Pam: Ok, let’s do a little bit of rapid fire session here and each of you give me one answer to each of the next 3 questions. Things to avoid when hiring an executive. Maria, let’s start with you.

Maria: Anyone that uses the word “I” too much and not “we”, meaning they’re not a team player.

Pam: Excellent. Matt?

Matt: Don’t hire somebody in my image.

Pam: Ah yes. Kristen?

Kristen: I would like to be careful from recycling within your industry. You may have an expert in your industry but they’re just going to recycle ideas and other concepts that are within it and not bring a great outside innovative perspective.

Pam: Great. Great answer. Kim?

Kim: Hiring an executive that cannot talk about his or her accomplishments.

Pam: Alright. Next one. Things to ask an executive that you want to hire? Maria?

Maria: I would ask them, what would you do in the first 30 days on your job.

Pam: Ok. Matt?

Matt: What were you brought in to do on your last assignment, and what did you accomplish?

Pam: Right. Thanks Matt. Kristen?

Kristen: Ask them about the results from their last couple of assignments or positions. Some one can’t come up top of their head. What type of numbers, what type of impact that they’ve had? Especially using numbers other than, I just increased morale. They weren’t measuring it then, and they’re not going to measure it for you.

Pam: So you want specifics. Correct?

Kristen: I want specifics. Better have it all on the top of your head because if you don’t have it from your past, how are you going to measure it and monitor it for me, and get me results.

Pam: Exactly. Kim?

Kim: I’m just going to reiterate. You’ve got to talk to executives what can you do for the company, not what you can do for the executive.

Pam: Oh perfect one. Thanks Kim. Alright next one. Company X needs to diversify its revenue stream. What type of an executive should they be looking for? Expertise, duration of contract, etc.

Maria: I would think expertise would be a marketing person or an innovation officer, and 3-6 months. And somebody from, that has some industry experience but that also has other verticals that you may be looking at.

Pam: Right. Thanks Maria. Matt?

Matt: I don’t know that I could add any more than what Maria said. I agree completely. To me it’s sales marketing, it’s experience. It’s having experience and multiple, looking at multiple organizations and being able to look at where they’ve been, where they need to go and how to get them from here to there. So still the marketing will be the obvious but I do think that there are other disciplines that could also get, make that happen.

Pam: Great, thanks Matt. Kristen?

Kristen: Let’s start off with a very specific strategic product individual. Someone who knows how to productize, because optimally you’re not just looking at the revenue streams not just within the industry. It’s what is the product, how I describe the product and is it marketable within that. And a great marketing product person will know that and be able to carry out the messaging, so that not just the market gets it but your team as well. And then one great news from headhunters from that point is diversify within another industry. An Industry is vertical specific to executive, so we already have the contact say they know how to do it and they’ve done it many times.

Pam: Great, thanks Kristen. Kim? Anymore to add?

Kim: Really no. I just, I agree with everyone but also agree with Kristen that if you can productize, you’ve got to have someone that understands other verticals and other applicability’s for the product.

Pam: Great. Thanks Kim from headhunters Alright before we wrap up here today, let me ask one last question to all the panelists. What last minute advice would you give business owners for thinking of hiring a temporary, part-time or contract executive? Kristen, why don’t we start with you?

Kristen: Telling them what I needed done. I’d want to know that they’re done it at least 3-5 times in other companies. I talk to those companies, I talk to the co-workers because I know that they’ve had used that expertise in those situations.

Pam: You like the experience that they bring?

Kristen: Yeah, I want to know that they’ve got the expertise that I need and they’ve got proven results on it. Not just they’re a great person to work with and they’ve accomplished so much. Have they accomplished what I need done?

Pam: So you don’t want somebody that just have an MBA and right out of college. from headhunters Correct?

Kristen: Not just right out of college. There’s some incredible executives out there that have accomplished a lot of things. They just haven’t actually done and they have light team for balance. They haven’t actually done and been involved in my types of situation. It needs to be specific.

Pam: Great. Anyone else have anything to add?

Matt: I would add it. Our interims have both depth and breadth of experience in their specific discipline. The other thing that they have is that they come with usually 20-plus years of experience in a larger organizations or in large consulting firms. So what they bring to a CEO is that they bring that expertise, that is far-reaching under than just what that CEO is looking for us to come in and help them with. They can come in and provide advice on their whole organization, not just on the specific discipline that that CEO is looking for.

Pam: Great, thanks Matt. So thank you all for being here today and sharing your expertise on things CEO’s need to know when hiring part-time, temporary and contract executives. Next month tune in for our podcast on the advantages of boards and advisory boards, especially the companies today. Should be a great topic and one you won’t want to miss. See you then.