Critical Fit Recruiting

Earlier this year we placed a Director of Global Strategy & Business Development within the Defense/Aerospace Materials Sector. Two months into the role, everything around them changed. The hiring manager left. Someone underneath them left. Leadership shifted. The organization moved. Suddenly, this brand-new hire was standing in the middle of chaos they didn’t create. And here’s the truth most leaders don’t say out loud: This happens far more often than anyone admits. Reorgs. Turnover. PE pressure. Market pivots. Changed priorities. The job you hire for today may not look anything like the job six months from now. But this client did something different. They anticipated change. They didn’t just hire someone who could do the role as written. They hired someone with the capability to step into what the role might become. And when the shift happened? They didn’t crack. They stepped up and stabilized the team. This is the tension in hiring today: Most companies still try to match a job description like it’s a fixed blueprint. But the ones who win hire for range, adaptability, and future capability not just present-day fit. Because the next 6–12 months are coming whether you plan for them or not. If you’re hiring right now, ask yourself: Can this person grow as the org evolves? Can they absorb more? Are we hiring for today or for what tomorrow will demand? Reactive hiring fills seats. Proactive hiring builds organizations that survive change.

A few days ago, I got a call from a Director we’d placed in Electronic Materials. The moment he spoke, I could hear the strain. He’d been searching for months. Interviewing candidates from big-name companies. Burning time, energy, and patience, yet still not finding the person he actually needed. He told me, “Brian, I’m starting to wonder if the right talent even exists.” And I could feel the pressure he was under. Deadlines approaching. New products to launch. Customers waiting. No room for a 6–12 month learning curve. This was an emerging area of Electronic Materials (cooling) that required someone who could: • Make an immediate impact • Guide new technologies • Support customer integration • And move the business forward, fast That’s why he called me. He remembered our last search together three qualified candidates delivered, two offers extended. He remembered we understood the niche. So we regrouped. We talked through the real challenges. We built a targeted strategy. And we expanded the talent map into parallel and adjacent technologies most companies overlook. I could hear the shift in his voice relief, clarity, direction. This is the value of working with someone who understands the niche and understands the pressure leaders carry. If you’re in Electronic Materials and feeling that same weight… you’re not alone. There’s a smarter way to find the talent you actually need.

“We don’t get to have conversations like this anymore.” A VP of Sales (Electronic Materials Sector) said that to me last week after a simple video call about his career. Not a pitch. Not an interview. Just a real conversation about where he’s been… and where he wants to go. And the fact that this felt rare to him stopped me. Because it exposed something uncomfortable: We’ve traded depth for efficiency and we’re calling it progress. Email is fast. Phone calls are convenient. AI makes everything scalable. But none of it can read body language. None of it can challenge someone’s thinking. None of it can build the trust required to talk honestly about a career’s next chapter. We’re gaining speed. But losing connection. So here’s the question that’s been stuck in my head: If we automate everything… what happens to the parts of recruiting that can’t be automated?

44% Year-Over-Year Growth. On paper, it’s just a number. In reality, it’s a story. A story about companies trying to scale but hitting the same roadblocks over and over: – Not enough qualified candidates – Critical roles sitting open for months – Teams stretched thin – Growth plans held hostage by hiring challenges Every company faces these pressure points. The difference is how they respond. This year, more organizations chose not to fight that battle alone. And that’s what’s behind our 44% year-over-year growth so far. It’s not just revenue. It’s momentum, built on trust, execution, and outcomes. To every client who trusted us this year: Thank you. The best is ahead.

Experience isn’t always the differentiator. Vision is. We recently placed a Director of Business Development within electronic materials. Here’s the truth: Several candidates had nearly identical experience impressive track records, strong technical and commercial backgrounds. But only one stood out. She didn’t just talk about what she had done. She talked about where the business could go. She mapped out how to take existing technologies into adjacent markets, how to use data to identify unmet needs, and how to build business cases around innovation. While others focused on their past, she painted a picture of the future and how she could help the company get there. That’s what separated her from the pack. If you’re hiring for growth, don’t just look for people who can do the job. Look for those who can see what’s next.

“How do we balance cost-cutting today with investing in innovation for tomorrow?” Across industries, I’m hearing the same thing that R&D budgets are on the chopping block. Pressure from the board. Margin compression. “Let’s tighten up before 2026.” But here’s the tension that’s impossible to ignore Some companies are cutting R&D to protect quarterly numbers. Others are doubling down betting on the future. And in 12–24 months, we’ll see exactly which side made the right call. Because customers aren’t going to wait around two years for you to innovate. They’re actively searching for solutions today for partners who help them optimize, scale, and stay competitive now. The companies that keep investing even when it’s uncomfortable, won’t just close the year stronger. They’ll widen the innovation gap while everyone else is standing still. So the real question isn’t “Can we afford to keep funding R&D?” It’s “Can we afford not to?”

He almost turned it down. A year ago, we placed a Manager of Technology Innovation in the specialty materials space. But he was hesitant. Not because of the role, but because he had been burned before. In two previous jobs, the culture didn’t match the pitch: Values on paper, not in practice Leadership said the right things, but didn’t live them Missions that sounded good but meant nothing day-to-day Wasn’t sure he could go through that again. Fast forward 12 months: He’s thriving ✅ The values are real ✅ The mission is lived ✅ Leadership shows up He's re-energized, driving innovation, and making a real impact. The takeaway? Top talent doesn’t just join for a title, they join for alignment. When culture is inconsistent, trust breaks. When it’s authentic, people move mountains. Don’t just say what you stand for. Be it.

We need to see the big picture when hiring. Do you agree?