Why Executive Search is the perfect route for anybody looking to kick-start their career.

Executive Search is a specialized, consultative recruitment service where firms work on a retained basis to source highly skilled, senior and c-level candidates via headhunting. Like all methods of recruitment, it is an increasingly popular career path thanks to its fast-paced, global nature, which lends itself to unmatched progression and development.

I can personally attest to the benefits of kick-starting a career with a recruitment role. I left school at 18, and whilst I’d achieved high enough grades to qualify for a good university, it was never for me - I was ambitious, money motivated, hungry and ready to work. But where? It took me nearly 2 years of trial and error to work out the answer to that question...

“Recruitment” my dad eventually suggested, “I know a few guys in that who have done very well."

After doing some research the first thing that struck me about recruitment was the mix of skills and variety involved. A people facing environment with a combination of marketing, sales, negotiating, consulting and relationship building. What could be a better experience for a 20 year old looking to find their feet professionally?

So, I began my recruitment career. I started off in Rec2Rec, where I spent 3 years learning the ropes. This type of recruitment is specifically aimed at helping Recruitment and Executive Search companies to find the best talent for their own firms. Recruiting the recruiters, if you like. Now, I won’t pretend that my recruitment journey has been easy. There have been some long hours, blows and earth-shattering lows. They’re all par for the course. However, there have been some serious highs and incredible rewards along the way. There are very few professional environments in which you can earn more than some senior business leaders within just 2-3 years. I’ve witnessed many of my peers progress at astounding paces, leading teams and entire companies within five years of starting out. With the right mindset, a recruitment pathway is one paved with gold.

Lessons from the front-line of recruitment...

During my time in Rec2Rec, I mostly worked on entry-level roles looking for graduates and school leaver candidates. To my surprise, nearly all the graduates I spoke to during this time were staunchly uninterested in recruitment, sometimes literally turning their noses up at the mere suggestion. Recruitment as an industry seems to have earned itself something of a stigma in the UK, with heavily sales focused cultures of bell ringing and cliches of work hard, play hard city slickers. But in my experience, those are just a loud minority. The truth is that most successful Recruitment and Executive Search firms are made up of honest, hard-working, people-oriented professionals. And I’d argue that there’s no better place to cut your teeth and learn a true mix of skills that you’ll either fall in love with or can use to springboard yourself in pretty much any professional direction.

The skills I’ve picked up over the years include the art of negotiation; client relationship management; content creation for advertising, email shots and calls; market mapping and business development; lead generation; sales in multiple capacities; presenting and public speaking; producing business terms; business financials; problem-solving and more problem-solving! This list is by no means exhaustive but demonstrates the diverse nature of a role in recruitment.

I now work in Executive Search at Gillespie Manners as a Senior Consultant, helping global innovators and industry leaders to grow their businesses by sourcing highly skilled niche candidates in senior and c-level positions. After five years in the recruitment game, I’m as committed as ever. I’m enrolled on a future leaders mentorship scheme with my employer, working towards taking my next step in Executive Search. But even if I wasn’t planning to stick it out, I’d feel at ease in the knowledge that my experience has set me up with a range of highly transferrable skills that would stand me in good stead no matter which profession I was interested in pivoting to.

Having now worked in both Executive Search and traditional contingent recruitment, a key takeaway for me is that those lucky enough to get started in the former will have a competitive advantage over any of their peers. Whilst progression is accelerated within any recruitment environment, the niche nature of Executive Search can catapult new-starters to unprecedented heights. From day one, an entry-level Executive Search resourcer will be exposed to highly skilled industry leaders who’ll be engaging with them on a peer-to-peer basis. There’s no faster way to learn the ins and outs of business, and there’s no faster route to success as far as I’m concerned.

So, my advice to school leavers and graduates?

Don’t snub a recruitment role just because of the dated cliches you might have heard. By all means, carry out your own research to ensure you’d be joining the right firm; a company that really values its people and takes a consultative approach with its clients. But DO take a chance on an entry-level recruitment or Executive Search role, it could be the making of you.

Has my story resonated with you? If so, you could be an Executive Search Consultant in the making. Contact me to find out more about kick-starting your career. Gillespie Manners is rapidly expanding, and we’re always keeping an eye out for the next generation of talent. Reach me at [email protected]

Zak Silverstein is a Senior Consultant in the Supply Chain, Logistics & Manufacturing team at Gillespie Manners. He routinely delivers high calibre candidates for senior and C-level roles across EMEA, APAC and the US. See more about Zak here.