Oxford HR has recently joined the Executive Research Association (ERA), a network of research professionals promoting excellence and professionalism in our field, as well as an open and welcoming space for the discussion of industry trends and best practices.
On Wednesday, ERA held its Annual Conference, which I had the opportunity to attend. I took great pleasure in listening to Kevin Green from What’s Next Consultancy talking about the UK’s employment situation and the shortages it faces, in terms of labour, skills, and talent, and what this means for the future of executive search; an impromptu GDPR panel led by Invenias, Cluen, and ERA; a workshop on strategies for sourcing talent; a lively Karen Blakeman talking about Google algorithms and how AI can’t – yet – beat human intelligence when searching for talent… Very interesting as well was Ian Addison-Smith from EY’s speech on why he did, or didn’t, utilise executive research services in the past, in an always-welcomed humorous tone. This all sparked many ideas in my mind on how to improve executive search and what additional services we could offer. I was especially inspired by Simon Mullins from ESIX’s talk about the role of executive search, what makes a good search, and what, a good researcher.
No need to say that the setting was just perfect for a sunny day in London at the Sadler’s Wells Theatre, and the food, ERA’s organisation, and the researchers participating were a delightful company.
I came back with lots of notes and thoughts on how Oxford HR can improve the services we offer our candidates and clients even further, stressing, as usual, the relevance of caring for the person with whom one is engaging, and using that as a base for the whole client-candidate-Oxford HR relationship.
Maria Grigore
