How Top executive search firms in Shanghai help to maintain secrecy?

When a firm has to replace an existing member of its c-suite which implies it's going to fire the person who now holds the position the process of finding a successor must be conducted in complete secrecy.

Discretion is required for a variety of reasons. First, if the executive learns, he or she may become disinterested and even sabotage the successor. Furthermore, research suggests that when executives are notified, they typically try to sway the selection process in a way that would help them cement their personal legacy rather than focusing on what is best for the firm.

Here are some of the tactics used by Top executive Search Firms in Shanghai to keep these types of searches a secret.

1. Avoid getting into specifics 

Top executive Search Firms in Asia typically don't divulge the firm they work for or the job title they're attempting to fill when they reach out to industry sources for ideas on who the best applicants could be. Instead, they discuss leadership skills.

A same norm applies when they start talking to potential recruits. They don't tell them who they are representing at first. Instead, they describe the industry and state that the position would be at or above their current level, while also determining their own objectives.

2. Use good NDAs 

Non-disclosure agreements may be "out of control" in how companies use them with their employees, but they're critical in a secret CEO search. Some regular NDAs aren't enough. To make them more enforceable, they must include specific prohibitions stating that all information to be given, from the firm name to the incumbent to compensation, is secret.

3. A small team of search committee 

The selecting process should be kept to a maximum of four persons within the firm. This number is modest and helps to prevent leaks while still allowing for a variety of viewpoints on each applicant. But they must all be people who honestly believe the executive should be replaced.

4. Try to avoid using mails 

It's far too simple to make an email blunder. A member of the search committee may send a message to the incorrect individual, forward it to someone else, or display it on their screen for all to see. There can't be any emails concerning the procedure.

It is important to provide reports to the members of the committee that include comprehensive, competency-based assessments of the applicants they'll be meeting with. These papers must be accessible over the internet. 

Understanding why recruiters need to preserve secrets — and some of the methods they employ to do so may be beneficial to prospects as well. Some of the things Top executive Search Firms in Hong kong ask you to do may seem foolish (for example, giving a false identity at a hotel front desk), but secrecy is essential when a firm makes a high-level CEO move.