Andy 0:03
Welcome to the HigherEdJobs Podcast. I'm Andy Hibel, the chief operating officer and one of the co-founders of HigherEdJobs.

Kelly 0:09
And I'm Kelly Cherwin, the director of editorial strategy. Today we're lucky to have Gail Freeman, who is the president and founder of Freeman Philanthropic Services LLC. We're going to be tackling the topic for our employers, our HR professionals, our search committees, talking about making the search process stronger and more strategic.

To give you a background on Gail: Gail is the principal founder of Freeman Philanthropic Services, bringing decades of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. She's recognized for her leadership in executive recruitment, fundraising, and strategic consulting for mission-driven organizations.

Gail serves as chair emeritus of the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and is a founding member of its board of visitors. The school, the first in the world dedicated to advancing philanthropy through education, reflects Gail's lifelong commitment to cultivating innovation and leadership in the sector.

Through FPS, Gail partners with organizations to strengthen their capacity, deepen their impact, and build visionary leadership for a more equitable and sustainable future. Headquartered in New York City and founded in 2002, Freeman Philanthropic Services LLC (FPS) is a retained executive recruitment firm serving the nonprofit sector. FPS has completed 705 executive recruitments, with a 100% completion rate across the C-suite, including executive leaders in development, communications, finance, human resources, programs, operations, legal counsel, CEOs, and executive directors. FPS specializes in building teams and partnering with key stakeholders at organizations during periods of transition, including inaugural executive leadership, leadership transition after years of service, and succession of founders.

Gail, thank you so much for being here today.

Gail 1:50
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you.

Kelly 1:52
So let's get into our conversation today about making that search process stronger. In your experience, what sets a truly strategic hiring process apart from one that simply fills a role?

Gail Freeman 2:04
The partnership between the executive recruitment firm, the search committee, and the organization. To really have a clear understanding of what the position is -- where it sits within the organization, the impact, and what the organization sees in the next three to five years. How does the role relate to that vision?

That's an important element of having a great search process. You need to be able to identify and recruit a successful candidate. A search firm needs to partner with key internal and external stakeholders to understand what we refer to as the four pillars of the search.

What is the vision, and how does the role relate to the vision? What are the challenges and opportunities the person is going to face in the role? What qualities does one need to possess to be successful in meeting those challenges and opportunities? And what are the not only reporting relationships but important relationships?

Successful search begins by speaking with key stakeholders to discern the four pillars. A successful search also depends on process. Many times a client interviews a candidate but doesn't do it in an expeditious manner. You want to present candidates to your client, and the client needs to respond quickly. But you want to do that in a comprehensive way as well. So the process of developing candidates is crucial to success in search.

Kelly 3:58
Thanks, Gail. I love the fact that you divided those into the four pillars, and I think it's so crucial that the homework has to be done in advance. It sounds like you can't just post something and hope for the best without communicating with each other.

Gail 4:13
Hope is not a strategy in search. The strategy is to understand and have clarity and specificity about what you're looking for. The skill of search -- you can find anything, but you have to know what you're looking for. That scoping or listening tour with the client is where you learn what it is you're looking for as a search firm.

Andy 4:40
Thank you, Gail. In that process of finding out what they're looking for, what are some of the common mistakes you've seen in how employers structure job postings or conduct early-stage screening interviews?

Gail 4:52
When we come in and do the scoping, we put together a position profile, which is very different from a job description. It's marketing -- it's beyond a job description -- and we disseminate that out.

Targeted research solves 92% of searches. Posting is not recruiting. Posting is a passive approach to hiring. Recruitment is targeting, seeking individuals, engaging them, cultivating them, talking about the opportunity. That's an important element of the search process.

Posting is advertising what you have available and seeing who comes. Recruitment is aligning your needs to where candidates are and going after them. It's a very different mindset.

Another challenge is when the job description or position profile is not aligned with the marketplace. For example, you might be looking for a major gift and planned giving officer. Planned giving officers are typically more professionally mature than introductory major gift officers. So coupling those together can be problematic. It's really about aligning not only the needs of the organization but also the needs of the marketplace.

Another mistake: when working with a search firm, we phone screen, interview face to face, ask for a letter of intent, and bring the candidate to the table. In development -- it's not a codified field, it's one where people are mentored and apprenticed -- you need to build a pool of candidates so you can contrast and compare. You'll make a better decision.

But many institutions fall into "rolling admissions," bringing in the first candidate and then trying to keep them engaged until they've seen candidate four or five. It's difficult for both the candidate and the client.

Another mistake: the client continues evaluating even after the recruitment phase. There's a cycle in search -- identifying, evaluating, and then selling the opportunity. The client needs to partner with the recruitment firm to shift from evaluation to recruitment.

Another mistake is involving staff too early. Staff should meet the candidate toward the end of the search in a recruitment context, not an evaluation context.

Kelly 8:54
Thank you for that. I just have a follow-up. Can you expand a bit more on the cons of involving staff too early and why this can pose a problem?

Gail 9:04
A couple of reasons. One, staff has skin in the game, and they're looking at the candidate through the lens of, "Can I work with this person? This is going to be my supervisor." That puts both staff and candidate in an awkward position.

If you've come down to the top one or two candidates, it's nice to involve staff in a recruitment format versus an evaluation format. Candidates are not manufactured; they're developed over time.

I'll make the analogy to dating: you don't want one date, you need to date over time because people reveal themselves over time. Candidates are also in a state of anxiety, so their personalities can be exaggerated.

If staff is engaged, they need to be told they're there to recruit, not evaluate, because the candidate has already been evaluated by the search firm and key stakeholders. We need staff help to bring them over the line.

Kelly 10:46
Thank you for explaining the difference between evaluating and recruiting. I appreciate that. So I know we talked earlier about the four pillars -- how important it is to identify the vision, the challenges, the qualities to be successful, and the reporting relationships. I know you referenced how important it is to be strategic in finding candidates.

What steps should institutions take to attract the right candidates who are not just qualified on paper but aligned with the mission?

Gail 11:21
Ask the candidate, "What is it about the mission that is attractive to you?" If they've done their homework and are truly aligned, they'll be able to articulate that.

Another indicator: where do they volunteer? What are their passions in life, philanthropically? That helps align them with the organization.

Also, what is their work style? Workplace preference? Search is like a Venn diagram -- one circle is the client's values, the other circle is the candidate's values. The overlap is shared values.

For example, if the client requires in-person work and the candidate only wants remote, no matter their skills, they won't fit the culture. Shared values around management, workplace preference, impact, working with volunteers, board members, or alumni -- that's what makes a search successful.

Kelly 13:15
I love that you touched on the idea of shared values. I'm assuming you're advocating that committees address these values earlier, maybe in phone or Zoom interviews, before bringing candidates on campus. That way, they aren't bringing in 15 candidates only to find 12 don't align. Am I right?

Gail 13:39
Somewhat. It's a winnowing process. You might present 10 candidates, then narrow to six, perhaps Zoom with six, then a panel interview. It depends on who's interviewing -- search committee, hiring manager, or board.

If it's higher ed, you want to bring candidates to campus about three-fourths of the way through the search.

Kelly 14:34
Thank you.

Andy 14:35
Thanks, Gail. I really like the concept of finding the intersection of shared values. Do you have a go-to question, or more likely a line of inquiry, that reveals whether a candidate truly has that intersection of values?

Gail 15:07
Yes. I do biographical experiential interviews to learn what motivates them. Patterns of behavior emerge from resumes. Sometimes motivation is personal -- being a beneficiary of services, an alum, a grateful patient.

You want to understand their passion, character, and workplace preference. Also, why did they move roles? That indicates values.

I once worked with a candidate for 17 searches. He'd been at a university for 20 years, working with five different presidents. He adjusted to their different leadership styles because he valued the institution more than the individual leader. That's the kind of value focus we need in the nonprofit sector -- focus on mission and organizational challenges, not just personal benefit.

Recruitment is about building relationships. There's no such thing as rapid recruitment. You're entering a relationship with an employer, and you're going to spend a lot of time there.

Andy 17:36
Thank you, Gail. That's a lovely way to sum up this conversation. If you're listening and have questions for Gail, please email us at podcast@higheredjobs.com
or send a direct message on X @higheredcareers.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this important subject. Gail, thank you for being here. We hope to have you back soon.

Gail 18:18
Thank you so much.

Kelly 18:20
Thanks, Gail.

Andy 18:21
Thank you for listening, and we'll talk to you real soon.