The Not So Big Employer: When it comes to gaining the competitive edge, small companies have hit it big with candidates

A number of years ago, a new trend emerged on the interior decorating scene when architect and designer Sarah Susanka introduced her “Not So Big House” philosophy, extolling the lifestyle virtues and advantages of giving up behemoth homes in favor of living in smaller spaces.

You might be surprised to know that a similar movement is emerging in the world of employment, as growing numbers of experienced managers, directors and executives are intentionally giving up a professional life inside large corporations to work for smaller, privately held companies. (I call it the “Not So Big Employer” movement!)

That’s because smaller companies offer:

Flexibility.
If given the choice between time or money, many tenured job seekers would prefer time. Whereas large corporations have stringent (and often stingy) vacation and PTO policies, smaller companies can offer flexibility to candidates through expanded vacation and PTO time, work-from-home advantages and flex time. In this day and age where one’s work and personal life obligations bump into each other constantly, more top-caliber employees are seeking out companies that provide options that give respect to all facets of their life.

Opportunity and innovation.
Smaller companies tend to have a more entrepreneurial spirit, which is appealing to business leaders who enjoy the challenge of innovating rather than simply “maintaining.” By contrast, large corporations often are mired in politics and internal bureaucracy, with policies that are set in stone and an impenetrable culture of “this is how we’ve always done it.” The speed with which innovations in large companies move forward is slow and, for many employees, highly frustrating.

Visibility.
Experienced leaders today want to make an impact and have higher visibility within their organization, and within the larger industry, during the second half of their career. They want to make a difference—and to feel that their contributions are really influencing the company and the industry.

By way of example, I recently conducted an executive search for a small, privately held firm and  identified their desired Director-level candidate. The candidate was so good, she also received a competing offer from another company—and even though my client was the better fit for her professionally, the other company offered more money but less vacation time. As a result, my client was able to up the ante by offering more vacation time—and she happily accepted.

If you’re a small company, this is all great news for you! This means you have a tremendous competitive advantage over large corporations to recruit—and keep—experienced and talented candidates. Whereas large corporations are a great “training ground” for entry-level employees, they often struggle to hold on to high performers who want to have the opportunity to influence the strategies developed at the leadership table or who may desire a more flexible arrangement.

I often speak with very talented candidates who confess to me that they are tired of working for the larger publicly-held corporations that are only looking at the bottom line and stock value. When I represent a small, privately held company, this gets the candidates’ attention immediately. Many currently employed professionals confide in me that they want to move to a smaller company, but don’t have time to hunt for a job. They are more likely to engage in my search process when I’m representing a smaller firm.

And, if you’re a job seeker, this is great news for you, too! There are some highly desirable small companies right in front of you—some that you may not have even noticed or considered before—that would love to tap into your talent, experience and desire to make a difference and will work with you to create a mutually beneficial work life model.

In essence, a “Not So Big Employer” can be the perfect place for employer and candidate to come together in a unique environment to cultivate big results!

If you are a small, privately held company looking to recruit top talent to take your firm into the future, I can help you identify the unique features within your firm that appeal to seasoned professionals and help you find—and hire—the ideal person for your business needs. You CAN compete with the big companies in the war for talent.

Call me today and I will show you how during a no-obligation initial consultation. Hockenberg Search is your ace up your sleeve–let’s play together to win!

When a Recruiter Calls, Will You Be Ready? (Hint: You should be! We recruiters are busy now, and your phone could ring!)

Hockenberg Search offers strategic tips to prepare so you can respond to recruiters quickly—and with confidence.

It’s 1:20 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon, and you’re sitting at your desk putting the finishing touches on that marketing report. The phone rings, but it’s not a number you recognize. “Hmmm,” you think, “it could be the new customer that is having issues with delivery – better pick it up…”

“Hello, this is Bob.”

“Hi, Bob, this is Mary, and I’m a recruiter with XYZ Search company. Please excuse me for calling you out of the blue. I’m currently working on a search that might be a great career opportunity for you, and we can find out in a short phone call. Would you be open to learning about another position if it were clearly superior to what you have now?”

You stumble and fumble around. It’s been a tough year at the company and there are murmurs of “changes” that don’t sound good. Should you take the call now? Ask to call her back? Hang up? What is a “passive” candidate to do?

These types of phone calls are occurring more and more frequently as the job market picks up steam and companies are once again competing for top talent. Companies are investing in recruiters to bring them the best people to move their business forward. Now that we are growing in some sectors, companies realize that they need the right talent to make it happen.

You might be that “top talent”…but you’ve never worked with a recruiter. Perhaps you’ve even worked for only one or two companies during your entire career and are satisfied in your current job. Of course, these phone calls don’t come around every day, and if you have been in job search in the last three years you would have paid good money to get one of those recruiter calls.

As I’ve been known to say: “When opportunity knocks, open the door!”

Before the Recruiter Calls:
One day a recruiter might call you-perhaps when you are least expecting it. And, he or she may want to speak with you about a position that could very well be your “dream job.” If you are not prepared for this moment, the opportunity could easily slip right through your fingers. It pays to prepare yourself to you are ready to respond quickly, professionally and decisively.

Here are a few things to consider today, so that you are ready when the phone rings. (It’s also wise to review these things as part of your regular and ongoing career planning efforts, anyway.)

What do you want in your next career move?
Do you aspire to the next level of leadership? Are you seeking a specific title or portfolio of responsibility? Spend time considering “what’s next” on your career map.

Evaluate your current employment situation.
Do you want to leave (and if so, why)? Do you like it enough to stay (and, if so, under what circumstances and for how long)?

Make sure your LinkedIn profile and your resume are updated.
Even if you are not actively seeking a new job, you should develop a regular discipline to ensure that your professional profiles are up to date and in a state of “constant readiness.” By last count, nearly 60% of all recruiters use LinkedIn as a first stop for searching for and screening potential job candidates. Subsequently, when a recruiter does call, you simply won’t have the luxury of delaying by days, or even weeks, to get your resume up to date.

What are your compensation requirements?
What was your compensation last year, and if you are up for a bonus this year, how much will it be and when will you receive it?

In addition, if the job opportunity presented to you is a good move, are you willing to decrease your compensation in exchange for advancing your career with a new title, increased responsibilities, or experience in a new field or industry—and, therefore, eventually making more money? No one likes to leave money on the table, but sometimes there is more potential to an opportunity than strictly a sum of money.

When the Recruiter Calls:

Suggest a good time to talk.
Recruiters will almost always contact you while you are at work, but we understand that you may not be in a position to speak candidly at that time. A respectful recruiter should be flexible and arrange for a phone “meeting time” to fully discuss the opportunity. Beware of recruiters that make a high-pressure, now-or-never sales pitch, especially if it puts you in a difficult or compromising position.

Ask the recruiter about his/her relationship with the hiring company—and whether the recruiter is working on a retained or a contingent basis.
The answer will help you understand the nature of the relationship that the recruiter has with the hiring company and will likely have with you.

Understand that retained recruiters are essentially an extension of the hiring company and are exclusively representing the career opportunity to the candidate community. As a result, a retained recruiter will likely have a close relationship with the company that will provide you with more insight and information so you can make an informed decision. If a recruiter has worked with the company before or has visited with the key decision makers at the company, they can help you assess whether or not this position will be a fit. As a recruited candidate who is evaluating a potential career move, you need to have solid and truthful information in which to avoid making a career mistake. 

By contrast, contingent-fee recruiters will be paid by the hiring company only if they are the first to deliver a candidate resume who is eventually hired. There may be multiple, unrelated recruiters working on the search, each playing a game of “race the clock” to be first to send in a resume, and it’s likely that the recruiter may have never set foot in the door to meet the key employees and truly understand the culture and what the company needs to hire. The companies’ internal recruiters may also be working on the search. Make sure that all parties involved understand and respect the confidential nature of your candidacy if you are currently employed.

Ask the recruiter where his role ends.
A good recruiter will stay in touch with you through the interview process and will offer tips and suggestions to prepare you. He also will stay in touch with you even after you are hired, to ensure a smooth and effective transition.

If you are a company looking to partner with a retained-search recruiter to fill those important positions, learn more by visiting the “Resources for Companies” section of my Web site.

And, if you are a “top talent” employee anticipating a call from a recruiter, learn more about the recruiting process and  how to prepare for the interview by visiting the “Understanding the Recruiting Process” and “Resources for Candidates” section of my Web site.

Clean Up Your Hiring Practices: Marni Shines a Flashlight into the Dark Corners of Recruiting Practices That are Not in Your Company’s Best Interest

With the snow finally melting (hopefully!), we can say with some confidence that spring is just around the corner!

Whether you and your family head for warmer climates for a spring break trip, whether you are on a cleaning and organizing kick at home, or whether you are already mentally plotting out your garden, spring for many of us is time of “refreshing” and “renewing.”

Having made it through the first quarter of the year, many businesses also are in a mode of “refreshing” – making important decisions now in order to refresh the bottom line by introducing new initiatives, ideas and innovations for the remainder of the year and beyond.   

Selecting the right search firm is one of the most important business decisions your company will ever make. Executive Recruiters hold the key to influencing corporations and winning the war for talent. Unfortunately, many companies do not take appropriate measures to conduct due diligence when selecting a firm.

In the spirit of “spring cleaning,” I shine the flashlight into hidden and dusty corners of the search firm selection process so you can be a more enlightened consumer. Discover what’s hiding in the dark corners of recruiting processes that are not in your best interest!

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul
(a.k.a., The ‘Off-Limits’ Policies) 

Most search firms profess to have unparalleled access to top talent. But…is that really true?

It depends on how strictly your search firm adheres to an industry practice called “Off-Limits.”

 

The “Off-limits Policy” is a promise that some search firms make to refrain from recruiting talent from a client company for as long as it’s a client and for a specified period of time (usually 12 to 24 months) after completing the last search assignment.

 

If you’ve ever wondered if your recruiter is able to source the best candidate available in the market, just ask them about their “Off-Limits” policy. When selecting a search firm that specializes in a certain niche or industry, ask to see their client list. There might be some companies on that list that employ talent that could be a good fit for your company, but their hands may be tied and they won’t be able to recruit them for you if they honor their “Off-Limits” policy. When a search firm specializes in a niche industry then their access to a wide talent pool can be crippled by virtue of their “Off-Limits” policy. They can’t (or shouldn’t) rob Peter to pay Paul.

 

Large national and international search firms tout their size as an asset, but actually it can be a liability because their large client list can severely limit your access to top talent. More disturbing is the practice of search firms profiting from offering “protection” – promising not to recruit out critical talent in exchange for your business. Who would want to do business with these “mob-like” ethics at play?

What if your search firm claims that its hands are not tied because they don’t have an “Off-Limits” policy? That’s concerning, isn’t it? Do you really want to pay a search fee to a recruiter, only to have him or her turn around and pluck top talent from your company? And I’ve heard of recruiters who call back into the company where they’ve recruited from, to replace the person that they took away from you. These are practices that are frowned upon by the search firms who uphold our industry behavior standards, and you should ask the hard questions of your recruiting firm to ensure that they are practicing good ethics with your best interests in mind. 

The Fox is in the Hen House
(a.k.a., “We also do Leadership Development”)

During the recession, some Executive Search firms added Executive Development and Coaching services to their portfolio as a way to generate revenue and stay afloat. And who could blame them? It sounds logical on the surface. After all, if an Executive Search firm already has a relationship with a company, wouldn’t it make sense to also coach their leaders? But let’s take a closer look at this business model.

What happens when the search firm is working on some searches where the ideal candidates might be working in the very company where they are doing the leadership coaching? Foxes do get hungry…and they might become tempted to snatch a hen or two to feed a search for another client. Some would point out that the leadership coaches would not ethically serve up tasty candidates to their executive recruiters to feed that side of the business. One would hope not. But why tempt? If your search firm offers other types of services, ask the tough questions. Or…select a firm that focuses on recruitment services and don’t tempt fate.

 

James Bond – Double 007 or Double Agent?

When it is time to select a search firm, many top executives and/or board members bring in the search firms (often the large branded ones) that they have known and worked with for a long time. That makes sense on the surface, as this is a relationship-based business. But once again, let’s dig a little deeper and ask the hard questions about possible cronyism and personal agendas.  

We often hear about top executives and board members who are repeatedly placed by the same search firm or recruiter. Dig deep and we learn that that same executive or board member repeatedly engages the same firm to conduct searches for their company when they go from company to company. Hmmm….is the search firm brought in to conduct searches because their service is outstanding, or…because the executive is simply looking out for his or her own career interests? Are they a “double agent”? Where does this person’s loyalty lie? Are they looking out for their own personal career, or do they have the best interest of their company in mind?

And, once the search firm is brought in how often does the executive actually monitor the service and results of the firm. If the search firm doesn’t meet expectations how hard is it to get rid of them and bring in another firm who will provide better and timelier results? Who checked out the firm’s “Off-Limits” policy? Definitely not the exec that brought the recruiting firm in….otherwise how would he or she get placed in a better job by the same firm?

In conclusion, my intent is not to be a Debby Downer, but rather to guide your company to select the search firm that will work tirelessly for your best interest, not theirs.