UPwords Inc - Executive Search & Recruitment

• We attract results-oriented, energetic, motivated candidates focused on career growth and advancement. Business professionals and executives who are interested in getting to the next level.

• We secure top talent for our valued clients; companies who appreciate the nuances in their employees and understand how to leverage the skills, experience, and passion of their people to advance business.

Our executive search process is one that involves actively seeking out best-fit candidates on an engagement, retained, or contingency fee basis with corresponding service levels. We use traditional methods of sourcing candidates; cold calling, networking, referrals, and contacting A-players who have surfaced via networking. We also leverage newer technologies including social media, email blasts, and special interest groups. We do not rely on job boards and inbound resumes. These sources only represent about 15% of the job market. We source from the remaining 85% to find top talent, and manage a thorough recruitment process to secure “best-fit” candidates for the client.

The “straight talk” approach is an important part of our search success. We make better matches by conducting in-depth conversations with both candidates and client companies. It is our responsibility to conduct candid conversations to best represent both parties in attracting and securing matches between the best opportunities and top talent.

We go through a series of exhaustive discussions with potential candidates related to career goals and aspirations; needs versus wants; performance track record; character traits; and alignment with personal goals, to make the best possible matches. Sometimes we challenge candidates to sell us on why the opportunity is right for them – just to be sure the match and the intention are solid.

Our discussions with clients are equally intense. New clients will often send a job description, expecting resumes be sent over the same day, not realizing our success is based on thoroughly understanding the skills needed, performance goals and objectives, the existing leadership team, and the corporate culture. We do not send a pile of resumes, only candidates we anticipate the client will want to hire.

We commit to this level of vetting candidates and clients to insure valuable time is not wasted by either party and to respect confidentiality. We do our due diligence on the front end so candidates and clients aren’t surprised on the back end.

Finding the best candidate
Did you know, based on the number of baby boomers leaving the white-collar job market, we are in a white-collar talent drought? This drought has been going on for the past 10 years, and is expected to continue for the next 20! For the most part, the biggest challenge in Executive Search is finding the right person – the one who “fits” into an organization. Finding the right person who will positively impact the organization is time-consuming and expensive, not to mention intimidating. A high-quality executive search process can mitigate these challenges.

Executive Search Process Philosophy
A well-run executive search process can reduce the challenges of attracting and securing the best-fit candidate by ensuring the fit is on multiple levels. As a top-quality search firm we are focused on more than “the resume”. Candidates and clients need to match on three levels; 1. “on paper”; 2. with the hiring authority; and 3. with the culture of the company. When all three of these match – this is our sweet spot, sensing and gauging the level of the “fit”. We have had clients say, “I’m not going to hire the first person I interview”…and proceed to hire the first person we’ve asked them to interview…because the match was undeniable.

First, candidates should match “on paper” which means their basic skill set should be in line with the employers’ needs. For instance, if the employer is looking for a high-level, technical sales person, the candidate should match “on paper” by having strong sales experience, measurable technical ability/experience, and potentially a technical degree. The executive search recruiter is responsible for understanding the clients’ needs, wants, and “deal breakers” to prioritize the requirements.

Second, there should be a match, or connection, with the “hiring authority”. This is especially important since statistically more employees leave their managers than their jobs. This connection is critical in the executive search process. We had an experience with a candidate illustrating this concept. The candidate was a perfect match on paper. However, he did not “match” with the hiring authority – connection and respect were both missing, not to mention the hiring authority thought the candidate arrogant. This definitely would have been a ticking time bomb had the candidate been hired. The recruiter working on this search assignment had a responsibility to initiate a straight-forward conversation with both candidate and client regarding the developing dynamics.

Finally, there needs to be a match in terms of culture – it’s something you can sense when you walk the halls of an organization. Culture is big – huge in fact. It represents that sense of belonging – it’s the connection you feel when you are going through the interview process….a meeting of the minds. If a company is grounded in tradition, and proves to be conservative, a prospective candidate and self-proclaimed avant-garde leader might be challenged to fit in, no matter how strong the “on paper match” or the connection with the hiring authority.

As a boutique executive search firm, we have the luxury, the commitment, and the ability to conduct a high-level thorough recruitment process. We go way beyond “resume clearing houses” or placement agencies in terms of our value-added service. Even compared to national recruiting firms, or typical headhunting companies, we make it easier for companies to fill open assignments or “top-grade” their organizations. Our individual past experiences in Corporate America come together to give us a unique advantage in understanding both sides of the executive search equation.

UPwords Inc. is an executive search firm committed to contributing to business and career growth by attracting and securing best-fit matches between organizational top talent and key client companies.