October 30, 2012
My recent conversation with man-about-town recruiter guru Adam Pekarsky, founder and leader of Pekarsky Stein revealed a serious side and an unwavering bullish focus. Like most CEO’s Adam has a split focus on the current state of his business and a long term view. I tried to pin him down. His answers helped me understand the recruiting business and how its nuances can be transferable to other areas of business . . .
I asked Adam how he sees the market, in his industry, over the next 90 days.
Adam offered a macro and micro view. A ‘things are slow’ at this time of year is a false indicator. Most executives how have bonuses or incentives connected with their employment tend to be reluctant to consider a move in the fall – waiting until year end, so often respond with ‘thanks, but call me in January.
The micro view is a split – some firms are growing, building market share and actively recruiting great people, always recruiting. Others are laying people off, but most of those also have their eyes open for exceptional people whenever they find them.
Adam added: “there is a deep pool of talent only we can access. We don’t traffic in active job seekers".
I asked Adam how he sees the position of his firm in the market and vis-à-vis the industry, over the next 5 years.
His one word answer – bullish! When I pressed him for more, he explained the demographics and Calgary economy suggest there will continue to be a shortage of skilled people, so little change, still bullish, 5 years older, greyer hair! And more c-suite work.
I asked him what qualities distinguish his preferred suppliers.
Trust, credibility, quality, adaptive, nimble – easy qualities to find, but he wants more suppliers “who understand us, who will partner with us”, who understand our philosophy, who share our values in terms of putting back into the community.
I asked him why his clients hire his firm instead of his competitors.
Linked in has leveled the playing field, a boutique search firm like ours has access to as much information and as many people as the traditional giants with large databases.
Adam’s energy is infectious, his personal style is gregarious, direct, and opinionated – his conversation liberally seasoned with references to business principles he learned from his grandfather, legendary retailer Henry Singer – trust, credibility and relationships.
Catching a few minutes with Adam Pekarsky is a treat – and an entertaining reminder that confidence is a recipe of talent, energy and style. Adam has all three.
Thank you Adam for taking time to share with our readers.
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