Back in my university days, I succinctly remember the admonition by the Jesuits to us, the graduating students, “Why sell soap when you can build people?” It was a strong reminder for the graduates to consider work that embodied the Jesuit education’s thrust of molding “men for others”, as opposed to more popular and lucrative careers in multinational companies. My very first job after graduation was with a non-profit organization. My role required providing training and technical assistance, as well as help in securing funding for projects intended for low-income communities. When my friends, who opted to pursue careers in the corporate world, asked why I chose that particular job, I would kid them by saying that I was “brainwashed” by the Jesuits. Fast-forward to the present, I have been in the executive search industry for more than three decades now, specifically with John Clements Consultants, the company that pioneered executive search in the country almost half a century ago.
Working in this industry has afforded me a variety of challenges—no two searches are exactly alike. Different companies have different situations and problems; oftentimes, conversations with clients would go beyond the subject of executive search. I have been given numerous opportunities to do consultations with clients, as well as career counseling and mentoring with candidates. These opportunities allowed me to grow and, at the same time, connect with different types of people. To date, I still carry with me friendships I have developed with clients and candidates through the years.
Over lunch recently, I was asked by a colleague, who had just joined John Clements Consultants, as to what made me stay with the company all these years. Without hesitation, my answer was similar to what I mentioned during my twenty-five years of service acceptance speech ten years ago: I have found my calling, my passion, in what I do in the company. A successful search not only means helping the executive and his family, but also the employees of the company he would lead. If the executive we placed is able to grow the company, then he is also able to generate more employment opportunities. In fact, we have placed thousands of executives from our inception— imagine the impact of the noble job we are doing on job creation. I could say that this is our humble contribution to building the country and I have been fortunate to partake in this mission with like-minded colleagues at John Clements Consultants.
I am sure that my Jesuit friends and mentors are glad about how I have integrated their thrust of developing “men-for-others” into my work in executive search. I have been happily “brainwashed” and trying to live out this passion every day is an exercise that is refreshing for the soul.
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