Information Search Process at PrincetonOne

I work at an executive recruiting (headhunting) firm called PrincetonOne. In our industry, the information search process is of the utmost importance, and is one of the greatest determinants of whether or not you will be successful in the industry.

As a sales-based role, the search for information - whether that information be new clients, candidates, or industry trends - is ongoing. Knowing what jobs are out there, what candidates are looking for jobs, and whether the long-term prospects of the industry you focus on are good is crucial to success within the recruiting world. Below, I will describe the information search process when looking for a candidate for a specific position. I will use a position I was trying to fill with Americo Insurance as the backdrop for this.

I was looking for someone to fill an Underwriting Manager position within Americo Insurance Company in Kansas City, MO. In order to fill this position, I started with a number of consideration sets of where I could find people, and they generally fell into two categories: geographic locations and experience level. I wanted people from the midwest territory, so that they wouldn't be opposed to relocating. I searched for people in Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska. I was also mainly looking for people who already had management experience, so I focused my search on people who were currently Underwriting Managers or who had past experience in management. Finally, I was looking for people with a good background in the technical aspects of underwriting.

After making hundreds of calls to candidates that I thought fit the previously described considerations, I stumbled upon a candidate that fit the build perfectly. He had strong experience as an underwriter, had been managing a team for a number of years, and was located in the Kansas City area. What's better, his company was closing down in June, so he was motivated to make a move soon. Currently, he is still in the interview process, but he is an excellent fit that was found as a result of the information search that I used.