Christine Colverson: A Day in The Life of a Talent Associate at Keynote Search

As a Talent Associate, there are always new and exciting challenges that come with every new search project. We asked Christine to outline a typical day in her life to give you a better sense of what it means to be a Talent Associate at Keynote Group.

I had no idea what being a talent associate entailed before I became one. When it comes to executive search, there are a number of parallels with my former career as a lawyer. These include: professional services and deliverables for clients; advisory and coordination services for candidates and clients; and deep research and strategic thinking. This is an example of an average Friday in my life:

6 – 7am: Catching up on emails from home with my first cup of tea in hand. This is the most important hour of my day as it sets the momentum and my schedule.

8:15am: Walk to work over the beautiful Rideau Canal and once I arrive I have a quick catchup with my fellow talent associates about what they have going on for the day.

8:30 – 10am: A mixture of candidate coordination, updating clients and early phone screens with candidates who are on their way into work. The majority of my schedule is dependent upon the schedules of busy working folk – I try to stay as flexible as possible.

10am – 10:30am: Team meeting in the work-room where we all present on the progress and statuses of our assigned projects. It is also a time to air sporting rivalries and exchange weekend plans.

10:30am – 12pm: Back to back in person interviews with candidates from different projects. Meeting candidates face-to-face and getting to speak about the successes of our clients is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job.

12 -12:30pm: Phone screen in with a candidate over their lunch break. It turned out not to be the role for her but it was interesting learning about her career and the industry she is in. I will definitely keep her in mind for future senior executive roles.

12:30pm – 1pm: Lunch whilst interacting with colleagues. We all attended a great business event in Ottawa earlier this week and it is a time for us to look at some of the photos that were just posted.

1pm-3pm: On-site stakeholder meeting with a new client, listening and taking notes about what they are looking for in a candidate and why a candidate would want to take on the role. A quick walk around the client’s location meeting some of the key individuals the right candidate will be interacting with. The drive back to the office with the talent manager is a great time to strategize and set some deadlines for the search.

3-3:30pm: Walk to a coffee shop with the COO to catch-up on how my work/life balance is going and brainstorm ideas for internal projects.

3:30pm – 5pm: Researching and sourcing candidates for a particular role.

5pm: Walk home, on Fridays it entails a quick drink and dinner out with my wife to catch-up on each others’ week.