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Our fearless, hands-on approach leaves no stone unturned.

JJA’s search strategy involves a 360-degree view of company, candidate, and investor needs—balancing the CEO’s operational plan, the candidate’s career plan, and the private equity firm’s value creation plan.

THE PARTNERS DO THE WORK
Clients work with two JJA partners on each retained engagement. The partners remain consistently and actively committed, from targeting, pitching, and vetting talent personally to monitoring and ensuring each fit for a full year.

WE ARE DETERMINED ADVOCATES
For the clients JJA takes on, we are fierce champions of each company’s brand, immersed in their mission and culture in order to characterize each position as only a true partner can. Candidates report that our seductive opportunity summaries make them take notice—and ultimately give notice.

NO SMOKE & MIRRORS
Iterative review and constant calibration throughout each search provides clients total visibility into the process, proof of progress, and a series of swift outcomes culminating in the ultimate goal: a set of superior candidates that render the selection a true challenge.

FEARLESS GUIDANCE
We know talent truths and trends and the reality of the dynamic market. If your situation warrants revising an org chart, taking a risk on a candidate, or adjusting compensation, we’ll boldly make the case for what will serve you best.

WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SUCCESS AS MUCH AS YOU DO

  • Failure is not an option. Unlike traditional engagements, milestone payments are tied to documented progress.
  • Interests are aligned. Fixed-fee structure (rather than fee-based on a percentage of target compensation) ensures the best fit–not the highest commission.
  • Partnership = co-ownership. As former operators, we bring the same dedication and diligence as if each hire were our own.

Agile Iterative Methodology

Designed for maximum momentum, even in crazy times.

  • 1. Strategize

    Begin by clearly establishing expectations, ground rules, and timelines. Transparency wins.

    • Two JJA Partners personally lead each retained search.
    • Hold initial conversations with the client’s key stakeholders.
    • Record and transcribe the kick-off video call where the CEO or other leader pitches the company’s story.
    • A dedicated Search Coordinator (think Scrum Master) optimizes the sprints for speed, selection, and resiliency.

  • 2. Visualvize

    Who is the ideal candidate? What qualities matter most? How do you pique that person’s interest?

    • Weigh desired requirements and experience to create an Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP).
    • Translate this into a comprehensive interview/screening Scorecard – this becomes the lens for the search.
    • Curate a heat map for laser-targeted sourcing and recruitment. This includes key sectors and companies, often getting as specific as a product or business unit.
    • Craft a compelling narrative to sell the company’s origin, mission, vision, ethos, and culture. So important, we use a professional copywriter to ensure the message isn’t lost in a sea of noise.

  • 3. Prioritize

    Finding a few incredible people means sifting through hundreds of really good ones.

    • We launch a three-channel outreach campaign to feed the funnel:
      1. Proprietary talent relationships from our own tracking system.
      2. Surgical extraction from laser-targeted companies on the heat map.
      3. Qualified referrals from trusted sources.
    • Partners direct the research team as they review hundreds of candidate bios.
    • Partners also conduct their own highly personal outreach, evangelizing the story to hook great candidates who are not actively looking.

  • 4. Realize

    We’ve all learned a lot by this point. Now it’s time to get every aspect tightly dialed in so we can start driving the best candidates down the conversion funnel. Constant iteration drives this process.

    • A JJA Partner sits in on initial interviews to refine the requirements while zeroing in on personality and culture fit.
    • We tweak the pitch, refine the scorecard and accelerate the search (think of this as the equivalent of a code freeze in software dev).
    • From this point on, we only present candidates who check most or all of the boxes on a client’s checklist.
    • The campaign yields a robust set of options, making for a difficult choice.

  • 5. Finalize

    Landing a top candidate requires tight collaboration between the client and the JJA Partner.

    • The Client selects finalists from the shortlist our campaign has delivered.
    • Rigorous due diligence is critically important at this stage.
      • More interviews with company leadership, board, and investors.
      • The client spends non-interview time with finalists to gauge chemistry and fit.
      • We perform confidential reference checks. But we also go deeper to identify red flags for racism, intolerance, criminal behavior, harassment and more. This involves a combination of secure, compliant screening of social networks, web search results, and paid databases.
    • JJA provides counsel/coaching on final selection and deal terms, managing all communication while choreographing negotiation and closing.
    • We add peace of mind by monitoring each new placement after the hire, backing up our work with a full one-year replacement guarantee.

JJA IS A STORYTELLER:

“JJA Venture Search helped us build our Employer Brand. The Client Dossier they crafted became an important narrative for our hires. It helped us tell our company story and polished it over time.”

Travlin McCormack, CTO

JJA IS A REAL STANDOUT

“Two words come to mind when I’m asked about JJA–relationships, and professionalism. These used to be hallmarks of the executive search trade but are all too rare these days. I hear so many stories – and have a few of my own – where search and recruiting have devolved to something akin to today’s dating scene where people don’t communicate, ghost or get ghosted, or even disappear–even after offers are extended or accepted. JJA is a real standout”

Kristen Moore – InVia Robotics

COMPLETELY TRUSTWORTHY AND VERY PLUGGED IN

“I have known Jim since 2005 when he placed me at Green Dot, and then again at Cornerstone, 2 major stepping stones in my career, and we have interacted many times over the years as we engaged him frequently at Cornerstone. He is completely trustworthy and very plugged in to what is happening in tech.”

Mark Goldin – GREEN DOT ADN CSOD
(877) JONASSEN (877) 566-2773 info@JJA.co

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