WHO WE ARE
Name 5 True clients!
Bonus points for multiple commercial areas: consumer, enterprise, healthcare, finserv...
State the difference between contingent and retained search.
Contingent: typically higher volume/non-exec level; fee is contingent on successful placement
Retained: more targeted/exec level, exclusive, fee guaranteed
On an average search, what True team members would be staffed?
Always a partner, some combination of principal/senior associate/associate, and an EC (for contracts over $90k).
What are the deliverables an associate is responsible for coming out of a kickoff call?
Job description, outreach message template, pitch doc, scorecard/assessment criteria.
What year was True founded?
2012
What is True's 10|10 Initiative?
Our internal commitment to diversifying every search with at least 10% racial and gender diversity.
What is an EC? How do ECs enhance the capabilities of the search team?
EC stands for engagement coordinator. ECs are experts at organization and handle the majority of search logistics, including interview scheduling. Their preferred method of communication: always email!
What is True's feedback & promotion cycle? How often does it happen, and how does it work?
We do promotions 2x a year (summer and winter) and have moved to a continuous feedback model; however, we do still have formal performance reviews at EOY.
How does the "map the market" approach differ from the "bullseye" approach for research?
"Map the market" starts with companies; "bullseye" goes straight to candidates.
How does AboveBoard flip the traditional executive search process on its head?
AboveBoard puts the power in the hands of the candidate: whereas in traditional exec search, a candidate would have to wait for a recruiter to reach out to them, with AboveBoard the power is theirs to raise their hands to be considered.
Name as many of True's values as you can--there are 5!
Innovation, transparency, collaboration, altruism, balance
Name a few of our practice specializations. What is our largest practice? Fastest growing?
Functional: CEO, FOP, GTM (largest), PDT (fastest growing), PTL, IP
Commercial: consumer, enterprise, healthcare/life sciences, finserv
What are the 3 True Partner archetypes?
BD-focused: partners who are more commercial and bring in lots of searches, often handing them off to other partners to execute on
Execution-focused: partners who spend most of their time in the weeds working the search
Middle ground: a combo of the two!
What are some outreach don'ts?
Don't: forget to log it in Thrive, email blast w/o personalization, rely on only one channel for outreach, reach out to a candidate within 48 hours of outreach from another True team member, give up after only one attempt
What is Synthesis? Where is it headquartered?
Synthesis is our executive coaching and assessment business, and is headquartered in Israel.
What does the acronym SHREK stand for in recruiting?
Spencer Stuart, Heidrick & Struggles, Russell Reynolds, Egon Zehnder, Korn Ferry
What's the difference between venture capital and private equity?
VC invests smaller amounts in more companies (typically a longer-term play), whereas PE invests larger amounts in fewer companies (and can't afford to have their investments flop).
Define as many of the following terms as you can: "heads down," "in the weeds," "athlete," "step-up," "carveout candidate"
Heads down: candidate is dedicated to their current company/project for the time being
In the weeds: tactical, hands-on
Athlete: best-in-class candidate, can work cross-functionally
Step-up: a candidate for whom the role in question would be a promotion
Carveout: a candidate who was engaged by the client prior to True coming on
Describe the process for logging outreach, candidate response, and rejection reason in Thrive.
Log outreach under "Outreach," log verbatim candidate response under "Outreach," reject for appropriate reason (Timing, Scope, Compensation, etc.), and add general comment in comment box.
Who are our 5 cofounders?
Joe Riggione and Brad Stadler: co-CEOs
Josh Withers: GM, North America
Tim McDonald: Partner/Co-head of Consumer Practice
Pat Haggerty: Partner/Co-head of GTM Practice
Give your True pitch in 30 seconds!
Clock starts now!
What's the difference between a fund and a firm?
A firm is the investing company in general; a fund is a specific set of capital raised by the firm, which can be managed by one or multiple partners.
What do the following acronyms stand for: ARR, SMB, ACV, IPO?
ARR: annual recurring revenue
SMB: small/medium businesses
ACV: annual contract value
IPO: initial public offering
In a typical search contract, what client team members are "off limits" and for how long?
Typically 12 months from the placement's start date; the placement (forever), direct reports of the placement, and direct reports of the CEO would usually be OL.
What other companies (outside of True) use Thrive?
Starbucks, Caldwell, NEA, Battery Ventures...