Executive recruitment

[UserName]

Anyone familiar with the process of hiring a CEO through an exec recruitment firm?

[The Other Steve]

Hello.

Do you have a specific question?

At a basic level, an “Executive Recruitment Agency” is just like any employment-placement agency. From the employee perspective, you have some relevant skill, you sign-up with the agency, they arrange telephone/in-person interviews. I think the standard is now that the opportunity-company pays the agency/placement fees, and only on a successful candidate, like a flat-plus-percentage of your negotiated salary.

For REALLY LARGE corporations, say, GE or IBM, corporate officer can be much more of an insider’s club.

[filmcarver]

they are called "headhunters". there are quite a number of legit companies nationwide that do it. if you are the one on the hiring end, there is pretty fat commission in most cases. most companies that use them are looking to fill positions rather quickly and want good candidates to pick from.

[UserName]

Thanks for the comments.

To further specify, what are the details of the process a CEO might go through... are candidates treated to sumptuous interview settings (elaborately furnished rooms), wined & dined, that sort of thing? I.e., how does the hiring process differ from that for an average Joe applying for a mid-level management position?

[The Other Steve]

I think you can go with whatever is logical and appropriate for your story. I realize you might be specifically asking what would constitute “logical and appropriate”, but circumstances vary in reality. If the Prospective (and, we as viewers) needs to be impressed and wined and dined, then that’s fine. I’ll believe it. A plain vanilla interview is fine too, if it’s a smaller affair. CEOs run small and unglamorous companies and they help guide GM. They have Ph.D.s and MBAs and MDs and JDs and no formal training. I’ll believe what’s in your story if you make the details and behavior appropriate. That’s all there is -- there just isn’t anything mysterious or more specific than that.

If you’re asking what perks are specifically appropriate interviewing for COO at GM, if it’s hookers and they call your wife to see what size mint you want on your pillow, I can’t help.

[filmcarver]

steve's got it.

first interview usually involves one to three interviews if it's an out of town candidate, maybe lunch or dinner then home. unless of course they researched you and already have you at the top of the list.

if it is a second trip, it usually is one with the spouse and will include dinner and some kind of outing (golf, shopping) over two days, to give time for in depth talk and testing the working relationship.

[UserName]

Much thanks.

[The Other Steve]

A final thought: You might get some good story detail about big-time CEO recruitment by following the Grasso (that NYSE guy whose pay package has been in the news) resignation saga. There have been a few editorials on either side (Wall Street Journal has had a few anyway) and of course now a search committee (including Madame Secretary Madeleine K. Albright) has been formed to find a replacement. Might provide some good details/inspiration.

FWIW.

[robertpr007]

I posted on an executive site and was pleasantly surprised at the responses. [I specialize in a rather narrow field-not sp's..!]

The recruiter called and we exchanged a lot of info. He called again in three days, more details. A week passed, then he called with a 'maybe contact' and he had specific questions.

I was amazed at what happened over the next two weeks. He was acting as the go-between, and since he had not yet identified the potential employer, he could ask questions that are completely illegal. Like, "Does your wife work, and if so, what does she do? Are there school-aged children at home? If they are grown, what are they doing now?"

None of these would pass any kind of federal guidelines, but it was most revealing. He almost passed it off as, "I'm just curious", and not really screening for the company.

He said, "They had a top guy once with small kids and a highly devoted wife. She spent every spare minute with the kids, and well, you know, execs have to travel a lot. Makes for a stressful life. Ah, you have, uh, you know...?"

"No problem," I replied.

By the time I actually talked to the HR dept, they knew most everything about me. The recruiter was a gem, putting us together like a realtor.

The conversation with HR took an hour, and we finally agreed on a real meeting. It went well, but I turned away from it, and that's another story.

But during the interview process, you could reveal a lot of things about your character, as this in depth screening is intense!

[commandomonkey]

Had a friend who headhunted in Hong Kong, and did placements for, like, President of Pepsi in S. Korea or something.

My impression was that

1. The people she was placing were very important, and very busy, so they didn't always have a whole lot of time for side trips. She'd be as likely to go see them for initial interviews, and sort of get wedged in between existing schedules.

2. There was a certain need for discretion, in that they wouldn't want their current employers to know they were looking elsewhere. I think there's dramatic possibility in that kind of situation.

3. What I'm saying is hearsay, and poorly remembered at that.