SAMS sustained focus on the public health and development sectors and smart processes, ensure enviable success in the acquisition of talent for these sectors. Key strengths are highlighted below:

(1) Sectoral Expertise: We have filled +45,000 vacancies at all levels, over the past 26 years, supporting respected bilaterals, multilaterals and not-for-profit organizations, working in public health, climate change, livelihoods, agriculture, poverty alleviation, education and child rights. The experience leaves us with an unmatched understanding of talent resident in these sectors, including the ability to provide broad-based advisory inputs about the skills and experience required to execute different jobs, compensation and the availability of suitable talent.

(2) Unmatched Access and Reach to Public Health and Development Professionals: The social sector professionals placed by us over the years, constitute a large community who value and respect SAMS and are happy to make time for us. We frequently reach out to ‘senior influencers’ within this community and request them to broadcast our vacancies and help us to identify and connect with quality talent. We are also in regular email contact with at least 100,000 candidates. Access and reach to the above communities enable us to assemble strong shortlists for even the most challenging positions.

(3) Leveraging Social Media: We have been early users of LinkedIn, recognizing its significance and that of other social media platforms. Our search teams systematically identify and reach out to responsive candidates through these platforms to assemble relevant talent.

(4) In-Depth Talent Assessment: Our proprietary screening and assessment tools are customized and developed after in-depth analysis of key skills and attributes for the vacancy, in consultation with the client. The tools enable reliable assessment of the technical and soft skills required for each position.

(5) Unmatched Cycle Times: We work in close collaboration with our clients, configuring and orchestrating briefings, submission of shortlists and the conduct of interviews with selected candidates to conclude within 30 days of award.

(6) CXO Orientation: While SAMS recruits at all levels, our Executive Search team focuses on senior vacancies. We have successfully filled a large number of leadership roles, including Programme Directors, Functional Heads and Team Leaders and are able to fully address the requirements of top-level searches.

(7) Corporate Transition: Despite our health and development sector focus and orientation, we promote the visibility of our vacancies to the corporate sector, as well, where relevant. We have successfully facilitated the transition of a number of professionals from the corporate to the not-for-profit sector.

(8) Reaching Out to Passive Candidates: Our vigorous outreach through internal databases, professional networks and senior professionals who facilitate our searches as ‘influencers,’ helps reach the word out about vacancies, to candidates who are not actively seeking a job change. Many of these ‘passive’ candidates turn out to be excellent prospects.

(9) Large Recruitment Team: We are well resourced, and our HR Consulting Division has a head count of 40 full-time professionals. We are consequently able to address bulk hiring needs and systematically process large responses, within extremely stringent timelines.

(10) Informal Feedback: We are able to leverage our large network of senior development professionals, to provide need-based, informal feedback on candidates who are under serious consideration, by clients.

(11) Deployment of Technical Experts: Our ready access to development and public health professionals, enables us to constitute cross-functional teams comprising HR, finance and subject matter specialists to address the needs of complex assignments. We have in the past, associated with livelihood specialists, public health specialists, microbiologists and legal and taxation specialists, on a need basis, for the execution of complex talent acquisition projects.