My search firm never ever treats candidates like cattle. Candidates are treated exactly how we treat our clients; as honored partners in the recruiting process. Once you earn a candidate's respect, the search firm will earn the candidate's trust and that will be pivotal when attempting to strike the final deal that is a "win-win" [...]
"I am very very grateful. You are an exceptional company." Meaningful words my firm received this past Sunday from a CEO regarding the closing of a Chief level search project. Let's "reverse engineer" and understand how these words were earned: Have placed 5 very talented executives in the past 1.5 years with this client Honored a [...]
My firm sells and executes retained executive search projects and I was recently asked to offer some Business Development insights and training for my staff. My first profession during the first 3 years after college was teaching so this is fun for me and I enjoy influencing my staff. As I began thinking about what I [...]
I recently spoke at a PRESNET meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska (PRESNET, formed in the late 1980's, is made up of local CEO's who have created a forum related to exchange of topical business information). My presentation revolved around 10 Recruiting Insights that will help CEO's increase their chances to close the deal with top talent [...]
Very good news for you. An executive candidate, sourced from your executive search firm, has been selected to interview with your client company in person. What is the best method to get that candidate ready for your client so they are prepared to win the job? 1) Explain to the candidate how you have "pitched" [...]
This week has been wonderful. I say that because this is the week that all of my firm's hard work is starting to payoff with a Chief Level position we have been working on. For the past 8 weeks we are now to the point of having (3) Chief level finalists for a great executive [...]
Took a broad and bold written stroke today with a very general statement that candidates are insecure. Keep in mind, they are insecure for great reasons: 1) Candidates do not know who they are competing against. 2) Candidates don't know if they are a truly great fit for the company culture (but are hopeful that [...]
I am often asked what makes for a great cover letter? A simple, concise, to the point cover letter is always appreciated. Candidates should understand that most recruiters spend less than a minute speed-reading a cover letter. Creating a document that is reader friendly is extremely important. Insure that you, as the candidate, examine the job [...]
An important part of our training process for new recruiters is how to pitch jobs to targeted candidate executives that they recruiting. Here are some of the steps we teach: 1) Identify who you are as the recruiter and why you are calling that person. Be honest and direct. 2) Ask if they have a [...]
Yesterday our firm kicked off a CEO executive search for a privately held company in Austin. When possible, I always ask my staff along with me to listen directly to the client as they describe their needs related to the executive recruiting project. As I sat there listening, I was really proud of my staff [...]
