Case study: Navigating the complexities of recruitment in the eye care industry
Client overview
Our client, a global giant in the eye care industry, operates in over 70 countries and serves patients in more than 140 countries. With thousands of employees worldwide, they are at the forefront of innovation in surgical equipment, vision care products, and pharmaceuticals.
The challenge
Despite their global presence and strong market position, the client faced a significant challenge in hiring Surgical Account Managers for various territories. These positions require a unique blend of sales expertise in ophthalmology and experience in a surgical theatre environment. Compounding the challenge, many potential candidates were bound by non-compete clauses from competitors, making the talent pool even more limited. Each hiring manager also had slightly different requirements, making the search even more complex.
Our solution
To address the client’s needs, we launched an exclusive search strategy that leveraged all available resources and platforms. Our approach included:
- Targeted job adverts crafted from detailed client briefings and posted across multiple forums for maximum visibility
- Proactive engagement, headhunting passive candidates and maintaining communication with those already on the market, including directly from competitors given the exclusive nature of our agreement
- Utilisation of our Race in STEM community, reaching candidates who may not be active on platforms like LinkedIn
- Referrals and recommendations tapped from our wider network
The results
- Roles filled: 3 (all focused on sales, covering different territories with slightly varied job titles/products)
- Candidates approached: approximately 100–150 individuals per role
- Applications reviewed: around 80–120 for each role
- Shortlists created: 4–8 profiles per role initially, with additional qualified CVs shared as the search progressed
- Interview success rate: 75% of shortlisted candidates secured interviews
- Final interview stage: 2–3 candidates per role
Despite the complexity and challenges of these searches, we were able to brief, resource, and place candidates within two months, including their notice periods.
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