Transitioning-Executive Advisory – Toward Opening Next Career Chapter
- Brainz Magazine
- May 17, 2025
- 4 min read
Harvard Group International has been successfully helping clients fill critical and strategic hiring needs for three decades. As consultant in this field, HGI regularly provides analysis and advice to executives and professionals who seek the firm's assistance. The door is always open to employers and individuals for courtesy discussions.
Over the past decades, HGI has been a sounding-board to well over 700 business executives as they navigated the transition to their next career chapter. It’s always been part of the culture that HGI’s founder instilled. As an Executive Recruiting Firm, talented and impactful business leaders have been candidates for search projects the firm has delivered on for clients. Discerning, person-to-person recruiting results in solid mutual respect developing with those making up the field of candidates presented, such that routinely the firm’s Managing Directors have taken on something of a career transition advisory role to one or more of the candidates after projects close. This reputation of the firm has further brought business execs to introduce themselves and request such help. HGI has always been fully open to being a source of council and assistance to such people in transition, on a courtesy basis in these cases.
Providing viewpoints and experience as a service
When employers ask HGI to assist departing execs, the foundation of experience as well as approach are essentially the same as that which evolved in the firm over the decades; listen a lot, while sharing insight from viewpoints typically different to that of Outplacement Service Firms, of which HGI isn’t.
Not controversial viewpoints, just not “run-of-the-mill” outplacement perspective and resulting, routine instruction. Typically, a different appraisal of the challenges along with means of success. For instance, exposure vs initiative, which is usually the likely best return on one’s time? One’s “Personal Product” analysis and benefits are explored. Reality and human nature are foundational to the advice shared. As Executive Recruiters having successfully helped client employers of every shape and size, the firm’s perspective on why candidates get hired, what motivates hiring manager decisions, is often distinct from convention and routine, relative to candidates “standing out”.
Parting-ways assistance in the form of sounding-board advisory
Self-evaluation coaching
Self-confidence development
Self-initiative techniques, rationale and motivation
Flexible, more one-on-one considerate, as well as more credible insight in a constructive awareness approach.
The product offering components provided when employers engage HGI
Incorporating better purpose in resumes and public profile postings, the reality.
Advise Execs on more impactful self-marketing, based on time-proven, human nature in hiring decisions.
From three decades of HGI observations and experience.
Assist and critique the individual’s resume development.
More impact in gaining attention and motivating interview requests.
Express networking
Target and make Job Opportunities
Advice and facilitation
Interview reality
Sell oneself around Evidenced Value, not Responsibilities Held
Make the most of Interviews
Plus, effective interview warmup sessions.
For initial interviews with potential employers.
Assist candidates in fully grasping that they best not depend on others to “open doors”.
They must provide energy along with the daily search effort, no magic-multipliers.
Where HGI has access to contact info, it may be provided as available.
In closing
For a fee typically well off traditional executive outplacement service costs, HGI is a source of distinct and effective sounding-board advice service for times when employers find need to part ways with execs. Contracted advisory engagement is typically four months of scheduled availability, listening, discussing and advising along with reinforcement.
As an Executive Recruiting Firm, long skilled in getting to “know and gauge” people from a candidate interviewing approach, HGI’s methodology to this kind of advisory is to open a different perspective for the executive, helping that job searcher to see goals and paths from the viewpoint of how Recruiting Firms understand the keys to candidates getting hired. From a point of listening and then adding alternate views, HGI becomes a sounding-board style advisor, reminding, refreshing and reinforcing. The Executive in Transition makes the decisions on how to approach, commit themselves and succeed. For this reason alone, HGI may not be the right means of transition advisory for some people entering the job market.
Read more from Harvard Group International
Harvard Group International, Executive & Professional Recruiters
Harvard Group International was founded in 1997 with a primary focus on automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers. From its beginning, the culture has been one of providing help and advisory services to clients and candidates alike. As the firm grew, the practice evolved more of a generalist focus, covering almost every industry segment across finance & investment, medical, technology, consumer, and more, to manufacturers and suppliers; US and International. With that history, HGI has helped many of the largest corporations in the world as well as private businesses and start-ups. The key to success is grounded in the firm's process of thoroughly understanding the clients' needs as well as hiring managers' preferences to enable effective 'digging' into likely sources; and identifying accomplished candidates that require actual recruiting before presentation to clients. Along the years, HGI has become known for professional courtesy, confidentiality, and focused urgency. The associates and directors of the firm have reviewed many thousands of resumes, placing thousands of candidates across a broad spectrum of titles, roles, and diversity.
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