Career moves on the web for US-based firm

By Adam Gifford

Executive search firm Korn/Ferry International wants to make its Futurestep online recruitment site the place to go for middle managers wanting to take their careers upwards or sideways.

Futurestep, a joint venture between Korn/Ferry and the Wall St Journal, was launched in the United States 18 months ago, listing on the New York Stock Exchange. It now has 370,000 people registered in its database.

It is being rolled out this week into www.futurestep.co.nz.

Tim Nelson, managing director for Australia and New Zealand, says the target is jobs in the $75,000 to $150,000 range, usually in financial roles, accounting, human resources and sales and marketing.

It is an area that has been below the range of traditional executive search firms.

Futurestep also has a strong weighting towards recruiting for technology jobs.

Mr Nelson says the challenge is to access the pool of middle-management candidates quickly and come up with a suitable shortlist, so positions can be filled within 30 days.

By using the internet, Futurestep can reach out globally to candidates and quickly sift for matches of experience, skills and culture.

"While other sites have online job hosting or post resumes, we have built an online career assessment site and the associated tools so you can determine the job fit and culture fit," he says.

Futurestep has exclusive licences to use the Style View and Career View tools developed by Self-Discovery Dynamics, a company formed in 1983 by Michael Driver and Kenneth Brousseau, professors at the University of California Graduate School of Business.

"We don't accept paper-based resumes. We capture that online and then participants go through assessments including a case study which allows us to assess leadership style, communication style, decision-making style, career profile and career motivators."

Employers are put through a similar process so Futurestep can match jobs and people.

If a hire does not work out, Futurestep will fill the position again.

Mr Nelson says that even if there is no immediate job offer, the assessment process helps executives to measure themselves against the wider market, shape their careers and set goals for further development.

The site is designed to keep people coming back.

"We want to be the career destination for middle managers.

"We want to build a community and educate that community so when they are looking for their next career move they are ready."

Mr Nelson says the company wants people to register whether they are active or passive job-seekers.

Registration is free. Employers pay Futurestep about 25 per cent of the first year's salary of their hire, in line with normal recruiting company practice.