Distinguished Search is Two!

Year Two in Review

Our second birthday was in February and it’s time to celebrate! Here’s our Year in Review, in Q&A format with common questions that come my way.

How’s business?

There is so much going on in the world but when it comes to my small slice, year two of Distinguished Search has been great. This is exactly what I was hoping for. It took me years to go off on my own and I’m grateful for the people in my corner. I love what I do and it’s fun to be full force recruiting every day. I do business development my way, which I view as a biproduct of doing good work versus simply talking about it.

Lots happened in year two. Lauren joined and I couldn’t be happier with our partnership. We have a logo and an official trademark. We’re working with great people, deepening relationships and creating new ones. My “bosses” are my clients and candidates, and there’s something special about only having to answer to them.

Do you work with certain companies or industries?

I work with people. Back in the day I’d have a list of target companies I wanted to work with; that strategy never worked for me. I work with people who happen to work at certain companies, versus the other way around. People are my secret sauce. I do focus on technology and digital, though that is large market. Most of my clients feel like old friends, and there is mutual respect, partnership, and high bar we hold each other to.

How do you scale?

In year two I’ve given this a lot of thought, and now confidently answer, “I don’t.” Lauren is here with me so technically we doubled in headcount in year two. This hyper focus on fewer clients and candidates allows for so much greatness. I’ve come to realize that we all have different definitions for success, and that’s okay. For some people it’s about scale. For me it’s different; it’s about doing the best work of my life. Even though I’m not hiring, I have so many ideas and feel like I’m just getting started. With each search I take on, every new company or person I work with, I get better at what I do every day.

You should productize that!

I’ve heard this a few times recently about our video job descriptions. We started doing video JDs in 2021. They’re pretty cool and get great response from the market. They’ve led to sources providing strong referrals for searches I’m working on, being able to gauge a role straight from a hiring manager versus reading a job spec. Candidates are more prepared prior to first round interviews. At times, candidates self-select themselves out of a search, which is fine too. I don’t know if I’ll productize it, but if you want to give it a shot, hop on Zoom, hit record, and talk about your open job. You can get fancy and overlay corporate photos or footage while talking about company culture. Lauren and I use WeVideo for editing. Here are some questions I ask my hiring managers:

• Your company’s story, journey, and mission
• Your company and team’s culture
• Why you joined and your vision
• Why this role is open and its importance
• Quick overview of the position, responsibilities, how you define success
• Any other selling points

I’m starting my executive job search. Any advice?

Yep, tons! Even better, I have lots of advice from other people and brought it all together for you. I launched Distinguished Search a month before covid and while hiring was on hold I had the time to gain perspective. I wrote the book that people kept asking for. I spent every free moment of the last year bringing it to life, and it will be on Amazon in May. The title is Search in Plain Sight: Demystifying Executive Search. This is showing you how executive search works from the inside. Apparently I’m not the only one who has analogies comparing job searching to dating, or referencing Jerry McGuire. Get ready for my jokes – they’re in there!

Which comes first, the book or the baby?

If you didn’t already know, Steve and I have some big news! Baby Hackley is due in May!

So which comes first, the book or the baby? Vote and I’ll let you know if you’re right: Vote Here

What have you learned in year two?

2021 was a year of learning and reflection.

• Vulnerability: It’s better to ask questions and admit ignorance than oversell and say what one thinks people want hear.
• Expertise: Suddenly I look around and have twenty years of experience – not sure how that happened. I was asked to give a short recruitment training session to a company, and it had a huge impact on me. Talking about what I do gets me pumped. I’m sure I haven’t seen it all in twenty years, but I’ve seen a lot, and every experience is on my toolbelt waiting to be used at the right moment.
• Relationships for the win. Even though my company is small, I’m not alone.
• The Work: On the technical side of things: How to build and run a digital advisory board, hardware & IoT, mortgages, crypto.
• Flexibility: Meet clients where they are. Not everything needs to be cookie cutter or a full-blown search. What problem are we trying to solve?
• The Book: How to write a book. How to then edit said book. How to be honest while being respectful and helpful, honoring all the things that make recruiting great while also showcasing some hard realities. That deserves its own post, later.

Thank you for being on this journey with us!

#BeDistinguished

~Somer

distinguishedsearch.com