Our Approach
Food & Beverage Industry Insight, Intuition and People Intelligence.
The Wolf Difference starts day one. Wolf brings decades of versatile recruiting expertise having partnered with a wide range of companies at varying stages of the life cycle. Each search is unique and high stakes. Our team approaches each interaction and assignment with a mission-critical mindset relentlessly driven to get it right the first time. Our clients appreciate the quality of our work saving them valuable time by interviewing the right candidates from the start. Along the way, we lead with a refreshing level of candor and transparency eliminating unnecessary surprises.
Wolf begins by listening and learning your business's vision, culture, strategic priorities, competitive threats and changing market dynamics. We are heavily invested in the upfront work. Our strong results are the outcome of attention, rigor and diligence at every step of the process.
We leverage our proprietary and rigorous vetting process to identify, secure and engage Optimal Fit Candidates that go beyond the requisite technical skills, ensuring they have the right motivation for the short and long-term opportunity as well as the necessary growth agility to add value ongoing. By getting the fit factor right, our candidates on-board faster quickly assimilating and leading positive change and driving impact.
The Optimal Fit Advantage
Optimal Fit means both client and candidate win by matching client's needs with candidate career aspirations and motivations. Every search and every client is unique and high stakes - it is our customized, tailored and proprietary approach that delivers the Optimal Fit Advantage.
We listen and learn about your company's strategic imperatives and cultural dynamics. It's not about the 'who's who' but 'who fits.' We overdeliver on your unique needs.
Wolf excels at precision targeting and extensive vetting to recruit the strongest leaders for your company. In addition, our approach leads with transparency, candid conversations and sharing insights beyond the obvious.
Our candidates bring deep relevant capabilities and experience, aligned with your company culture, strong emotional intelligence and resilience, flexible leadership capacity, strong growth agility and the right motivation for the role. This in combination = Optimal Fit Candidate.
Optimal Fit provides mutual value to the clients and candidates. There are short-term and long-term benefits including high retention rates, right motivation leading to career progression and trajectory, improved engagement by all employees and exceeding financial goals.
The Process
As a trusted advisor and search partner, it’s imperative to fully understand the unique needs of every client company and how a specific role will ultimately contribute to our clients’ short and long-term business objectives. We realize the immense responsibility of serving as our clients’ voice in the market, thus deploy a comprehensive Pre-Search Discovery process to insure we get it right. We go to market equipped with a holistic view of the opportunity including our clients’ history, current state and desired future state.
We listen and learn with a comprehensive two prong approach to glean holistic view of the company, culture, business imperatives, vision and candidate criteria. The Wolf Difference is the energy and time spent upfront building the business case and the ‘why’ top leaders should be compelled to explore our clients’ opportunity. We serve as our clients’ brand ambassador.
Principles of Success
- Strategic, collaborative and aligned partnerships
- Get it right the first time and reduce total duration of search cycle
- Partner mindset vs. vendor mindset
- Identify, engage and secure Optimal Fit Candidates
- Candid, insightful and transparent communications
- Savvy storytellers - passive to eager candidate conversion
- Vision-centric approach
- Invested and accountable
Building a compelling opportunity proposition is core to Wolf’s principles and our track record of converting passive professionals to enthusiastic candidates is unparalleled. We have an efficient and effective process to glean the critical intelligence and underlying nuances on the things that matter - enabling us to be an extension of your team. During the first introductory touchpoint with target candidates, we show up with credibility, transparency, and insightful depth relating to potential candidates on an intellectual and emotional level.
A critical part of the process is to create a compelling Position Summary asset that further validates the opportunity proposition impressing and potentially converting passive top talent into eager and interested candidates.
Before igniting the market outreach phase and utilizing the proprietary technology platform, Wolf team members conduct a thorough target candidate sourcing, acquisition and market mapping strategy.
Principles of Success
- Strategic, collaborative and aligned partnerships
- Get it right the first time and reduce total duration of search cycle
- Partner mindset vs. vendor mindset
- Identify, engage and secure Optimal Fit Candidates
- Candid, insightful and transparent communications
- Savvy storytellers - passive to eager candidate conversion
- Vision-centric approach
- Invested and accountable
We are the masters of bringing our clients' story to life and people listen. We deliver our clients’ opportunity propositionwith a refreshing level of passion further connecting the dots and sparking curiosity on what the opportunity could mean for a leader’s long-term career trajectory. We are savvy in hitting the 'why' someone should consider. Furthermore, we deliver it with a non-traditional level of candor that quickly builds trust.
Principles of Success
- Strategic, collaborative and aligned partnerships
- Get it right the first time and reduce total duration of search cycle
- Partner mindset vs. vendor mindset
- Identify, engage and secure Optimal Fit Candidates
- Candid, insightful and transparent communications
- Savvy storytellers - passive to eager candidate conversion
- Vision-centric approach
- Invested and accountable
Wolf delivers Optimal Fit Candidate Profiles in addition to candidate resumes to our clients. We assess experience, motivation, emotional intelligence (EQ), resilience, growth agility and alignment with company values and culture. Our proprietary Optimal Fit Assessment is powered by the Hogan Assessment Certification, EQi 2.0® Assessment, and the Hardiness Resilience Gauge™, to deliver the ideal candidate with the strongest experience, technical expertise, EQ traits, and company values compatibility.
We leverage the suite of scientifically valid and reliable assessments to validate and complement the insights and information gleaned during our interview process and the knowledge of candidate reputations.
Principles of Success
- Strategic, collaborative and aligned partnerships
- Get it right the first time and reduce total duration of search cycle
- Partner mindset vs. vendor mindset
- Identify, engage and secure Optimal Fit Candidates
- Candid, insightful and transparent communications
- Savvy storytellers - passive to eager candidate conversion
- Vision-centric approach
- Invested and accountable
Wolf delivers the short list of strongest and most viable candidates - Optimal Fit Candidates. It’s as simple as that. We savor the moment our clients struggle to make decisions given the quality of the entire slate of candidates. Our candidates come to the table with the right requisite skills, behaviors and attitudes - motivated to learn more and explore.
We don't 'stack the deck' but rather aim to overdeliver the right slate of candidates vs. just one or two viable options within a pack. With our rigorous vetting and precision targeting, we make the process efficient as possible for clients. Delivering quality is a core principle at Wolf which enables our clients to save valuable time by getting down to business and focusing on the things that really matter.
Principles of Success
- Strategic, collaborative and aligned partnerships
- Get it right the first time and reduce total duration of search cycle
- Partner mindset vs. vendor mindset
- Identify, engage and secure Optimal Fit Candidates
- Candid, insightful and transparent communications
- Savvy storytellers - passive to eager candidate conversion
- Vision-centric approach
- Invested and accountable
We are service fanatics, and our relentless service orientation is especially important during the Interview, Align and Offer phase. The proof of performance is in the details and Wolf team members immerse with all search key stakeholders to ensure an efficient, informative and timely process from start to finish.
Our high touch approach includes regular cadence of candidate and client communication. This is critical to validating initial findings and guarantees exceptional client and candidate experience. At this stage, we continue to fortify trust through transparency and authenticity which significantly reduces the likelihood of unforeseen surprises.
We engage as client and candidate advocates through the offer and acceptance stage. We coach candidates through the exit process. Wolf team member are counteroffer avoidance experts and provide a long list of counteroffer avoidance successes.
Principles of Success
- Strategic, collaborative and aligned partnerships
- Get it right the first time and reduce total duration of search cycle
- Partner mindset vs. vendor mindset
- Identify, engage and secure Optimal Fit Candidates
- Candid, insightful and transparent communications
- Savvy storytellers - passive to eager candidate conversion
- Vision-centric approach
- Invested and accountable
Finally, Wolf engages at every step to ensure candidate and client experience is nothing short of spectacular. We continue to support our candidates during the relocation and onboarding as well as stay in touch ongoing.
Wolf is a strong advocate of continuous improvement. As a result, we stay connected to learn, track and evolve. We conduct an annual benchmark.
Principles of Success
- Strategic, collaborative and aligned partnerships
- Get it right the first time and reduce total duration of search cycle
- Partner mindset vs. vendor mindset
- Identify, engage and secure Optimal Fit Candidates
- Candid, insightful and transparent communications
- Savvy storytellers - passive to eager candidate conversion
- Vision-centric approach
- Invested and accountable
Our proprietary Optimal Fit Assessment is a holistic process that combines the science and art of executive search. It starts with Wolf's uncanny ability to identify, engage and secure the right candidates through our referral and network-based recruiting approach and our rigorous candidate vetting process. To deliver the right candidate for high stakes searches requires leaders with the desire, capability and capacity to drive value creation. Wolf results are powered by The Hogan Assessment for scientifically validating accuracy. Wolf leaves it to the Hogan experts to drive our results to the next level delivering candidates with the right blend of personality and predictive performance requisites. Combining over 30 years of food industry recruiting expertise with the world-renowned Hogan Assessment partnership is our secret weapon for delivering sustainable talent value.
Culture Shapers and Value Drivers
Optimal Fit Candidates are recognized experts in their field with a proven track record of shaping cultures, maximizing value and accelerating results.
Technical Expertise
Candidates have the strongest technical skills, knowledge and insights in their discipline.
EQ & Resilience Traits
Candidates have the emotional intelligence necessary to lead effectively and overcome challenges.
Wolf is a certified practitioner of Hogan and partners with Hogan consultants. We apply Hogan’s three core personality assessments, including Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI), which helps align candidates with the roles and environments that will most optimize their value.
Differentiators
Wolf’s transformational recruiting methodology delivers on your organization’s current objectives and its ideal future state. We are versatile and bring deep expertise across company types, channels, functions and company lifecycle stage. We are agile and experienced problem solvers and drive game changing sustainable talent solutions and expertise that translates to your unique situation. We show up ready to immerse and embrace your unique story, and partner with you every step of the way.
At Wolf, it's not about making a placement. It's about establishing meaningful relationships, solving high stakes hiring challenges and setting our clients up for future successes with meaningful talent solutions.
We bring over 30 years experience in the food and beverage industry. We show up with a growth mindset and prepared to listen and learn. We bring a balance of rich historical industry perspective and future focused mindset.
The foundation of our points of difference is our candid and transparent communications.
Metrics of Success
65
Average search cycle time of 65 days
27
Average candidate slate introduction in 27 days
4:1
Average candidate introduction to hire ratio
62%
Average diversity candidate slate delivery
Why Our Clients Keep Coming Back
Our clients get a world-class boutique firm experience with personalized client and candidate care. We are mission and service driven to find the 'better than best' with precision targeting, rigorous vetting, along with our valuable insights, intelligence and intuition to deliver the strongest all-around Optimal Fit Candidate. We get it right the first time.
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