As an Executive Search Consultant no two days are ever the same. For some recruiters its just about the thrill of finding top candidates. For me, I see every search assignment as a fresh challenge and a journey of discovery. There are so many variables and nuances that make each situation unique.
Anyone who has done a a significant amount of hiring has likely discovered that people are able to achieve success in many different ways – even with the same job title and responsibilities! Also, every company has a unique culture and workplace ecosystem. Evaluating and determining how a candidate’s motivation, experience, and personality map to an opportunity is a major intellectual challenge. Furthermore, evaluating candidate competencies and determining true accomplishments or failures can be an exercise in deciphering fact from fiction. These are just some of the complexities that keep an executive search consultant on their toes at all times.
Each year I have had the opportunity to employ new recruiting strategies, tools, and methods to stay on top of my game. However, just as I think I have started to master my domain, the rules and tools change. In the past 15 years the following changes occurred:
1. I got a computer on my desk
2. Jobs were posted on the internet instead of newspapers
3. Applicant tracking and resume database systems replaced 3X5 cards in shoeboxes
4. Internet recruiting courses were really complex until google entered the scene
5. People started emailing resumes instead of faxing or snail mailing
6. Emails coming in increased from an average of 10 a day to over 200
7. Competency modeling, behavioral interviewing and scientific selection tools become more prevalent
8. Social networking such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIN are overtaking traditional job boards and providing more value and greater access to a global workforce
While the last decade has brought many advances that have altered the recruiting landscape, the basic foundational elements have remained the same.
Despite all of the challenges and changes in the executive search industry the following success factors have remained constant:
1. Knowing top industry talent and being able to leverage a large network of established relationships on behalf of clients.
2. Representing client companies professionally and being able to build excitement for their opportunities.
3. Having the knowledge of the best-known methods for selection to provide in depth and objective evaluation of candidates.
4. Being open, honest, and real. Always doing what is in my client’s best interest and developing long-term partnerships where there is a mutual investment in success.
Roy Notowitz is currently the CEO and Founder of Noto Group. Roy has been a trusted talent acquisition adviser to dozens of leaders worldwide. Prior to starting Noto Group, Notowitz was the founder of Generator Group in 2000 after having worked as an in-house corporate recruiter and workforce manager for Nike and Intel.
