Feel the Heat

Executive recruitment is a perennial favorite of ours--and for good reason. While some niches within the industry wax and wane in popularity, the need for high-level, talented employees never ceases. 

"Executive leadership is dynamic and changing," explains Glenn Manko, 40, partner at BSG Partners, a Haverford, Pennsylvania, executive recruiting firm founded by Brad Cos-tello, 33. Says Manko, "Very few companies stay with the same team of leaders for long periods of time due to changing business demands, family relocations, the enticement of leaving [the] corporate [world] to seek entrepreneurial ventures and, quite frankly, individual performance not [being] consistent." The company, started in 2005, expects $2.5 million in sales this year.

Hope Wilson, vice president of professional services at Snelling Professional Services, sees several areas of niche growth in the future. Biopharm will boom as baby boomers require more medication; the medical field in general also needs more physicians and nurses. Executive-level administrators and finance and accounting positions continue to be hot. 

But what about that pesky competition from online job sites? Both Manko and Wilson say fuhgedaboudit. "Online job boards provide no additional value to the hiring process," says Manko. "Sourcing candidates is the easy part of executive recruiting; assessing and selecting is where the executive search firm truly adds value." 

Executive recruiting can put your people skills to the test, as well as your business acumen. Follow these five tips for startup success:

• Keep an eye on demographics. Following key trends in demographics will show you where the next boom industries are--and therefore provide guidance on how to specialize your services. 
  
• Articulate your message. Being able to answer key questions about your executive search firm not only solidifies your expertise for clients, but also gives you the confidence to court corporate clients. According to Costello, you should be able to answer questions such as: How can your firm add value to the recruitment of executives for a corporation? What value can you offer candidates who need to trust you during the sourcing, assessment and selection process? 
  
• Consider the competition. It's crucial to recognize--and project--why your firm is a better option for clients than an online job site. "[Online job boards] only connect a sometimes very active job seeker with an employer," says Manko. "However, an executive search firm must be able to seek out the 'passive' or 'inactive' job seeker and then add value to the selection and hiring process through in-depth interviews, assessments, references, development planning and compensation negotiations."
  
• Go overboard. It isn't enough to select and interview candidates. You must go above and beyond to minimize the risks of bad hiring choices for your clients. Manko says this means focusing on assessment through "rigorous and numerous interviews" before you ever introduce the candidate to your client. And "focus must be placed on ensuring that the candidate is positioned to be successful beyond the first year of employment and be able to create value."
  
• Seek diversity. Diversity used to be considered a specialty. Manko says this is no more: "It must and should be integrated into every search plan and slate of candidates that is presented to a client."

Executive Recruiting Franchises:
Careers USA
careersusa.com

PMA Franchise Systems
pmafranchise.com

Sanford Rose Associates
sanfordrose.com 

Snelling Staffing Services
snelling.com 

Spherion Corp.
spherion.com 

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