Executive Search. What changed in an industry that stayed the same.

So, the executive search was invented in the 20th century by… got you there! While indeed I am a fervent consumer of history, we’ll not start from the 50s – 60s back in the US. I will not bore you with all details about what suit was wearing the guy who invented executive search and what kind of thought and what kind of leadership he had.

Sure, we’ll take a trip down memory lane, and you’ll see later on what I mean by that. Let’s keep things present, without dismissing the past. One of my work (life even) principles is conducting business today and tomorrow in a way that honors the past with everything I have learned in it. And was that a handful!

I’d like to talk to you today about the executive search in my days, our days. You should know that I come from 13 years of my own experience while a member of my family did just that for many more years before me. Now you see what I mean by honoring the past? I spent most of my life around clients, candidates, interviews. And when the opportunity arose I took it to ensure continuity in the business. And what say you, with Resolute we’re doing just that, by being the new generation of Executive Search in Romania.

I was lucky to have seen this industry, at least locally, from its beginning. I was able to experience first hand many of its nuts and bolts, traditions and behaviors, challenges and opportunities and know the people that are involved in it. I’ve been again lucky to have been exposed to international projects and markets and see the difference to the one in Romania.

But luck doesn’t cut it. I wasn’t just lucky. Work did and competence, and grit, and enthusiasm. And again work. Did you know back in the days when I started, I was calling people on their landlines at home after 6pm? That is a lot of work, trust me.

So besides not getting tangled in the wire while walking around with my phone, what has changed in the executive search industry in these 13 years?  Yes, from a helicopter, we’re the same – hired by clients to search (not with that helicopter) for top talent. But down on the tarmac things feel different. And it might be a cliché but technology changed the industry for us. Because it has changed people’s mindsets.

And to make that point, here’s another cliché: personal brand is more powerful as ever. Executive search has always created some big names on the market as those big know-it-all person you chance encounter and they’ll land you the job of your dreams. Behind any company name or network, there has always been someone popular with a reputation preceding them. That was before social media changed the game.

Up until recently, the other personal brand in this trio was the candidate. And I say “personal” because they were actually the only person representing themselves. The client used to be a big company with an employer branding managed by a marketing department, while the agency used to be a big firm with an established reputation & network and a front runner. Not anymore.

In the search industry, social media has given the opportunity for others to get on stage, without being owners of an agency or shareholders. And I think this helped create the opportunity for such people to start their own business. In the last couple of years, I felt a good resurgence of boutique firms and independent consultants who have quite an impact on the market.

On top of that not only any Executive Search consultant can become a personal brand. But the Client, moreso leaders from that company are personal brands, and also the Candidate. All with the use of social media. Which also impacts the search process. What was before a reference check stage done offline towards the end, now it’s a continuous stream of information out there on the image of that consultant, hiring manager and candidate in the market. And it matters. A lot.

Our personal brand (which involves competence, not just charisma), gets us clients. The same personal brand gets us candidates who answer our calls because they know who we are, how we think, how we operate from the market or, you guessed, social media. The client’s personal brand matters to why the candidate choses to become the employee. People can search on their own who they work with. We’re no longer the single source of information. Actually, let’s lift the veil of mistery, we’ve never been so. But that’s for another time.

Technology did all that. Like in all other industries, it lifted us up. But we’re still working with people. So how much did tech elevate the game? Well, I can tell you not using Rolodexes anymore, makes things faster. And talking about social media, we have Linked in, which is getting more popular every day. Not just to post your CV but your thoughts, experience, impressions. So what if LinkedIn suddenly crashes? Oh, wait, that has happened. But what if that is for longer? I sure don’t want to go back to the Rolodex and landlines.

Not to amuse the table of all executive search firms in the "disaster recovery" section. But to emphasize that relationships are still at the core of why clients choose us. Technology is indeed a booster but the real interaction keeps the business going. That feeds the personal brand. The one people talk about when you’re not present. Online personal brand gets your first call answered. The impression you leave makes clients and candidates answer the phone the next time you call.

So yeah, I write this post on our website, you get to read this with the help of technology. We get to connect on social media. This is how we find most of our candidates and how they get visible. And this indeed changed our industry.

Still, the core business we operate is the same, nothing changed. We still need connection in the real sense - establishing and maintaining a  relationship with all the clients and candidates we interact. That will keep this business thriving. And while I am all for using tech to ease our day to day work, I am undeterred in building a business on creating a network of opportunities for our clients, our candidates and for Resolute Advisory, the “new kid on the block” business we’ve started.