BlueSteps speaks with Sanjiv Desai, a Senior Partner from TRANSEARCH India, who describes how he uses BlueSteps to find great candidates!

BlueSteps: What is the typical process when conducting a search in terms of how you source your candidates?

Sanjiv Desai:  We create target lists of organizations and then try and find people who are, or were, in those organizations. We also use or network of contacts in the sector to source additional candidates. Some of these sources have been developed by actively connecting with potential candidates through BlueSteps.

BlueSteps: What databases and resources do you use?

Sanjiv Desai: We use a variety of databases including our own, sites like Monster, BlueSteps, alumni lists of top organizations, LinkedIn, Google etc.

BlueSteps: How does BlueSteps fit into your candidate search process?

Sanjiv Desai: We use BlueSteps to look for potential candidates, as well as build networks of contacts who we source for specific industries.

BlueSteps: How many times a month do you use BlueSteps?

Sanjiv Desai: At least 2 - 3 times a month but this could increase depending on the number of global or international assignments we are working on at any point of time. In the past few months, we have done a number of these for clients in India who are either acquiring assets overseas or are looking for global leaders for specific roles within their corporate top management.

BlueSteps: Have you found any candidates through BlueSteps that you have gone on to present to a client?

Sanjiv Desai: Yes, quite a few times.

BlueSteps: How many candidates have you sourced from BlueSteps that have ended up on the slate?

Sanjiv Desai: I would think around a dozen or so candidates sourced through BlueSteps have reached the final short list stage over the years.

BlueSteps: How can a candidate best present him/herself to get noticed in a marketplace that is saturated with talented people?

Sanjiv Desai: Be accurate in filling out the BlueSteps profile format – especially about locations where (s)/he might be open to being located and compensation levels they are looking for! Sometimes we find people are a little careless about these two elements and this may result in them being eliminated from the  running just because they did not think these factors through!

This interview was conducted by Clara Widdison of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC). Be visible to retained executive search consultants at the world's top retained executive search firms.

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