backchannel Ep. 2: Building alignment and quantifying success with Steven Berman, Accel-KKR

The current job market has forced companies to rethink their hiring processes. Velocity is the name of the game, but how do you make sure you’re still running a comprehensive search and hiring the best person for the job?

In this episode, Steven Berman, Accel-KKR’s Director of Executive Search, talks about how he approaches the issue, how he actionizes his firm’s network, and why he’s not concerned about getting candidates to say yes to a job.

Here are some highlights from the conversation:

• Steven’s role at Accel-KKR (00:31)
• How Steven prepares for a search (02:25)
• Defining what success looks like (03:39)
• How to actionize your firm’s existing network (05:06)
• How to balance speed with running a comprehensive search process (07:26)
• Steven’s top challenge right now (08:29)
• How he’s addressing the challenge (9:46)
• Becoming a steward for executives and their career (10:22)
• Why he doesn’t worry about getting candidates to say yes (11:52)
• Competencies vs experience (12:47)
• Rethinking the unwritten rules of building a career (14:06)
• Thrive’s roundtables (15:43)

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