Perspectives
Sockwell Partners: Why the Best Leaders Are Harder to Find—And How to Compete for Them
April 2025Finding top executive talent is more challenging than ever. The best leaders those who drive growth, build strong cultures, and effectively execute strategy are in high demand but short supply. But middle-market companies are uniquely positioned to recruit the best of the best.
Sockwell Partners – Our Most Compelling Interview Questions, Part 2
July 2024Our last Sockwell Partners newsletter pondered the first of two questions we almost always ask serious candidates are there experiences from your formative years that you know affect you at work today? The second question is equally revealing what is the biggest adversity you have faced? It is also a fundamental question for bosses, college admissions officers, counselors, HR professionals and mentors. What are we all looking for? RESILIENCE. It is at the core of how major negative obstacles or challenges impact you and what you learn from them.
Our Most Compelling Interview Questions
April 2024For much of our firm's history, we have posed two questions in nearly every in-depth candidate interview that we do. The first such question: Are there experiences from your formative years that you know affect you at work today even if others might never notice? Why do we ask this question? To clarify, although the term "formative years" is sometimes limited to early childhood, for executive workplace relevance it extends to college, grad school, or even first or second jobs. During this 20+ year period of intensive learning, we develop core beliefs about ourselves, others, and our environments.
Informing a Candidate They Weren't Selected
August 2023When our clients choose a successful candidate, the next Sockwell Partners step is notifying the other finalists. We identified, evaluated, met, and presented them. They spent hours on the phone with us, took the time to travel to meet our clients, submitted to background checks, and gave us references.