How to Search for PE Deals and PE Firms

Lead5 tracks the appointments and departures of C-level executives at over 40,000 public companies using public data sources and intel from the Lead5 network. The Lead5 brand is built around the five main filters by which an executive views his or her career: Industry, Function, Region, Ownership, and Market Cap. 

Lead5 tracks US based PE firms and PE deals. A PE deal is a leading indicator of C-level opportunities as PE firms will change out senior leadership for over half of the companies they acquire. Watch this video on How to Search PE Deals which is the fourth in a series of videos designed to empower Lead5 members to discover intel and opportunities relevant to their career journey.

How to Search for Recruiters

Lead5 tracks the appointments and departures of C-level executives at over 40,000 public companies using public data sources and intel from the Lead5 network. The Lead5 brand is built around the five main filters by which an executive views his or her career: Industry, Function, Region, Ownership, and Market Cap. 

Did you know Lead5 maintains a database of active retained executive recruiters you can sort by region, industry, and function? Lead5 also has a database of corporate executive recruiters working directly for Fortune 1000 companies with oversight for VP and executive level roles across the organization. Watch this video How to Search for Recruiters which is the third in a series of videos designed to empower Lead5 members to discover intel and opportunities relevant to their career journey.

Q4 2023 Update on Executive Appointments & Executive Openings

Lead5 tracks executive openings and executive appointments for leading US based companies. Analysis for Lead5 for Q4 of 2023 shows executive appointments finished the year on a solid pace and up significantly year-over-year from Q4 of 2022. Q4 YOY numbers for executive opportunities were up 52% from Q4 2022 and executive appointments were up 47%. 

In total, 2023 executive opportunities were up 45% from 2022 which remains a low point since Lead5 started tracking annual numbers. We did not see any softening of the market in Q4 of 2023 and the strong bounce back in the overall numbers from 2022 to 2023 bodes well for a strong start to Q1 of 2024. 

The first of the year is a great time to engage with a pro-active strategy for your executive career. Join Lead5 today to stay connected to ever-changing market intel from the Lead5 community. Familiarize yourself with the Indicators of Management ChangesNegotiating Executive CompensationHow to Best Approach Executive RecruitersHow to Best Approach In-House Corporate RecruitersAdvice for Resignations, and Sample Email Templates to Send Direct to Hiring Managers.

Q3 2023 Update on Executive Appointments & Executive Openings

Lead5 tracks executive openings and executive appointments for leading US based companies. Analysis for Lead5 for Q3 of 2023 shows executive appointments were down 7% from Q2 and Q3 executive opportunities were up 3% over Q2 2023. The YOY numbers remained elevated as Q3 opportunities tracked were up 47% over Q3 2022. Executive appointments for Q3 YOY were up 13% over Q3 2022 numbers. 

What does this all mean? While executive movement tracked by Lead5 remains below pre-pandemic levels 2023 is shaping up to be a solid year for executive opportunities and appointments. Q3 in 2023 has held steady at a similar rate to Q2. We will continue to monitor the numbers to see if there is any evidence of softening of the market in Q4 as we did notice a slight downtick in the numbers for September 2023. 

Now is a great time to research and prepare a pro-active strategy for your next executive career move. Join Lead5 today to stay connected to ever-changing market intel from the Lead5 community. Familiarize yourself with the Indicators of Management ChangesNegotiating Executive CompensationHow to Best Approach Executive RecruitersHow to Best Approach In-House Corporate RecruitersAdvice for Resignations, and Sample Email Templates to Send Direct to Hiring Managers.

First Half of 2023 Update on Executive Appointments & Executive Openings

Lead5 tracks executive openings and executive appointments for leading US based companies. Analysis for Lead5 for the first half of 2023 (Q1 + Q2) executive appointments were up 58% YoY.  First half of 2023 executive opportunities were up 42% YoY from the first half of 2022. The second half of 2022 was flat for executive opportunities compared to the first half of 2022, so the 2023 numbers show a significant jump in overall executive hiring activity. Executive hiring is often a leading indicator for the overall health of the economy. We will continue to monitor the Lead5 data set to see if this upward trajectory continues through Q3 and Q4 of 2023. 

Now is a great time to research and prepare a pro-active strategy for your next executive career move. Join Lead5 today to stay connected to ever-changing market intel from the Lead5 community. Familiarize yourself with the Indicators of Management ChangesNegotiating Executive CompensationHow to Best Approach Executive RecruitersHow to Best Approach In-House Corporate Recruiters, and Sample Email Templates to Send Direct to Hiring Managers.

Q1 2022 and Second Half 2021 Updates for Executive Appointments and Executive Openings

Lead5 tracks executive openings and executive appointments for leading US based companies. Analysis for Lead5 for the second half of 2021 data shows executive appointments slightly up 3% year over year. For Q1 of 2022 executive appointments were down 20% along with executive opportunities also down YoY. Interestingly, the January 2022 executive appointments were up slightly YoY with February starting to trend down and March 2022 executive appointments down 40%. This corresponds with the timing of headline and market data from the war in Ukraine and inflation numbers. We will continue to monitor the Lead5 data set and the effect on executive hiring into Q2 and the summer months. 

Now is a great time to research and prepare a pro-active strategy for your next executive career move. Join Lead5 today to stay connected to ever-changing market intel from the Lead5 community. Familiarize yourself with the Indicators of Management ChangesNegotiating Executive CompensationHow to Best Approach Executive RecruitersHow to Best Approach In-House Corporate Recruiters, and Sample Email Templates to Send Direct to Hiring Managers.

Introducing the Next Generation of Lead5

We created Lead5 to empower executives with traditionally hidden opportunities and career advancing intel. Today we’re excited to announce the next generation of Lead5, with a new and improved user experience and more complete functionality than ever before to help executives manage the lifecycle of their executive journey. 

The next generation Lead5 platform provides:

  • Access to verified and potential leads for thousands of executive jobs.
  • Tracking of PE firms and PE deals that often indicate leadership changes.
  • Search project functionality to build target company lists, access the Lead5 recruiter database, follow executive moves, and build/save customized queries.
  • Easier to navigate saved items feature that replaces the legacy Lead5 playbook.
  • Full work email contact information for thousands of companies and corporate executives. 
  • More seamless integration of the Lead5 Community for members to share opportunity leads, add comments, invite peers, and contribute to trending market discussions. 

You can access all these features and more by logging into Lead5 for the new and improved user experience. If you have any questions or feedback we’d love to hear from you, email us at info@lead5.com or take advantage of Lead5’s complementary career consultations where we can demo the next generation of Lead5! 

Executive Outlook – June 2021

Market Returning to Normal Seasonal Hiring Patterns in Executive Openings and Executive Appointments

Lead5 tracks executive openings and executive appointments for leading US based companies. Analysis for Lead5 April and May 2021 data shows executive openings down 11% compared to Q1 2021. This is the normal seasonal exec hiring pattern as January through March and September through November historically show higher levels of executive hiring. The market has bounced back to this normal pattern, for example YOY comparison with the effects of Covid the market last year was down 24% for the same time period. Executive appointments for April and May held steady down just 3% compared to Q1 2021 vs the YOY comparison which was down 20% last year.

How does this translate for executives actively or passively seeking new opportunities? The market is solid and has bounced back into a historical pattern of executive search flows. The summer months will yield less activity leading to more active openings and appointments in the fall months of late Q3 and early Q4.

Now is the time to research and prepare a pro-active strategy for your next executive career move. Join Lead5 today to stay connected to ever-changing market intel from the Lead5 community. Familiarize yourself with the Indicators of Management Changes, How to Best Approach Executive Recruiters, How to Best Approach In-House Corporate Recruiters, and Sample Email Templates to Send Direct to Hiring Managers.

Introducing the New Lead5 Corporate Executive Recruiter Database

One major trend of the executive search industry over the last two decades is the increased flow of consultants from the major firms (Korn/Ferry, Heidrick, Spencer Stuart, & Russell Reynolds) to in-house executive recruiting roles within companies, PE firms, and VC firms. The takeaway for the candidate is more senior level leadership positions are being actively sourced and placed directly by the company or financial sponsor. Add the Covid-19 lockdowns and an increased corporate view on cost cutting and you have a scenario entering 2021 where, more than ever, companies are directly recruiting executives and bypassing the retained search firms.

With this trend in mind, Lead5 has built and launched a corporate executive recruiter database that our members have access to and the Lead5 community continues to enhance. Log in to Lead5, click on Community, then People, scroll down and select the Corporate Recruiters tab and use the Lead5 filters to identify the gatekeepers to leadership hiring for thousands of companies including contact details.

Remember, you have a green light to send your resume directly to these in-house executive recruiting professionals and the goal is ensuring your information is updated in the company or PE firms’ executive ATS (Applicant Tracking System). In addition, you want to make the networking connection with the in-house team to keep you informed of current and future leadership openings.

One Lead5 member built a targeted list of companies specific to his industry sector and experienced a 70% response rate to direct outreach to in-house recruiters. This method yields a much higher response than contacting retained recruiters or C-level execs – why? Because the in-house recruiters number one priority is to evaluate external talent and build a bench of current and future available talent for the organization. Remember, retained recruiters number one priority is the hiring company, not the candidate!

Want to learn more? Join the market discussion on Lead5 here:

https://lead5.com/community/forums/posts/241182

Review sample emails for direct outreach here:

https://blog.lead5.com/how-to-best-approach-executive-recruiters/

https://blog.lead5.com/how-to-send-a-strong-intro-email-to-a-ceo/

 

 

How to Best Approach Executive Recruiters

One of the most frequently asked questions from members of Lead5 is how to approach executive recruiters. We have put together a sample email at the end of this blog that we hope is helpful, but let’s also highlight five key points to remember when connecting with search firms:

1. Understand the retained search business model. Lack of understanding of how retained executive search firms operate is the first clue you are not an experienced executive. Retained firms only work for companies – the hiring company is the client. The candidates are a commodity. We as search professionals try not to treat the candidates like a commodity, but the business model is structured in a way that, more often than not, leaves the candidate sensing this dynamic

2. You have a green light to send your resume directly to executive search firm consultants, but make sure you are doing your research. Every firm has partners and principals who recruit for specific industry sectors and functional roles. Determine the best contact by reviewing bios to ensure there is a match between your experience and the partner’s coverage area. The Lead5 recruiter database is a go-to resource for this research. There, you can quickly pinpoint the right targets using your My5 filters.

3. Most executives conducting an active job search connect with 5 to 7 retained search firms, typically with recruiters that have approached them in the past. This is fruitful, but candidates should send their resume to 25 to 30 plus search firms, given the executive search industry is highly fragmented beyond the top 4 to 5 firms. Take the time to complete the research necessary to make sure you are in the “flow” of available opportunities for your industry/function.

4. If you do not hear back from a retained executive recruiter to whom you have sent your resume, do not worry. The first priority is having your resume updated and marked in the proprietary database of the search firm as interested in opportunities. All search firms have a process to update resumes in the database and mark you interested for a 6-to-12-month time frame. In some cases your name is actually highlighted within the system. The baseline is to market yourself to 25 to 30 search firms by having your profile activated in the database. If the particular search consultant you reach out to has an active search that is a fit, they will reach out to you. Otherwise, you are a “seeker candidate” and the best path for a seeker candidate is to get tagged in the system so the entire firm can query and have access to your resume.

5. Personalization is key. If I recruit Chief Marketing Officers and a Chief Technology Officer reaches out, it is not a good look. Do your homework, as 15 to 25 highly targeted, thoughtful notes to search consultants who cover your areas of expertise by industry and function is much more effective than the spam blanket email sent to 100 recruiters. Start with the recruiters/firms you know and expand out with direct outreach to the firms who need to know you.

 

Sample Email to Retained Executive Recruiters

Hi Susan,

Good afternoon. I am a senior HR executive with over 20 years of experience in the consumer products and industrial services sectors. I am aware that you specialize in the HR center of expertise for SmithThompson Search and I’m currently actively seeking out my next role. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my background further at your convenience and I would also appreciate getting marked as active/interested in your firm’s database.

I’ve attached my resume, but my work experience includes the last four years as CHRO of Virtue Products, a PE backed, middle market global consumer company based in Phoenix, AZ.  I previously spent 8 years with Danson Corp, the publicly traded large cap environmental services firm where I served in a variety of divisional and corporate HR leadership positions. I have an undergrad in management from the University of Wisconsin, and an MBA from Notre Dame. Given the right opportunity and location, we would be open to relocation from our current home base in Arizona.

Please let me know if there is any additional information I can provide and thanks in advance for your time.

Best Regards,

Joe Sample