Background

Greenhill Consulting in Bratislava works with its clients in two main areas: consultancy, incorporating HR processes, training and the development of high potentials, and recruitment.

When DSS Smith Packaging, one of Greenhill’s clients, wanted help in selecting a new sales manager, Eva worked with the sales director using Facet5 to facilitate the process.

Using the personality questionnaire, Eva sorted through the applicants’ profiles and put forward a shortlist to the sales director, based on the most suitable behavioural traits for the sales environment. However, the sales director initially preferred a different candidate, wanting to make an offer to the person ranked third on Eva’s recommendation, rather than first.

Facet5 proved extremely useful in negotiating a potentially awkward situation, providing a neutral form of reference.

Facet5 proved extremely useful in negotiating a potentially awkward situation, providing a neutral frame of reference by which to discuss the aptitudes and behaviours of the various candidates. Talking it through with the sales director, Eva and her team were able to accurately describe each candidate’s relevant strengths and potential weaknesses, and establish that while one candidate’s relationship skills and client liaison was excellent, she might not be best suited to hard negotiation and tough deal-making. Eventually the sales director agreed to take on Eva’s preferred candidate.

Outcomes

Eva met with the sales director again six months after the appointment was made, and was delighted to be told that her preferred candidate was the best sales manager, with the strongest sales results, on the whole team.

Without Facet5 providing both an incredibly detailed, accurate insight into each candidate’s personality traits and behaviours, and also a straightforward and accessible language in which to discuss it, the conversations may have gone very differently. Personality profiles cannot be either right or wrong, and no one trait is better or worse than another, but in understanding accurately a person’s preferences and behaviours, it is much easier to match them with a role in which they will thrive, and be able to use their strength s to maximum advantage.

Facet5 providing both an incredibly detailed, accurate insight into each candidate’s personality traits and behaviours, and also a straightforward and accessible language in which to discuss it.