A Look Behind the Scenes

Presearch Management Profile

We begin each assignment with a thorough pre-search review. In this process, which can take from one to four days, we interview a cross section of the organization, including managers, staff, and line personnel through its various levels. The results of these interviews are summed up in a 10- to 25-page Presearch Management Profile that enables us to learn about your organization, its culture, and its goals, and provides you with a candid snapshot of your organization that provides you with valuable insights on it. This Profile, a unique part of our search process, allows us to identify candidates who not only have the proper experience for the position, but also are good fits on a personal basis for your organization.

VP/Business Development & Marketing
Presearch Management Profile (Excerpt)

The Company

“We don’t operate like a large company, even though we are a division of a 3500-employee company. We operate more like a small, self-sustaining company. We have a unique culture. A big company mentality doesn’t work here – the hard-nosed manager will not be successful. We don’t believe in yelling at people. We are more kind-hearted … however, the people here will make that hard-nosed person fail.”

“In the early 1990’s, we were the black sheep of the company, and our division was on the auction block several times. Now we are the darling of the company. Many of our senior managers have moved into corporate positions in the last three years. Virtually the only place that our division has lost employees has been to our own corporate headquarters. We have lost very few people to other companies.”

“Our people don’t have strong egos. A strong ego in a manager can stifle the creative end in the department’s employees.”

“This is really not a political organization.”

“A few years ago we hired an ex-military officer to become our VP of Operations. He was the controlling type and didn’t fare well here. That personality doesn’t fit well in our company. Teamwork is important here, and conflict is rare. Differences are typically resolved in the team setting.”

“The reorganizations tend to be disruptive. You often have to start from scratch. You get the impression that management doesn’t know what they’re doing. We don’t seem to learn from the previous ones.”

“This is a relaxed company. You can actually have as much power as you have the guts to wield.”

“A self-driven person excels here. The person who does well here doesn’t worry about politics, or who to kiss.”

“It’s difficult to come into this organization from the outside, and it can be tough to gain acceptance. Most of our people have been here a long time. The new people are compared to the long-tenured employees, who have a much better understanding of our technology and of how this company works.”

“Our president manager will solicit opinions. He does this naturally – it’s in his nature. His priorities are almost always correct. That doesn’t mean that they are easy – he can be demanding – but he has always been fair. People like working for him.”

“The Division has almost no turnover. Most of the key people have been with the company for many years. The Division’s technology is much different than those of its sister divisions, and because of this, it operates like a small, self-sustaining, and self-managing 700-employee company, despite being a part of a $400-million, public company. The atmosphere is generally free of politics, and gentler than that at most high tech companies.”

“We are no-holds-barred the world’s experts on our systems. We have the best people in this industry here. We have virtually no competition in the United States and very little from overseas.”

The VP/Business Development & Marketing Position

“A small company person will work well here if he or she has the business skills. The big company person who can be successful here will be rare.”

“The VP/Marketing will be highly successful if he or she:

• Takes Initiative: The general manager doesn’t have to closely monitor this person.
• Opens up new opportunities for the division that we weren’t previously pursuing.
• Has gained the respect of people in the Division. This will probably take time. Our company is a small town – it takes a while for the company community to accept you.
• Is loyal: Rather than running to another company at the first sign of trouble, this person will grab the bail and help bail out if necessary.

“The biggest obstacle this person will face is our culture. Coming in from the outside can be tough here.”

“An understanding of electronics is critical, as well as an understanding of electromechanical devices. A key attribute for this person will be having an intuition for technology. This person needs an instinct for knowing what’s important and what’s not. A technical degree is not necessary, however.”