Hi. Larry Lebofsky here.
I imagine you've reached this page because you are trying to figure out if and how I might be able to help your organization attract quality performers. You are likely in the Payments or Financial Technology space and understand the value of a recruiter immersed in your industry.
I've been a recruiter for nearly 25 years, with 20 of those years focused on payments, FinTech, and retail and banking technology.
I try to be honest with myself and not waste anyone's time. There are certain situations in which I can excel, and others where there is no doubt a better option.
I am a tremendous asset to a company that wants:
Payments Expertise: A company that needs to tap into specific payments-oriented talent for critical areas of their organization. My network is deep and wide after two decades of industry concentration, which gives me access to a massive referral network, a sense of history, and the ability to engage prospective candidates with a story grounded in that history. This allows me to differentiate quicker from other recruiters and convince passive A-players to take a serious look at opportunities they would otherwise ignore. I understand their careers, have people in common, and understand many of the competitive differences between my employer and its competitors.
I DON'T think I'd be ideal for managing a large number of recruiters or managing TA for a massive organization. Can talk through this, but I try to be honest with myself about my limitations.
I would be valuable in situations that include:
-Any company with a compelling story to tell/sell
-Any company with a strong HR department .... I can go with the flow in start-up or uncertain environments, but I've found that my ability to build a solid working relationship with a competent HR department is critical to keeping out of trouble
-Although I'm likely not the person to manage a massive TA organization, I LOVE mentoring junior recruiters and sourcers or ones who have plateaued and are trying to break through to the next level. I enjoy dissecting the problems of potential hires, supporting alternative closing techniques, challenging negotiations, and seeking solutions through engaging with internal resources.
-I'm not married to tech or fintech - I can bring immediate network value there, but I'm open to diversifying, and would probably benefit from it.
-The idea of being a go-to resource within a large holding company working on high-value projects/searches for its portcos is extremely interesting to me. I love the variety and being on the inside of something with complexity. I've thought about pitching myself this way to some private equity companies in my space, but have some reservations about doing it for small/medium tech companies.
-Although I started in tech recruiting, I am NOT going to be up to date on skill sets for individual contributors. I can recruit tech managers, but I'd be more effective supervising a tech recruiter or managing agencies. Not unwilling, but my experience is dated and there are no doubt recruiters who are better equipped.
If you were selling me to a client, I might recommend mentioning:
-mature individual who can bring gravitas to an executive level search, but who has never stopped hiring individual contributors as well. I interview Gen Y/Millennials every day and am no prima donna when it comes to getting my hands dirty.
-I have been particularly effective in building or rebuilding relationships with challenging clients - ones jaded against HR, the types of people no one has said "No" to and now there's a frustrating dynamic - I can change the "No" to "Yes, If....." and usually try to meet clients face-to-face and invest time in getting to know them and building trust.