Joy - Executive Search
What attracted you to a career in executive search ?
I was attracted to executive search because it promised to allow me to develop and use the skills I value most.
How would you describe the beginning of your career in executive search ? What did you do in the first few weeks?
I found the first few weeks challenging and varied in both the tasks I was completing and the people I was speaking to. In the first few weeks I had direct contact with some of the most influential people in Higher Education in the UK at the same time as speaking to some of the people who have significantly impacted the retail sector and changed the way high street shops looks.
My career really kick started and I was given responsibility from day one. I never felt constrained and although I was being trained by someone with a lot of experience I was always made to feel independent and allowed to express my own views. I found that my levels of responsibility and autonomy came much quicker than friends of mine who had pursued a different type of career.
What do you enjoy about your executive search job?
Executive Search is something I knew very little about when I came for interview but is now something I care passionately about. I enjoy the daily challenge of interacting with people who influence and change the society that we live in. I am challenged intellectually every day and have had some fantastic debates with some of the leading minds in the world. I enjoy the constant interaction and opportunity to broaden my mind. On a day to day basis I enjoy the challenge of finding individuals and the chance to speak to them but on a wider bigger picture I enjoy that knowledge that in a very small way I am helping our clients and perhaps even society develop and change as a result of appointing people into roles who really make a difference.
What has been your biggest success to date in executive search ?
I am not sure how to pick one example of success in my role as it is very different from recruitment. Success is sometimes placing someone fantastic into a role but it can also be speaking to someone no-one else has managed to connect with, or finding someone who is untraceable or just knowing that you have delivered a quality piece of work for a client and have spoken to everybody who could potentially fulfill the role and make a success of it. At times knowing that I have become an expert on an area that I knew nothing about previously is something I regard as a real success. The best thng about executive search is that success can mean so many different things that I feel proud and like I am achieving every day.
How would you describe your working environment?
My work environment is friendly and supportive with an underlying emphasis on hard work. I am surrounded by like-minded individuals who know how to work hard and constantly challenge, excite, enthuse and motivate me to get better at what I do.
What advice would you give to a graduate who is considering a career in executive search ?
Executive search is not a career that was publicised very much at university and therefore if you do not hear about it through advertisements or word of mouth you are unlikely to think about pursuing a career in it. If you are motivated by people, interested in being intellectually challenged and learning in your career at the same time as using and developing your communication skills then I would strongly recommend pursuing a career in executive search. If you are thinking about this as a career option I would strongly suggest you think about why this appeals to you as opposed to recruitment and how it would give you a different experience. It is worth talking to people who work in this area already but also to people who have been headhunted in the past. They will certainly have views of what it takes to be a good headhunter.
