidates in smaller companies that would have the diversified skills required. There were 4 spheres the role needed to cover and we found that individuals in the smaller companies touched on all 4 aspects (sales reps, clients, repro houses and the factory).

Result

We placed the top candidate of the shortlisted 3 and our client commented that we definitely don't give up. They knew it was going to be a hard find and called the "experts" in after exhausting all other avenues. Including their industry network.

Belinda Coetzee
Specialist Consultant - Engineering Recruitment Cape Town

Challenge

Our client, a leading retailer, needed to hire a senior SAP HR Consultant who would be able to support a SAP HR system for 89 000 employees over 16 countries. They had been looking for a permanent person for months.

Action

While we had placed many short skilled IT positions, the organisation continued to work with a number of other search firms and would only approach DAV after all other avenues had been looked at. However, when they saw that we were able to find candidates that none of the other search firms could find, they turned to us to help them recruit this mission critical role. We purposely targeted each and every SAP HR Consultant in Cape Town, and there is really only a hand full. The candidates we approached were all suitable but not interested in a permanent role.

After weeks of calls we were approached by a candidate in the industry who heard that we were looking for a SAP HR Consultant.

Result

Over the past two years, we completed a number of "difficult to place assignments" and this client knows once the assignment is in the hands of DAV we will find them the suitable candidate: "DAV just sends me one CV but that is the right candidate."

Celest Botha
Specialist Recruiter - Information and Communication Technology Recruitment Cape Town

Challenge

A large global telecommunications vendor contacted me one morning to ask whether I could be at their offices in under 2 hours as an international line manager had made his diary available and needed to urgently brief DAV on a critical need in the business.

Action

I cleared my diary and went through to their offices. When I arrived I could sense the urgency: they clearly needed an emergency placement. I met with my contact who briefed me on the Line Manager and his timelines: he needed to see candidates at 08h00 the very next morning as he would be leaving for the airport at 12h00. He needed candidates to interview, and he needed the right person fast. Having taken a comprehensive brief and armed with an enormous challenge, I left the meeting with an understanding of what skill and technology background the person needed to have as well as what fit was required for the business unit.

I rallied my team, applied all our resources, and called all the shortlisted candidates to ensure they could make themselves available to interview the following morning. I recall concluding the search at 22h00 that evening with a shortlist of 3 interviews for the following day.

Result

The process went ahead and an offer was extended at the end of the week to the successful candidate. This search for critical skills was conducted in record time under extreme pressure and the tightest of deadlines. It's good to know I can rely on the fact that DAV has an incredible network of contacts in highly specialised ICT areas and I am part of a tremendous team of specialised recruiters who will work with me when a critical issue arises.

What made this search special is that my client is assured that we deliver in all kinds of circumstances, we make it happen.

Karin Morgans
Team Leader - Information and Communication Technology Recruitment

Challenge

Last year I had a request from a firm of quantity surveyors. They were recruiting for a ½ day Office Manager / Bookkeeper position. There were multiple concerns from the client's side:

1. They had been let down by recruitment companies so often and did not have a positive view on recruitment companies.
2. They were concerned we would just present a few CV's from a pile of files, and could not see how our fee was justified.

Action

I placed the position with a candidate that had just relocated from PE, and kept following up with regards to her performance. It turned out that she was not performing to his expectation.

I placed a new candidate within the 3 month guarantee period.

Result

The client said that I had turned around his perception of recruitment companies and they were impressed by the way we always stayed in touch and handled the situation

Even though it was not a perfect placement 1st time round, the client was still satisfied in the end.

Cindy Deysel
Specialist Consultant - Office Support Recruitment