Companies considering hiring a senior executive or executive, whether a CEO or plant manager, or even an intermediary executive, do not do all the research work and subsequent efforts that need to be made to find the rare gem.
Yes, even in the real pearl growing industry, you have to open a lot of oysters to find the rare pearl! Even if these pearls are cultivated, you have to work hard and use patience and expertise to have a first selection of beautiful pearls.
No. There is no magic list of ideal candidates for ideal positions in an ideal world. The essential ingredient of a successful recruitment process is work, work and more work! Assessment of business needs, research, screening, interview, meeting, discussion, negotiation… And let’s do it again. If it were easy, organizations would not need headhunters.
As you may know, the term “headhunters” is not appreciated by everyone in our industry. I prefer to say that Recruscope is a recruitment firm for senior and middle managers. The terminology “headhunter” has its origin in the literal translation of the English “headhunter” and refers to another era but this terminology is still very present today on various social networks and websites.
Our job is a lot more complex than choosing the one who has the head of the job! A recruitment firm like Recruscope is more of a hunter of talent and personalities. Managerial or entrepreneurial talent appeals to several dimensions, or even all dimensions of the person, at an X moment in his life.
There is the past, the person, his personality, his experience, his achievements. Then there is the present: his current job, his responsibilities. But there is also the future: his aspirations as an individual.
When I talk to or meet with executive candidates who tell me about what they have done, what they are doing, I always like to open the conversation about what they still have to accomplish. It’s very revealing.
The leader as conductor
There is increasing talk in recruitment agencies of executives who are fit or fit between the needs of a company and the style of leadership sought. It starts with a good understanding of the needs of the company or the organization.
Let’s take an example in the public domain.
Ten years ago, when the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO) began looking for a new conductor to replace the previous one, the profile was multi-dimensional. Knowing how to conduct an orchestra was just one facet of all the other skills you were looking for. Of course, it was essential. But the current team was also looking for more intangible human qualities.
We were looking for someone who loved Montreal, Quebec and our unique culture in North America, halfway between Europe and the United States. We were also looking for an inspiring and unifying leader who would continue the pedagogical work of Wilfrid Pelletier, the first head of the OSM, in schools and among young people. We were looking for an innovative Maestro who would bring classical music to the streets. We were also looking for an open mind that loved modern works. We also knew what we didn’t want: no prima donna. We also wanted an ally of the musicians and an ambassador who would showcase the talent of the world and produce memorable recordings.
In short, a cool workaholic.
The rare pearl was named Kent Nagano. He led the OSM for 16 years and met all expectations and more. Thousands of young people discovered classical music and met a cool conductor. Thousands of people discovered their orchestras with Fred Pellerin, with the Montreal Canadiens, at the Olympic Stadium or in the Mégantic Arena after the terrible rail accident. Maestro Nagano even convinced the business community to embark on the construction of a new symphony hall…
For his part, Nagano loved Montreal, even before he moved there. He respected the OSM and its musicians. He wanted to work with them.
This is called a beautiful fit.
As in a conductor, the executive or executive is called upon to contribute to the company he will join using several facets of his personality. It is therefore of the u.s m. to know the leadership style a company is looking for before you start looking for it.
In addition, companies operate in ecosystems that are their own. The needs of an IT company are different from those under construction. In the same sector, the talent sought also varies according to the company’s culture, economic conditions or the development stage of the company. We also want change… and not too much change!
The limits of in-house recruitment
All the very talented people in their field are in high demand. Some executives are well-kept secrets. Yet they may have new aspirations at some stage in their careers. And this even though they have been running exemplary financial statements for 10 years and are very much appreciated within the lucky company that got their hands on them.
You could say that in a perfect world, no one would change jobs in their life, especially not a senior executive or a “six-figure” executive, posed on the front page of business magazines and enjoys an impeccable reputation.
But the world is not perfect.
There are always aspirations in the professional life of those who want to do so many things and who will never have enough of a single life to do them all!
These are the most fascinating to meet in an interview. These very talented people with impressive track record are also, paradoxically, risk-loving people, or at least aware that there is a risk when you want to push the machine and go further. Their thirst for challenges is insatiable, although they know their limits very well. They do with what they are. But they do a lot because they’re workaholics.
Small recruitment firms such as Recruiting Companies are distinguished by their rigorous methodology and efforts to find these exceptional leaders but also to convince them. We’re going to take the search a step further.
Do you know the phrase One size fits all? Finding the rare pearl is exactly the opposite. It’s custom-made from start to finish. All companies engaged in a In-house recruitment processes are able to do a first-level drinking search on the Internet and draw up a standard list of standard candidates: “Who knows who? What’s Thing doing? Where’s a tel? He, on LinkedIn, what do you think? Do you remember… »
Let’s call them the heads that protrude. After a while, this kind of home search often runs into the wall of frustration because the real work begins after! That’s where they throw the gloves away… before we call.
I will confess that companies that have done their own internal research to find the rare gem are my favorite customers.
No need to convince them that finding the rare pearl is a demanding job. They understood that doing a long search to reach a dead end is not only long but very frustrating. This frustration is also at the heart of the life of any executive recruitment agency. But Recruiter’s expertise leads you to solutions instead.
If you are engaged in a house recruitment process I would therefore invite you to continue it.
This is the best way to convince you that the energy and determination that are deployed in the mandates you entrust to Recruitscope are unique. Our expertise and our art of negotiation are your best allies to find the rare gem.
Please contact me personally on LinkedIn,via the Recruitscope website or by phone at 438-870-7075. I’m always happy to discuss with you what’s going on in your industry and the particular challenges you face in filling some, even the most complicated, positions!
