You want to enter the search field?

Since the start of 2015, I have received multiple inquiries about getting into the search field. The timing of this is interesting. There appear to be at least two key reasons for the confluence of approaches:

• The economy is expanding - the job market seems to be rather active. This makes the search field more attractive.
• People are retiring from search - in the Twin Cities market, there are multiple people that have been in the search field for 20+ years that are planning on leaving their company.
  • Interestingly, these people have talked about retirement for 10+ years; they appear more committed this time.

The size of your LinkedIn network doesn't correlated with success in search.

We have multiple saying in our firm; two of our most common are:

• When we lose a candidate to another opportunity:  Calendars kill candidates
• When we get a tough assignment (still waiting for an easy one):  That's why they call it search

A few years ago, we looked at the people that were on search interview panels - hiring management, human resource staff, people in the C-suite (if different from the hiring management), and Board of Director members that were on the selection team. What we found is that the more senior the person (position and age), the less likely they were to have a LinkedIn profile. While LinkedIn feels like a complete marketplace, our research shows that this could not be further from the truth.

Search entry points - there are many

• Large corporations (Cargill, Best Buy, etc.) have multiple staff that do this - internal executive recruiters
• Search firms - large and small (think Korn/Ferry versus Abeln, Magy, Underberg & Associates)
• Retained versus contingent
• Generalists (working on multiple functions or industries) versus specialists
• Full time versus temporary or contract positions

Is now the time to enter the field?

We are well into our 19th year. We have come through two recessions and the corresponding growth periods that follow. During that time, we have watched firms come and go, many of which entered the market because of expansionary times. That said, the firms that remain have made commitments to the field, not to getting in while the economy seems robust.

Still interested?

Let's talk!