Employer FAQs Page 2

Most staffing agencies don't charge money upfront. Why do you?

We are fundamentally different from other staffing agencies. In addition to the differences that we outlined on the first EMPLOYER FAQs page, here are some other very significant differences:

OTHER AGENCIES

Only work 9 to 5 Monday through Friday.
Usually, clients have to set a phone appointment to have a detailed conversation with staffing agents.
Only about 10 to 20% of their time during the week is dedicated to placing your role because they are also trying to find birthday clowns, nannies, dog walkers, gardeners, and chefs for other clients as well (high-volume).
Not specialists (often part-timers and college interns in their office; high turnover and impersonal).
Never been in the roles they place (came from other unrelated industries).
Can't reach them on weekends or after 5:00 pm during the week.
Working for commission and racing to place a role before their competitors do (no care, just rushing).
Many use $40 per transaction websites to run background checks.
Often poach candidates back so they can score even more commissions.
Most have bad reputations with private service industry staff because of the rampant use of fake job ads and misuse of candidates' references.

OUR FIRM

Work 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Monday to Friday, plus available on weekends when needed (VIP concierge service).
Available anytime to take your call, so no need to set an appointment.
Our time is spent on placing your role because we usually work with only one client at a time. We limit our engagements so we can always go above and beyond the call of duty during every phase of the placement process.
Brian Daniel is a world-renowned specialist in the field (with Thought Leader status and featured in dozens of media outlets and prestigious industry magazines worldwide).
Brian Daniel has actually been in the roles he places (working for UHNW, billionaires, aristocracy, celebrities, Forbes list families, and royalty), so there is a much deeper understanding of the match (pedigree).
Use private investigators who are former law enforcement to do background checks (licensed, bonded, and insured).
No poaching policy (We won't re-sign a candidate and place them with another employer unless they've been with the employer that we placed them with for at least a year and leave with a solid recommendation letter).
Never use fake job ads and have superlative "street cred" globally, which attracts the best of the best candidates.

Could you explain what your placement process is like in practice?

When you hire us and pay the engagement fee, we work for you for 30 calendar days. Essentially, we become independent HR advisors (aka recruiters/headhunters). Based on the characteristics you're looking for and the skills in the job description you give us, we will send you resumes for review.

Those resumes will come with a summary of what we learned during the interview process; then, you tell us which candidates you're interested in. We will connect you with the candidate, and the interview process can begin. Employers can interview candidates by phone, video, or in person.

We consult with you throughout the process, and you give us feedback about the candidates you've seen. We can start honing our search even further based on your feedback.

If we place that role in a week, we will continue working for you behind the scenes while the candidate is being onboarded.

Will you send us photos of the candidates?

We will not ask the candidates for a photo because that's illegal. The employer can be sued for asking for photos. You are free to run the interview process the way that you'd like, but here's what we suggest:

Review the resumes we send (almost all candidates have a LinkedIn profile anyway, so there is no need to break the law and ask for photos).
Do an "exploratory interview" by phone first to get a sense of what the candidate is about. Those are typically about 10 or 15 minutes.
Start the formal interview process after the exploratory interview. The first interview can be by phone, video (Skype, Zoom, etc.), or in person.
Have second or third interviews if/when you feel necessary (with the employer's hierarchy).
Finally, the last interview should be with the VIP or Principal for whom the assistant will work. We recommend hiring someone to meet the VIP/celebrity/patriarch they will be working for.

How many candidates are you going to send us?

Several factors go into this estimated answer, which include but are not limited to:

The desirability and reputation of your company.
The workload and number of hours to be worked each week.
How competitive the compensation package is.
The city/country of the job.
The perks and fringe benefits.
And, very significantly, the market factors.

Right now, arguably, is the "Golden Age" of domestic staffing. There is a worldwide shortage of exceptional talent, and that is especially true for domestic staffing. There has never been a greater demand in the past 100 years.

Having said all of that, we are about quality, not quantity. We would rather send you five excellent candidates than ten mediocre ones.

What if no placement is made in the 30-day period?

We are going to send you qualified candidates. We can continue to work for you if you don't hire any of them or none except your job offers. We charge another retainer fee for every 30 days that we are engaged in work. It's rare to have to go past 30 days. If the role, for example, has a "high degree of difficulty," especially if it's a worldwide search, it can take longer. Another factor to consider is if the employer is looking for "lightning in a bottle."

Any recruiter worldwide (regardless of the industry they recruit for) will tell you that some employers are eccentric; this is especially true in the world of the affluent. Some employers don't "feel it" when they interview the candidate, even though the candidate is qualified for the role. If the employer interviews, say, five or ten candidates and doesn't want to hire any of them, then we can keep searching. Again, another retainer fee is charged for every 30 days that we are engaged.

May we remain confidential?

Many celebrities and high-net-worth families come to us and want to remain confidential for several reasons, which is fine. The job ad can say "Confidential Employer." But we will never engage with someone and not know who we are doing business with.

If we get an email from John Smith and the domain is yahoo.com, we won't sign a contract and engage. Ultimately, we must get an email from a company domain name attached to an actual website (with some exceptions).

The first email exchange with us can be anonymous. Still, if we have a discovery call, we must verify your identity. We have journalists and competitors pose as potential clients and try to get information out of us, so we need to be cautious. Like a quality law firm won't have an anonymous consultation with a random stranger, we won't either.

In what ways can you verify the employer's identity?

We understand that sometimes an affluent individual may be retired or may have inherited money and doesn't have a business entity under their name. In those cases, you can have a bona fide business entity that represents you send us an email from their company's domain name.

The business entity can vouch for the client's identity and confirm the emails we are getting are legitimate. For example, we would consider an email from a law firm, estate planner, investment firm, banker, accountant, talent agent, business manager, etc.

How involved is your company with the salary negotiation?

One of the most significant benefits of working with us is our flexibility. Other agencies try to hold an employer "hostage" in so many ways. Other agencies are involved in the negotiations because they are trying to drive the price up to score a higher commission. Because we've already been paid an engagement fee, there is no need to do that. We can be as involved as you want in the salary negotiation process. Still, you are free to deal directly with the candidate in that respect.

In what other ways are you involved in the search process?

Brian Daniel acts as an impartial coach in the middle, counseling candidates and employers throughout the process. Other agencies only have loyalty to the party paying their bills (the employer). Brian Daniel has learned many valuable lessons after 25 years in the industry dealing with high-net-worth families. As an agent, if you're in the middle and earn the trust of both candidates and employers, that's how the best, long-lasting matches are made.

Diplomacy is a critical component in elite recruiting. Suppose agents and recruiters will "throw candidates under the bus" and have no loyalty to them whatsoever, even if the employer is unreasonable. In that case, quality candidates run in the other direction. Again, Brian Daniel has the experience, credibility, and pedigree in the elite headhunting industry because he understands these nuances.

How can we increase our chances of scoring the very best candidate?

Employers need to understand and manage the hiring process well because mismanagement turns off quality candidates. Suppose employers are unrealistic, eccentric, or low-ball candidates with sub-par job offers. In that case, it ultimately sabotages any chance of ever scoring the best of the best candidates.

This is now a very small world. Personal assistants, Estate Managers, Security agents, Nannies, and the rest of the domestic staffing world are connected on LinkedIn and through professional associations. When employers get a bad rap, it's "game over." Bad news travels very fast.

For example, a Silicon Valley billionaire once contacted our office for help because they couldn't find the right Estate Manager. Long story short: They had been to six different agencies in six months. The top-tier Estate Managers weren't interested in the role because the hiring process was badly mismanaged, and the salary package was sub-par. Nearly a year later, that VIP is still looking for an EM, has been burning through candidates, and has a "revolving door." Ask yourself, is it worth it? In the long run, it costs more money (and more heartache) to do it wrong than just doing it right from the word "go."

Being aboveboard attracts and retains world-class candidates

A final note on attracting the best candidates: There are countless stories worldwide of high-profile families hiring full-time employees, paying them cash under the table, and considering them "independent contractors." Nearly in every instance, it's against the law.

We advise against breaking the law and won't work with employers who don't follow the law. Most other agencies don't care. Many agencies have an unwritten and unspoken policy: "Don't ask, don't tell -- just take the money and run." This policy puts the employer in great jeopardy.

In Hollywood, there are dozens of high-profile cases where assistants have sued their bosses (and won) in a court of law for unpaid overtime. It's not legal to pay someone a flat rate as an "independent contractor" and then force them to work 60 or 70 hours a week.

We require that candidates be legally employed and be through a bona fide business entity, regardless of who the employer is. If you break the law, you'll get caught sooner or later. Then, you will have to hire a law firm to defend you, and the losses are usually quite significant -- not to mention the loss of your family's and company's reputation when it hits the news.

These are the types of issues we consult our clients on. It protects you, the candidates, and our industry. Top-tier, world-class candidates won't work for cash. They want to be paid legally and have employment benefits.

YOUR CART