Case study
Securing a mission critical hire
High stakes. High profile. High pressure. An engineering business needed a French-speaking Global Key Account Director based in France – someone to steward their largest, most profitable customer relationship.
0
Candidates engaged
from an initial talent pool of 840
Candidates shortlisted
after conducting 11 in-depth interviews0
Successful hire
from 4 client-interviewed finalistsThe challenge
The brief was exacting. This role required deep technical acumen blended with exceptional relationship building skills. The client was looking for:
- Strong understanding of engineering and technical principles, enabling them to cultivate enduring, value driven partnerships with the customer
- Proven track record of managing and growing key accounts, including identifying and capitalising on new sales opportunities
- Market awareness and the ability to analyse competitor trends, contributing to proactive strategic planning
Our goal was to identify candidates with the right expertise, fluent in French and aligned with the company’s values and culture.
The solution
Creative thinking starts with creative listening. The PeopleScout APEX team took a detailed and extensive briefing from the Senior HR Director and Global Commercial VP – not just capturing requirements, but understanding what success in this role truly looked like.
Talent mapping
We built a comprehensive talent map that became the backbone of our strategy: identifying target companies, benchmarking profiles and applying market intelligence.
Ears for feedback
We presented our findings to the hiring manager and refined our approach based on their feedback, ensuring every next step was tightly aligned to the brief.
Beyond evaluation
Every candidate underwent a thorough interview with our experienced APEX search team. We didn’t just evaluate – we advocated, presenting detailed candidate insights to the hiring panel.
Owning the candidate journey
We owned the entire candidate journey: handling rejections with care, coordinating interviews seamlessly, managing psychometric testing, delivering timely feedback, negotiating offers and securing post-placement support for both candidate and company.
Results
From an initial talent pool of 84, we engaged 38 candidates, conducted 11 in-depth interviews, and shortlisted 7. The client interviewed 4. One was selected – and has since taken the reins as their French-speaking Global Key Account Director. But here’s what really matters: their most valuable customer relationship is now in the hands of someone who gets it. Someone who can speak the language – literally and commercially. Someone who embodies their values while driving revenue growth.
Mission-critical role. Niche talent market. Perfect outcome.
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