Talent Trade Tidbit - Big Name Vs. The Market

So you've worked for a big company, and you want to namedrop in an interview. Does that really give you a leg up? .....Kinda. But it's not THE most important thing...

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
This is Stephanie Maas.

(00:01):
Today I wanna talk about a topic.
It's kind of like the chicken or the egg.
Not necessarily what comes first, but what is better?
And specifically, is it better to be with a big name bank?
Is it better to be with a smaller, more community focused bank?
Is the relationship because of the brand name?

(00:22):
Is it because of the person?
The answer to all of that is absolutely yes.
It totally depends on your perspective.
Let's face it.
If you're a commercial banker and you call in a company andyou say, Hey, company, this is Stephanie from Bank of America.
Do they know who Bank of America is?

(00:43):
Absolutely.
If you call 'em up and say, Hey, this is Stephanie fromJoe Schmo Community Bank, do they know who that bank is?
Maybe.
But let me assure you, what they really ask themselves is notwhat's the organization you're representing, but who are you?

(01:04):
We see this a lot in search as well.
Sometimes I'll get in front of a client and they'll talk to me about doing a search andthey go, well, hey, you know, we're, we're talking to you and we know, you know, you're pretty well known in the market, but we're also gonna go talk to these big box retain firms.
And I always love when I hear that because it reminds me of this scenario and I think tomyself, Hey, yes, when a recruiter calls from the big box firm, do people know that firm?

(01:31):
Oftentimes they know the name, but it's not about the name.
It's the person with the name.
In fact, I would even venture to guess, I actually work for a firm.
I don't work for myself.
I work for a firm.
It's actually a pretty decent sized organization.
I bet of all my 5,000 contacts that I keep in regular contact with.
If you ask them what was the name of the firm I worked with, I bet younot even half would be able to come up with the name of the company.

(01:57):
Although every single voicemail and every email says Stephanie Moss with thinking ahead search.
'cause what they're relating to isn't the company, it's the person.
So does name recognition really matter?
Kind of does market expertise matter?
Kind of, but at the end of the day, it's the person.