seven degrees 

culture

   We know that finding the best people for our clients means respecting the opportunity they give us; working with a single-mindedness, excellence, and tenacity until we achieve great results.  We intuitively analyze talent, use creative search solutions, and use structured interviews to drive consistent results. We are contrarian, the first to see trends to change the search when necessary positively.  We lead with an openness of mind to adopt good ideas that have an impact on hiring.    

    Our culture has a rapacious appetite for iterative change to improve and produce great work.  We use routine, to do the right things every day.  We take well-thought-out risks.  We align long-term interests with our clients to create a good partnership.  Our work is thoughtful and honest, and we tithe to our communities through charitable work and financial resources.  We speak at industry events and have won recognition for the best content at the conference.   

RESPONSIVE FIRM SIZE: Small firm size allows us to develop strong client relationships with committed clients. It gives the flexibility to be selective, original, and aggressive when conducting research. The off-limits list is concise. Tenets of the firm are to be responsive, transparent, committed, and fully engaged with committed clients. We carefully price our services to pass along savings throughout the process of a retained search. We do not inflate compensation packages to add fees, nor incur additional management fees, we reduce mistakes throughout the interview process when using our approach, and build your brand and culture awareness in the marketplace as we represent you to the industry. Our reputation aligns with protecting our client's interests as well as our candidates.


QUALITATIVE LEADERSHIP:   We differentiate ourselves from the industry in several ways. First, we build authentic value with an industry-leading approach to recruiting. Our three approaches to recruiting make the most significant impact when you want to get hiring right. We combine culture, direct search, and structured interviews, which include a very new component of interviewing, which is to assist hiring managers in identifying their assumptions and making human tendency errors.  We believe hiring people is an investment in your firm; similar theories apply to behavioral financial investing. Our approach consistently builds return on investment and pays for the cost of hiring many times over.  

FINANCIAL NICHE: Knowledge counts.  With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry search and trained as a CPA, we are experienced and committed to the financial industry. We have developed a strong understanding of the finance and investment markets. We have completed searches at the most challenging levels including Risk Management, Quantitative Risk, Quantitative Strategists, Portfolio Management, Credit and Fixed Income, Emerging Markets, MBS/ABS/CLO, REO to rental, Statistical Arbitrage, Global Macro, Equities, Alternative Assets, Business Development, Executive Operations, Esoteric, Aviation, and ILS.   

STRONG RESEARCH: We are known for our reach, tenacity, and ability to source exceptional talent. Our global research follows ~4000 alternative funds, ~1000 pensions, foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth, and family offices; ~3,000,000 professional financial contacts on social media with direct email access; ~15,000 personal financial networks on a commercial CV library; ~25 years in the financial industry.   We network using trained online search techniques, intuitively recognize trends, and we are creative, finding exceptional people in otherwise atypical sources. Years of experience have prepared us to solve problems.   We match Culture, Risk Appetite, Strategic Plans, Organizational Structure, and Skills.   Even when searches require skill sets with negative unemployment, we find excellent people in committed retained searches!

BEST PEOPLE: A basic tenet of Seven Degrees is a constant drive for perfection and innovation in connecting great people, consistently. Critical positions require direct recruiting because it outperforms on almost every occasion.  Studies show the most consistent source of great people are found through direct recruiting and direct referrals - giving clients the best choice from 90% of the candidate market instead of 10-20% of the candidate market that responds to the internet.   We do the right things every day, spending hours each day staying informed about the market and prioritizing, growing, and maintaining the best networks. Candidates are educated at top universities (Harvard, MIT, Columbia, Yale, Stanford, etc.) and working at leading firms in their industry, globally. 

fees

Working in partnership is best done when interests are aligned.  We work to understand our clients' goals and then structure a fee that is aligned and fair and incents successful, quality outcomes, consistently.  There are many ways to arrange a fee.  Flat fees, percentage holdbacks, milestone payments, and partial contingencies are just some of the ways to achieve a fair and predictable cost.  To meet our client's needs promptly without compromising the outcome, processes, or selection criteria, a mutual commitment of resources is the basis for consistent results.