Making the Move from Recruitment Consultant to Executive Search Researcher

Research Consultant, Harry Thomson, discusses his recent career move from Recruitment Consultant at our sister brand (Rutherford Cross) into the world of executive search at Livingston James.

Having joined Rutherford Cross in April 2022, I spent a year and a half building my recruitment experience in the newly qualified finance and accounting market in the East of Scotland. I learned a lot about myself and where my strengths lay during this time, so when an opportunity arose in the Livingston James research team, I saw a chance to follow my natural skillset. By moving away from the ‘360 recruitment desk’ and into a Research Consultant role, I could further develop my search and analytical skills, and challenge myself in the world of executive search.

Throughout my time at Rutherford Cross, I was aware that the part of the recruitment process I enjoyed most was solving a client’s problem; utilising data and insights to tell the story of the market and the talent pool. By joining the research team in Livingston James, I knew I would have the opportunity to develop this skillset by working on more senior and even harder-to-source assignments. I was also keen to further develop my interest in the mechanics of how businesses and organisations operate, outside of finance, and what that means for the senior talent they need to hire.

Something that I have learned over the past 3 months is that no two businesses or organisations operate in the same way, thus the approach we take when recruiting for each business also has to be unique. Being purpose driven, in all our business activities at Livingston James Group, means we always focus on the impact of the appointments we make. Learning more about how we carry out a detailed assessment of this as part of our briefing process has been great, and I have been proud to work on and refresh our presentation collateral for this since joining the team.

Continuous development is really important to me, so I am delighted to have made this move. I am looking forward to the remainder of 2023 and seeing what 2024 has in store for me within Livingston James Group!

If you would like more information about the opportunities available at Livingston James Group, please send a copy of your CV to [email protected].