Why I Joined Clockwork

I have been working within the executive search industry for almost a full decade now. I’ve had the opportunity to hold many strategic marketing roles at a leading industry association, a global executive search organization and several technology companies, all within the executive search space. At the 10-year mark in your career, you reach a new level of appreciation for your journey and realize what is important to you.

My professional journey has woven a complex yet intricate mix of skills, experience and exposure, but most importantly has provided me the opportunity to identify the culture, company and values I needed to be successful. I have spent 66% of my career working remotely. The flexibility is unbeatable, but in this environment you gain a much deeper knowledge of your company’s mission, how this aligns with your values and how you want to impact the industry.

I once had a manager that asked me a very simple question, “What are your goals for the company one year and three years from now?” It was simple enough, but caused me to think about my role in the organization, my own career goals and discuss how those goals supported my team. Since then, this question has resonated with me throughout my career and made me consider what impact I want to have on the industry at a higher level.

My goal was simple, “To make executive search firms more adaptable, agile and better serve their clients.” Even though I was working in an industry where late adoption is common, I knew this was achievable. I realized that it was critical to find a company and people that aligned with these goals. As a result I have asked myself these questions at every company I have ever worked for:

• What sort of impact can or will my company have on the industry?
• Is their vision focused on change or disrupting the industry for the better?
• Does leadership’s actions match their mission and values?
• Will I be able to achieve or at least follow my own professional goals?

I have come very close to finding all of the above at past employers, but finding a company that wanted to disrupt the industry for the better and challenge the status quo would prove to be more challenging than I thought.

A Shift In Direction.

I knew that I would only find this sort of culture and direction within a technology company where evolution, adaptability and innovation was at the forefront of the company’s vision.

However, oftentimes the strategy for technology software providers is very siloed, product-centric and focuses heavily on acquiring more users. This emphasis leaves little to no room for collaboration and you quickly lose sight of your customer beyond a user of your core product. I quickly realized that while my pivot into the technology sector was taking me in the right direction, I still required a company mission that actively sought to elevate the executive search profession through innovation.

It Happened Like Clockwork.

I discovered Clockwork several years ago, when Clockwork was the new kid on the block, in the executive search software market. Since then, Clockwork had grown to become a more holistic and complete solution for executive search firms beyond a core software product. With that in mind, I was intrigued by their direction and their consultative approach, and quickly realized their mission was aligned with my own professional goals.

A large part of what attracted me to Clockwork was that the team understood the entire lifecycle of a search from start to finish. The founder recognized that many steps in a search occur outside of a search firm’s software, and that Clockwork was just one piece in the executive search process. With culture, vision and values aligned, I joined Clockwork’s mission to drive the industry forward.

Innovation Through Partnership.

Clockwork realized that in order to better serve their search firms, they needed to continue to bring new features and functions to their search firms. They also realized that in order to actively support the entire executive search lifecycle, they would need to partner with other key players and tools in the executive search landscape. Through partnerships and integrations, Clockwork has worked to unite these tools search firms are already using in order to reduce clicks, provide meaningful value and make search easier.

For example, Clockwork’s latest integration with DeepHire, a candidate video interviewing tool, captures candidate video interviews directly within Clockwork for search firms to access, view and share with clients. It has been an incredibly successful partnership and integration, bringing even more value to our search firms and adding an entirely new tool to their arsenal.

Beyond integration partners, Clockwork has formed partnership relationships with other services that Managing Partners need to better run their executive search business. In order to support the entire search firms as complete business solution, Clockwork has built a robust community of partnerships, all of which have experience working with executive search firms across many categories including:

• Advisory Services
• Background Screening
• Candidate Outreach
• Candidate Research
• Custom Development
• Custom Integration
• GDPR
• Human Resources
• Market Research
• Marketing
• Payroll
• Relationship Mapping
• Training and Education
• Video Interviewing
• Workplace Solutions

While I may have found a company where I can achieve my professional goals, I’ve also discovered two key insights for successful transformation within this industry.

First, it’s not just about software. The executive search life cycle requires much more than technology to successfully complete a search. This includes having a distinct process to demonstrate to your clients, but more importantly surrounding yourself with people (internally and externally) that intimately understand and can support this unique process.

Second, it takes collaboration and partnership. This applies to every touchpoint of a search including creating an environment and vision that supports collaboration, innovation and communication. At the end of the day, a reliable process, supportive team and collaborative mindset will make your search firm more agile and adaptive to help you better serve your clients. This is why I joined Clockwork.