Our Services
Retained Search
A search for top-level executives is best suited for a retained search agreement. As your exclusive retained executive search firm, we serve as a trusted strategic partner, helping you build a superior leadership team through identifying core leadership competencies, needs prioritization, continuity planning, and more.
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Engaged Search
This type of search is most typical with manager and director-level positions. In engaged recruiting, a percentage of the fee is paid when the search starts, but the rest is only paid if our candidate is placed. If you want the middle ground between retained and contingency, an engaged search is the route to go.
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Contingent Search
A contingent search is most commonly used for mid to senior-level to individual contributor roles. When working with an employer on a contingency basis, we are paid only after the recruiter finds a candidate that the client hires. The fee is typically paid on the first day of employment. The fees are based on the candidates' first-year target compensation.
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Retained Search
At SkyWater Executive Search, we bring unparalleled skills, experience, network, and industry expertise to every retained search assignment. As your exclusive search firm, we serve as a trusted, strategic partner to some of the most highly respected Fortune 500 and emerging companies in the Upper Midwest and, increasingly, across the country. Focusing on C-suite and officer level positions, we help our clients build superior leadership teams through a rigorous process of identifying core leadership competencies, needs prioritization, continuity planning, and deepening bench strength. Our dedicated teams of industry specialists bring their consultative talent management approach to every retained search project. Every SkyWater search is focused and far-reaching, nimble and quick without compromising our client’s vision or needs. The result: great hires that bring immediate lift and long-term success to the organization.
Building Your Leadership Team
It’s not a one-time exercise. It’s a never-ending process of growing, refining, and aligning that team with your organization’s vision. At SkyWater, we know that every great leadership team is more than a collection of great individuals. It is a dynamic coalition developed only through the careful meshing of individual strengths, styles, and experiences.
A Keen Eye for Key Talent
SkyWater is led by the most successful executive recruiters in Minnesota, a team that has been helping Fortune 500 companies strengthen and grow their executive leadership for more than twenty years. Your search is our top priority. We invest the time to fully understand who you are – and who you need. And we bring back the best fit – the right person to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be.
Reputation is Everything
SkyWater Search Partners is built on a foundation of thoughtfully nurtured, long-standing relationships and hundreds of successful placements throughout the Twin Cities business community. Clients and candidates are well aware of SkyWater’s track record for matching top talent with top organizations.
Candidate Assessment Service Available
We offer a deeper layer of candidate matching when you need it most. Through our partnership with a team of highly experienced, nationally respected PhD-assessors, we provide in-depth assessments of your finalist candidates. This service can be added to a Retained or Engaged search agreement.
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Engaged Search
When to use Engaged Search
Using SkyWater to assist with your search makes the process easy. Here are some clues that engaged search might be a good option for you:
- You need to fill a manager or director-level position.
- Your organization has outgrown it’s current organizational structure.
- You need a commitment from your search firm to work rigorously to fill the position.
- You know there is top-performing talent out there (maybe even with your competitors), and it’s just not appropriate for your in-house recruiting team to reach out to them.
- You’ve got a stack of resumes to sift through, and you’re wishing you could start with your short-list of finalists.
SkyWater’s Engaged Search Process
An Engaged Search ensures a true partnership between you and your recruiter. There is a commitment on behalf of SkyWater to fill the position. Your SkyWater recruiter will work with you to understand your needs as a company so that he or she is capable of articulating your value proposition. We act as an extension of your HR team.
All of our recruiters work in specialized discipline areas and have a proven track record of placing the very best. We use a consultative approach that enables us to find candidates that have the technical expertise you need and are also a culture fit for your organization. We have the ability to help you start with your short list.
Candidate Assessment Service Available
We offer a deeper layer of candidate matching when you need it most: Through our partnership with a team of highly experienced, nationally respected industrial-organizational psychologists, we provide in-depth assessments of your final candidates. This service can be added to a Retained or Engaged search agreement.
Learn more about our Candidate Assessments.
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Contingent Search
When to use Contingency Search
Using a recruiting firm to assist with your search makes the process easy. Here are some clues that contingency search might be a good option for you:
- You’re looking for a mid to senior-level individual contributor.
- Your posted position has been open for a few months.
- You feel short on marketing resources for your open position.
- You’ve got a stack of resumes to sift through, and you’re wishing you could start with your short-list of finalists.
SkyWater’s Contingency Search Process
A great hire is a perfect fit. Nothing less. They’re that unique individual who brings exactly what you need to take your organization to the next level. Finding that person takes a lot more than recruiting skills or industry knowledge. It calls for a firm grasp of your company’s culture, brand, market, competition, and vision. It requires deep connections across many industries and credibility with the people you want to attract. It demands the insight to predict with accuracy how a promising candidate will actually lead within your organization. And it all needs to happen quickly. Because your company can’t slow down for a lengthy recruiting process.
All of our recruiters work in specialized discipline areas and have a proven track record of finding and placing the very best. When you partner with Skywater, you’ll be working with a recruiter who is highly successful in contingent search with the type of role you need filled. We have the ability to help you start with your short list.
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Our Practice Areas
Our practice area expertise and daily contact with top talent enable us to consistently provide highly-qualified and committed candidates.
Executive Retained Search
We know that every great leadership team is more than a collection of great individuals. It is a dynamic coalition, developed only through the careful meshing of individual strengths, styles, and experiences.
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Accounting & Finance
As financial recruiters our focus is to find and secure the best accounting and finance talent for our client’s specific business needs.
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Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain
We’ll find, vet and secure technical and engineering talent with the skill set you’re looking for – but we won’t overwhelm you with a multitude of candidates.
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Human Resources
Our network of human resources specialists and executives enables our HR practice group to consistently provide top caliber talent for a wide range of companies – large and small.
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IT Executive Recruiters
Our IT recruiters have access to niche specialists, senior leaders, and more. We understand the challenge of finding and hiring experienced IT professionals.
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Legal
Our network of legal specialists and executives enables our legal practice group to consistently provide top-caliber talent for a wide range of companies – large and small.
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Sales Recruiters
Our experience as sales executives and sales recruiters provides keen insight into both finding the right sales leaders and securing their interest in a position.
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Marketing
Talent moves fast, so do we. Let us show you the most highly qualified, fully vetted marketing candidates first. Our rigorous sourcing and evaluation process can dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes to hire the right talent.
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Financial Services
Our Financial Services group specializes in connecting finance professionals for full-time positions primarily in the Twin Cities metro area.
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Construction
We are no strangers to the construction and civil engineering field. Our specialized team comes with an extensive network of industry professionals who help clients gain access to the best in the industry.
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Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Our Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) recruiting group is made of specialists who have extensive experience recruiting for positions in the CPG field.
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MedTech & Life Science
We’ll find, vet and secure MedTech & Life Science professionals with the skill set you’re looking for – but we won’t overwhelm you with a multitude of candidates.
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“Matt did a great job. As you are quite aware, as a business leader I have a lot of options with regards to my recruiting needs. Over my 32 years of leading business, I probably have used a dozen or more recruiting firms for different roles. Most of them were out of state groups that specialized in what I was looking for at the time or are specialized in our industry. I like that you guys are local and seem to have a well balanced portfolio, and a personal yet down to earth staff which is much appreciated. Matt was a pleasure to work with. He was appropriately aggressive with our search and presented outstanding candidates that fit our needs. I will definitely use Matt again for our next search.”
CEO – Commercial Fixture Company | February 2019 OPERATIONS & ENGINEERING
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