Baker Montgomery Says Competing For Top Talent Requires Strategy, Personal Relationships And New Set Of Rules

CHICAGO - May 8, 2014 - PRLog -- Executive search firm Baker Montgomery has set the standard for executive recruiting and hiring in the digital world. Co-founders Sharon and Bill Baker have helped a wide variety of high-technology and management consulting firms step out of their own limitations and embrace hiring in the Internet age, while still retaining the personal relationships that are so essential in an executive search.

"The Internet has changed the nature of how executive searches are done, allowing recruiters to find qualified candidates anywhere in the world," said Sharon Baker. "But while the digital world has opened the door to a much wider candidate pool, finding the right candidates is a bigger challenge than ever, and a successful search will still require a highly personalized approach."

The Internet age has brought multiple challenges to the process. In a recent article in Techie.com, the Bakers discussed the particularly new challenge of young founders of successful dotcoms just out of college. According to Bill and Sharon, when those academic-to-incubator ventures turn into venture-funded market defining entities; outside C-level help is an essential part of continued growth – but can be a special challenge when working with an entrepreneurial founder. "In that situation, the goal is to leverage the best of the founders. That startup still needs that youthful exuberance, the dynamic entrepreneurship and the corporate culture that only comes from a young Internet startup," said Bill Baker. "But when the company grows, we will help pair those qualities with a mature and experienced C-level team that will continue to work with and appreciate the unique benefits the founders brought to the table."

In CEO.com, the Bill and Sharon Baker go beyond the recruiting stage, to discuss how a new CEO succeeds when taking on the challenge of a new company. "Once a new CEO takes over, change management is high on the priority list," said Sharon Baker. "That's why when we recruit a new CEO we make sure there is a synergy with the existing team and understand the existing strategy, while at the same time positioning the company for a new direction."

The Bakers' experience has shown that the best candidates are consistently deluged with offers from recruiters, and they have developed a "buffer." This built-up resistance may be difficult to overcome, and requires a direct approach and a deep network of personal connections. "The best candidates often have to deal with multiple interviews, competing interview processes and competing offers," said Bill Baker. "The hiring firms that move the fastest without stumbling have a big advantage."

Today though, mobility is at an all-time high because of the competitive environment and digital realities of the market, according to the Bakers.  Sharon Baker said, "At Baker Montgomery, we're able to make informed decisions and recruit the best talent that will help our clients' companies succeed.

Sharon Baker brings extensive experience in the professional services and information technology services sector.  Her primary focus has been at the leadership level, within professional services, leading entrepreneurial ventures backed by private equity investors.  Prior to founding Baker Montgomery, Sharon occupied roles on Wall Street in the securities industry and in marketing and sales management positions in the services and software sectors.  Additionally, she has successfully led several client organizations through their evolution as entrepreneurial start-ups, transitioning into new corporate forms of operation. Sharon can be reached at sharon@bakermontgomery.com.

Bill Baker has extensive consulting industry experience.  During his career, he has built and managed successful consulting organizations in Detroit, Grand Rapids, San Francisco, and Chicago. This experience provides a critical edge in situations where intrinsic knowledge of the management consulting perspective is necessary to identify, evaluate, and present the best candidates.   Bill has placed a variety of senior consulting executives at the President, VP and Partner levels within strategy international strategy & information technology practices, as well as executives in senior IT technical positions at market leading financial services enterprises.  Bill can be reached at wmbaker@bakermontgomery.com.