SARAH STEWART
Founder MRKTSEARCH
I am a bit of a geek about process.
I love seeing a search run with momentum, and reaching a point where hiring managers have a tough choice between several well-matched people who could all succeed in the role -
that’s always my focus for my clients.
About
Many businesses talk about talent shortages, yet the recruitment process they use often reaches only the most visible part of the market: people actively applying, already known to recruiters or relatively easy to find.
For an important hire, that is quite a narrow place from which to make a decision.
I was introduced to executive search in 2019 and became accredited in executive search methodology in 2022. With a few sensible adjustments for speed, I could see no reason why the same principles should be reserved for C-suite and board appointments.
That became central to MRKTSEARCH.
Instead of managing a heavy volume of “maybe” vacancies, I deliberately control capacity so I can properly commit to the clients I work with. That means having the time to search the market thoroughly, show clients the work behind an assignment and give them much greater visibility over how the search is progressing.
Is it a talent shortage if you’ve only searched the surface?
“Experience” is talked about so often that it can start to lose its meaning.
In recruitment, a lot of value comes from instinct developed over time from seeing hundreds of businesses, roles, people and hiring decisions play out.
Recruiters are really mediators. Our job is to work out what information matters, get it from the people who have it and make sure it reaches the people who need it to make a decision.
After twenty years, you simply have more to draw on in those conversations.
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What does the business actually need?
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Is the brief realistic?
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What has not made it into the job description?
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Is a candidate being underestimated?
Why Experience Counts
Industry Knowledge
Across this site, I have written about 14 distinct industries, each with its own pressures, commercial context and hiring characteristics.
These observations come from first-hand experience of recruiting within those markets over many years.
That depth of context matters because recruiting a sales or marketing professional well is considerably more nuanced than matching a job title to a CV.
“They must be able to do this job standing on their head.”
When it's a race to submit, hiring managers see all interpretations of requirements.
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No recruitment service can remove every element of risk. People are people, and hiring will always involve judgement.
A properly structured search gives businesses greater visibility of the market, clearer evidence behind the shortlist and more confidence in the decisions being made.
There are so many competing important criteria in sales and marketing hires normal recruitment processes are typically chaos.
There are so many competing important criteria in sales and marketing hires normal recruitment processes are typically chaos.
No recruitment service can remove every element of risk. People are people, and hiring will always involve judgement.
A properly structured search gives businesses greater visibility of the market, clearer evidence behind the shortlist and more confidence in the decisions being made.
Is it a talent shortage if you’ve only searched the surface?
Many businesses talk about talent shortages, yet the recruitment process they use often reaches only the most visible part of the market: people actively applying, already known to recruiters or relatively easy to find.
For an important hire, that is quite a narrow place from which to make a decision.
I was introduced to executive search in 2019 and became accredited in executive search methodology in 2022. With a few sensible adjustments for speed, I could see no reason why the same principles should be reserved for C-suite and board appointments.
That became central to MRKTSEARCH.
Instead of managing a heavy volume of “maybe” vacancies, I deliberately control capacity so I can properly commit to the clients I work with. That means having the time to search the market thoroughly, show clients the work behind an assignment and give them much greater visibility over how the search is progressing.
Across this site, I have written about 14 distinct industries, each with its own pressures, commercial context and hiring characteristics.
These observations come from first-hand experience of recruiting within those markets over many years.
That depth of context matters because recruiting a sales or marketing professional well is considerably more nuanced than matching a job title to a CV.
When you see a way to improve outcomes it feels important to back that.
Know what good looks like in your market
My career in recruitment began with an international consultancy, where I recruited construction design professionals for local and international businesses.
Technical recruitment is demanding, but it benefits from relatively clear qualifications, identifiable disciplines and defined levels of experience.
When I moved into sales and marketing recruitment in 2008, I found something very different.
"Sales is Sales"
A very common phrase for commercial recruiters to hear when speaking with applicants.
Sure, the objective is the same, and there are transferrable essential traits, but sales and marketing functions vary significantly across industries.
A sales role in SaaS bears little resemblance to one in construction.
A marketing role in FMCG can require a completely different type of experience from one in professional services.
Moving into this sector felt less like taking on one new specialism and more like taking on many at once.
Understanding the drivers in each market became important. It gave me the context to understand vacancies properly and give professionals an accurate picture of the opportunity in front of them.
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“They must be able to do this job standing on their head.”
When it's a race to submit, hiring managers see all interpretations of requirements.
Why Experience Counts
Make better hiring decisions with less wasted time
“Experience” is talked about so often that it can start to lose its meaning. In recruitment, a lot of its value is really tacit knowledge: things you learn over time from seeing hundreds of businesses, roles, people and hiring decisions play out.
Recruiters are really mediators. Our job is to work out what information matters, get it from the people who have it and make sure it reaches the people who need it to make a decision.
That matters particularly in sales and marketing recruitment because there is so much ambiguity. Two people can have the same job title and offer completely different things. Two businesses can ask for the same role and actually need very different people. I’ve referenced examples of that throughout the industry overviews on this site, because the differences are often much more significant than they first appear.
After twenty years, you simply have more to draw on in those conversations.
What does the business actually need?
Is the brief realistic?
What has not made it into the job description?
Is a candidate being underestimated?
There is no neat formula for any of that. It comes down to asking good questions, knowing what to listen for and making sure everyone has the information they need before a decision is made.
That experience cannot remove the risk from hiring, but it can make the conversations easier, expose problems earlier and help everyone get to a better decision.
