So it’s coming up to three months in since I switched from Professional Recruitment to Executive Search. I guess, when I first considered this move, I thought that the main difference was the level of role that I would be working on and as I had a proven track record of recruiting Finance Directors, this would naturally be more of the same.
What I had underestimated was that it was in fact the methodology and the research process that was the key differential. Over the last number of months, I have gone through an eye-opening journey as to what is involved in true executive search. I have benefitted from extensive training, both on the job from Sarah McGimpsey and Sarah Orange and also external training courses which I am currently undertaking. More on that in the coming weeks.
I was keen to join Artemis to learn new skills, expand my network and to gain a deeper understanding of the companies that I work with and their commercial objectives, which set the scene for the role(s) that may be required.
Since joining I have been entrenched in research for some of Northern Ireland’s most successful businesses, providing benchmarking, market mapping and of course recruitment. I have placed a Chief Financial Officer this week and have benefitted from seeing true executive search in action. I guess it was a shift in mindset to move toward Executive Search and not to focus on volume recruitment. Once retained by a client to commence a search project we are fully committed and spend a great deal of time on-site with our clients. We are essentially an extension of their business and work in partnership with their executive teams.
One thing that has remained the same is that clients always say “it’s about the right fit” and “it’s the person that is of key importance”.
A wrong hire can come at a grave cost to a business, especially at C-Suite level. Not only the cost to hire the candidate, but the unsettlement and cultural impact it can have. In a market where retention is every bit as important as recruitment, it is essential to approach with caution when hiring and to minimise risk. We have in-house psychometric testing and our executive team are all accredited administrators of Thomas International Personality Profiling. Sarah Orange has a background in Psychology and is adept at interpreting the results of the profiling and summarising this with clients. The added value that this service brings to our Executive Search offering is unrivalled in the market.
We also work with an occupational psychologist who can provide a suite of assessments like Insights, Hogan, Saville wave and Myers Briggs if preferred.
I am currently undertaking market mapping on behalf of a private equity firm based in London who are looking at a potential investment in Northern Ireland. It’s exciting to be involved from the start and to learn more about the competitors in this space and barriers to growth.
I have recently placed a Chief Financial Officer with a scaling Northern Ireland business who operate on a global scale where fit and culture where at the forefront of their business. Our in-house capability in respect of psychometric testing provided genuine insight and added value for our client. I have another excellent newly created opportunity coming soon for a Commercial Director with a prestigious firm with a clear 4-year growth plan where this position will be pivotal in the commercial development.
If you would like to learn more about what we do here at @artemis or potential roles in the pipeline please get in touch with me adam@artemis-humancapital.com