Finding – and Being – the Right Person for That Important Exec Job

Westwood & Wilshire technology clients frequently look to the managing director of our Silicon Valley-based practice, Kristin Speer, for her counsel on finding the talented executives they need to scale their venture-funded startups.

So when she was interviewed for two articles in May, Kristin generously shared her advice on hiring – and being hired – with tech companies and job candidates beyond the Westwood & Wilshire family.

How to Hire the Right Person

Tapping the right talent pool was the focus of Kristin’s profile in Authority Magazine, in which she described the five techniques she uses to identify people best suited to the jobs Westwood & Wilshire tech clients need to fill. She also spoke to the emerging employment landscape wrought by the Covid pandemic, as job seekers reevaluate priorities about how and where they want to work. Among the trends she noted:

1.     Employers must be more intentional about creating connection and in lieu of paying office rent will need to put money into travel for occasional events to bring people together.

2.     Compensation will continue to be a challenge, and eventually I anticipate salaries to smooth out to a large degree as a significant part of the workforce will work remotely.

3.     Long-term incentives and perks will be important to retain people since the personal “glue” is harder to maintain without as much office interaction and personal connection.

4.     Employers are adapting to a much more personalized approach to each employee. Managers need to pay closer attention to, and be flexible for, their individual team members’ situations.

How to Be the Right Person to Hire

For prospective job candidates, Kristin explained the value of engaging with recruiters and offered detailed guidance in an UpJourney article about how to respond to recruiter inquiries they receive on LinkedIn.

Her most cogent bit of advice? Be gracious and polite to get better results.

“Even if you’re not interested in the job you were contacted for,  you might be the first person they call next time when the job is one you want.”

Well said, Kristin.

We Identify the Talent, and Bring You the Stars

As the number of unfilled US jobs remains at its highest level in 20 years, employers like Divinia, Vaxart, Flywheel and Agiloft are turning to Westwood & Wilshire for executive recruitment.  

To place your executive search efforts in the hands of experts, contact Kristin and the Technology Practice team at [email protected].