Who are C-level executives?
C-levels are top-level executives in a company. The term "C-level" comes from the English word "Chief" and refers to the leaders of departments or functional areas within an organization.
- CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
This role entails overall leadership of the organization, defining the company's strategy and mission, as well as managing relationships with key stakeholders. - CCO (Chief Cybersecurity Officer)
Responsible for developing and implementing cybersecurity strategies, protecting information and systems from cyber-attacks. - CTO (Chief Technology Officer)
Responsible for strategic technology management and development of innovative solutions supporting the company's business processes. - CMO (Chief Marketing Officer)
Manages the company's marketing and advertising strategy, defines approaches to branding, advertising, digital marketing and customer engagement. - COO (Chief Operating Officer)
Oversees the company's operational activities, ensures the efficiency of business processes, optimizes production operations, and ensures quality control. - CDO (Chief Data Officer)
Responsible for the strategic management of the company's data, including data collection and analysis for decision-making, as well as the development of data protection policies and procedures. - CMO (Chief Mobility Officer)
Responsible for the strategy and development of the company's mobile technologies, development and implementation of mobile applications and solutions. - CDO (Chief Design Officer)
Responsible for strategic management of product design and user experience, ensuring design differentiation and competitiveness. - CCO (Chief Cloud Officer)
Responsible for the strategy and management of cloud technologies in the company, implementation and optimization of cloud infrastructures.
Where to find C-level candidates and what is the executive search?
Let's start with the simple and logical options: LinkedIn and Djinni (or other similar platforms). C-level professionals are just like mid-level or junior professionals, so they can easily be found on professional social networks. The question is whether they need to actively post on their profiles and read messages (unless they are running an expert blog). Most likely, no. This is because there are fewer IT experts who can hold executive positions compared to newcomers or mid-level specialists. This indicates that C-level professionals will always have diverse job opportunities even without actively searching for them.
To engage C-level candidates, it is recommended to choose more challenging but equally interesting ways. For example, professional events can be a great option. The concentration of the relevant people in such places is usually high. Personal communication always have an advantage over emails, especially when it comes to true professionals who receive dozens of identical emails daily. It's important to consider how you can capture the attention of the person you're speaking with. There are many recruiters and HRs, but individuals with charisma and excellent communication skills are rare. Just imagine the number of companies that may be interested in a single C-level specialist. The work conditions and salary may be similar across these companies. That's when personal relationships come into play.
You don't necessarily have to engage in professional topics when communicating with a candidate. After all, recruiters are not always experts in a specific domain. Find common hobbies and interests, be genuine and professional. Show your interest in the person as an individual, not just as another potential offer. And in general, don't be afraid to make new connections, expand your network, as the people you need may even be your neighbors whom you've never thought of getting to know. Being interested in the outside world and having a zest for life are the keys to establishing long-term relationships with candidates, colleagues, and even competitors.
C-level Hiring Specifics
Firstly, it is much more challenging to attract candidates for executive positions. This is because they have extensive experience, a long list of achievements, and most of them are looking for something new, to grow and move forward. Therefore, a new opportunity must truly drive the C-level professional.
Secondly, the recruiter must have a clear task from the client. It is impossible to find something when you don't know what exactly you are looking for. We recommend using a brief. If you haven't formulated questions for HR yet, then write to us on Instagram, and we will send you our brief that the EvoTalents team uses when working with clients.
Thirdly, searching for candidates for executive positions is a lengthy process. Typically, these positions require individuals with a long list of requirements, such as experience, education, and specific skills. In addition, C-level roles involve not only technical knowledge but also problem-solving abilities, mentoring or coaching skills, analytical thinking, and strategic vision. That's why clients need to be prepared for long-term dedicated work with recruiters to achieve the desired outcome.
Fourthly, corporate culture plays a significant role when searching for C-level candidates. The client is looking for someone who will lead the company into the future. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how the candidate perceives their interaction with the team, what values they hold, and what their primary motivation is. Choosing a C-level candidate with a mismatched corporate culture can lead to real issues in the company.
Fifthly, since the new hire will actively participate in realizing the company's mission and shaping its vision, selecting the wrong person is not an option. As a result, the search for executives should be approached more strategically than hiring team members at the entry or mid-level positions.
What can you read about executive search?
"Executive Recruiting For Dummies": This book provides an introduction to C-level recruiting and offers valuable tips and strategies for successful hiring of top executives. It covers all stages of the recruiting process, including understanding position requirements, preparing job advertisements, conducting interviews, and evaluating candidates. The book also emphasizes important aspects such as employer branding and talent retention.
"Hiring for Attitude: A Revolutionary Approach to Recruiting and Selecting People with Both Tremendous Skills and Superb Attitude": While not specifically focused on C-level recruiting, this book provides valuable insights into the process of hiring employees with the right mindset and internal motivation. It describes methods for assessing and selecting candidates based on their attitude toward work and team collaboration.
"The New Talent Acquisition Frontier: Integrating HR and Diversity Strategy in the Private and Public Sectors and Higher Education": This book examines the interplay between talent recruitment and diversity strategy in organizations. It offers strategic advice for attracting and developing diverse talent in C-level positions.
"Executive Search in the Digital Age: The Definitive Guide to Executive Recruitment Success": This book explores the impact of the digital era on C-level recruiting. It provides practical advice and strategies for effectively utilizing digital tools and technologies in the recruiting process.
"The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors that Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders": This book examines the role and behavior of CEOs and provides insights into key attributes that lead to success in the CEO position. These principles can also be applied to recruiting for C-level positions in other domains.
C-level headhunting. The story of success
Sometimes, to successfully fill a challenging vacancy, very little is needed. For instance, one IT recruiting agency, experience, and a few relevant candidates. Recently, the EvoTalents team accomplished another successful placement for LetyShops, a Ukrainian cashback service. The client needed to fill the Engineering Manager position. We immediately asked numerous questions to create a portrait of the ideal candidate. After that, we focused our attention solely on candidates with experience in specific companies (as the client desired). A bit of sourcing, interpersonal communication, attention to detail – and that's it!
The vacancy is closed!
We have extensive experience in filling various vacancies. Learn more about our case studies on this page.
Client care and a special approach to each one – that's us. So, if you need to fill C-level positions, feel free to schedule a free consultation with EvoTalents founder Olena Volk.
