We caught up with Guy to find out more about what a day in the life of a Search Consultant at Thurn Partners is really like and to get his top tips for people wanting to follow in his footsteps.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background?
I completed a Spanish and Latin degree at Durham University and during this time I spent a year studying abroad in Spain and South America. My time away, coupled with three years of study, not only drastically improved my Spanish but also helped me figure out what career path I wanted to follow. I’d developed excellent communication skills, both written and oral, and wanted to leverage these in my job as well as do something where I could channel my creativity. The role at Thurn Partners perfectly met this criterion.
What does your role as a Search Consultant at Thurn Partners involve?
As a Search Consultant, four main aspects form my day-to-day role.
Firstly, I spend time identifying outstanding people who have the necessary experience and expertise to add value to our clients. The main tools for this include industry databases like Bloomberg and online platforms such as LinkedIn and Google, though we use other innovative methods to identify talent.
The second aspect is outreach. I take time to research and write detailed, personalised and unique messages to pique the interest of individuals. To stand out I embrace creativity to write bespoke messages (via email, LinkedIn or other media) to people I’ve researched to engage their interest with a client of ours with the ultimate goal of arranging a meeting or phone conversation.
Once engaged, I spend time speaking with these individuals, usually via a ‘warm’ video or phone call. Here, I build a rapport with the individual, learn more about their experience and assess potential eligibility for a client’s requirement, with the objective of facilitating an introduction to a client. Where possible I’ll meet people for breakfast or coffee, investing time to solidify my relationship with them.
The fourth key aspect of my role is spent working with clients, from meeting with them to identify their needs or providing feedback on introductions we’ve facilitated.
In addition to this, I engage with internal team meetings, including leading our Content Discussion meeting where we brainstorm new ideas for written content, dissect previous materials to understand what is or isn’t working and come up with new call pitch ideas.
What is a ‘normal day’ like in your role?
8:30 – 9:00
My mornings begin with time spent organising my inbox and coordinating a plan for the day. Since much of the work I do currently is US-based (this is not the case for everyone), emails and responses often come in overnight.
9:00 – 10:30
I think more clearly in the morning, and as such prefer to create any new content at this stage in the day. This could be a new advert, email template or perhaps a company pitch. Some team members with more of a UK focus may do calls at this point.
10:30 – 12:00
I often use this time for research – finding new pools of talent and identifying profiles of high-calibre people who would be great prospects. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, team meetings take place and it’s also a good time to arrange in-person meetings.
12:00 – 13:30
I use most of my lunch break to go to the gym. Exercise is very important to me and helps keep my concentration in the afternoon. Many of us in the office do this and find it helps us maintain balance. Others choose to get lunch together and relax. Every month the company will order in Deliveroo for everyone to have a team lunch together on a Friday.
13:30 – 15:00
This is about the time that the US gets going, and so is when I start my outreach. I typically send ~10 emails to people of interest and take time to make sure the messages are well written and tailored to the individual. US client emails will often come in at this time too.
15:00 – 18:00
This is my preferred time to do video and phone calls. I have 2-3 client calls per week and the remainder are either introductory calls with people I’m trying to engage or check-ins with my network. After a successful call, I write a bio of the individual to share with a client, including full details of their experience and motivations to hopefully secure them an introductory meeting.
18:00 – onwards
I use this time to catch up on anything I haven’t found time to do throughout the day or have calls with clients on US time. Particularly towards the end of the week, I often go for a drink or two with the team, which is great for morale.
What piece of advice would you give to someone who is thinking of applying to Thurn Partners?
In your application and interviews, I would foreground any experience that has proven your written and spoken communication skills. It’s important to show that you can positively influence people.
The team likes to see that you have done things to develop your communication skills outside of your studies, whether that be by captaining a sports team or working at your local pub. Examples of being a go-getter and working hard are also key – but I suppose that can be said for most professions!
If Guy has left you feeling inspired, why not see where a career at Thurn Partners could take you? Find out more by clicking here.