Recruiters need to work harder to build the trust of diverse candidates for senior positions, according to the co-founder of interim and executive firm Green Park.

Chief executive, Raj Tulsiani, told Recruiter: “We know from experience that when you are dealing with diverse candidates at £120k+ level, there are occasions where people are more reticent and distrustful of headhunters.”

It is always the customer’s decision, so even if they don’t get the appointment we can ensure people get some developmental enhancement in their own career and ability to deal with the market

RAJ TULSIANI, GREEN PARK

Tulsiani said that such candidates “require more coaching and a disproportionate amount of time to assure that they are brought in enough to the process to get to shortlist”.

Tulsiani added: “For me diversity is how to get the best people in front of clients, so these candidates are as prepared as possible for our clients to be happy with them.”

Placing the usual suspects is always easier, said Tulsiani. However, he added: “Our view is if the talent is out there we want to develop it… It is always the customer’s decision, so even if they don’t get the appointment we can ensure people get some developmental enhancement in their own career and ability to deal with the market.

“That leads to them making referrals in their own networks and then becoming potential clients [to Green Park] in the future.”

Tulsiani said that because the big search firms didn’t operate in this way, people questioned whether it made financial sense. However, he said it was something to which the company was “really committed”.

With 50% of Green Park’s interims being women, “our experience is that [irrespective of gender, background etc] if we put the best people forward, clients will pick them”.