The How’s in Getting Hired for a C-Suite Position

Claudia Miller: 0:07

This is roadmap to executive suite podcast, a place where we talk about accelerating your careers and how to get to the C suite all tailored to the ambitious woman. We're here to have fun, feel empowered and get actionable steps to get you closer to your dream job and salary, no matter where you are in your career. I'm your host, Claudia Miller, and I'm a career coach who helps ambitious women get the jobs they want, all while getting them up to $50,000 in salary increases. I've been featured in Forbes MSNBC, and a one of the top 23 Most Innovative career coaches of 2025 Business Insider. Welcome to the show, and let's get started. Welcome, I'm excited for our first guest. Today we have Elizabeth otter she was a member of Russell Reynolds associates healthcare services practice specializing in CEO and other senior level executive searches for integrated delivery systems, academic medical centers, pair organizations and private equity portfolio companies. She has placed many multiple executives, especially in companies like executives in Massachusetts, general Brigham and MSK, which is Memorial Sloan Kettering. She has her Master's in Public Health Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. And actually, that's how we met. Thanks for being on the show,

Elizabeth Otter: 1:23

Lizabeth. Of course, thank you so much for having me. I've been really excited to chat with you about this.

Claudia Miller: 1:29

Of course, now I'm excited to have you on the show, I think that you will bring such a wealth of knowledge. And we get to learn from you where you know, you were working with candidates, and you learn behind the scenes, not only what candidates are working or struggling with or have to deal with, you know, their job search, but you also can give us a little bit more about the company perspective of you know, what are the hiring managers asking for? How did you work with them, and just give us a little bit more transparency along that. So, you know, my first question that I have is, you know, so what do people need to know about hiring, or for like, need to know about what it's like working with an executive recruiter?

Elizabeth Otter: 2:09

Yeah, so executive recruiting, I think is different than, you know, a traditional Headhunter or recruiter, the company or the PE backer, like a bain or Parthenon or Centerbridge, will reach out to a executive search firm like Russell Reynolds directly and say, we're looking for a new CEO or chief marketing officer, can you read this search for us, so we are retained by the company not working for an individual in any way. And there's always a specific job in mind that they're hiring for. So that's something that I know for myself in the past, when I've had headhunters reach out to me wanting to get to know me from a networking standpoint. So I could be someone kind of in their Rolodex in case they ever came across a job that they could potentially place for this is different in that regard. Because they say, let's say, a academic medical centers looking for a new chief financial officer. And they want someone that's operation focused, strategic, and has, you know, let's say early career accounting experience, or from a big five accounting firm. And so then it's our job to set a strategy to identify different markets that someone could come from. So of course, you would think through things like AI, other academic medical centers, but maybe you're looking at other highly regulated industries as well like airlines or financial tech, some of those bigger credit card firms. And then we go through and we actually either already have relationships with people in this field, or we'll go through LinkedIn or other search criteria to identify people that could be a good fit and reach out to them directly. So it's essentially looking for a role that takes a lot of time, effort and finesse that a traditional HR department might not have all of the market insight, institutional knowledge are, frankly, time to do on their own. So that's where the executive search firm comes in.

Claudia Miller: 4:36

Okay, thanks, Elizabeth. And by the way, how long does it take for this process? So if a company were to come to you and say, Hey, Elizabeth, find us the next CFO or CEO, what is that time like they can expect to have like the, you know, the right candidates or at least start interviewing?

Elizabeth Otter: 4:53

Oh, wow. That's a loaded question. And something that I think has changed a lot in the past year or so. Well, I think on average, it's about six months start to finish from the time there's an engagement letter forwarded to a successful candidate that's signed an offer letter. Obviously, things can take faster or a lot longer than that. I've worked on searches that are over a year.

Claudia Miller: 5:20

Yeah. Okay, great. And I think that it's important for listeners to know that once you get to the executive level, or you're looking to move into that level, the job search strategy changes, it's no longer going to a job board or LinkedIn or indeed, and start looking for CEO or CFO opportunities. It's more strategic and intentional. And as Elizabeth said, you know, companies go to her, you know, where she was working at. And they will ask, we're looking for the next CEO or CFO, we're looking for someone with these specific backgrounds. Can you help us find who this right candidate is? Well, thanks for sharing that Elizabeth. You know, tell me a little bit more like what are some common misconceptions about working with a recruiter or just overall, you know, as opposed to like, you kind of touched on it a little bit with typical headhunters. But what are some other things like maybe how you're building relationships, or how your sourcing some of these clients that, you know, could be potentially the next CEO or CFO of your next company?

Elizabeth Otter: 6:19

Yeah, I think some misconceptions may be that this kind of goes back to what I was saying before, but just because you reach out to an executive recruiter means that you're going to get a job, or they're going to be looking for a job for you, you know, our responsibilities to the client and not individuals that reach out. Some other misconceptions could potentially be that there's a right way to go about things searches take such dramatic and different terms. And there are many opinions involved in the search process. So that, you know, it's not as straightforward as just having a hiring manager that gets to make that decision. Usually, when you get to these executive levels, you know, the other executives have a, say the team that's going to be reporting up to this position has some insight or say, the board will have, you know, a say, as well. So there are a lot of different interviews that happen as we go along. And also, just because you have a great screening or interview with the recruiter, and the recruiting team doesn't necessarily mean that the client will, will be as excited. There are times where my colleague and I will screen and interview someone and be really excited about that person thinks that they're going to be the right fit. And the client won't get excited or doesn't want to interview that person for a reason. That, you know, might not be logical, but is the case.

Claudia Miller: 7:56

Okay, great. And actually, I have a question. So let's just say I am looking for an executive recruiter, what is the best way for candidates to reach out to you or build relationships or kind of just getting your radar to say, like, Hey, I have experience with this, or, you know, I'm looking for an executive recruiter, like, what would you consider to be best practices.

Elizabeth Otter: 8:15

So it's a client services, environments and industry. And so we're always thinking twofold about providing excellent results and high quality candidates to our clients. But also, anyone that we talk to you that could potentially be a future client, you know, they could be stepping into the CEO position, have an opening C suite role that needs to be filled, and think about the positive experience that they've had with us at Russell Reynolds. And that's how we get hired for the next job. So it's an industry where people are really interested in other people and what they do, and will make time for the most part to if not talk to you directly, then either add you to the database that you know has all the different people inside that we can source from or find potential prospects within or connect you to someone within a relative or relevant industry or sector. So, you know, reach out to the consultants within these that are listed on the website for the executive search firms like Russell Reynolds or Spencer Stewart, Korn Ferry, and say, Hey, I'm at this level, I'm looking to make a jump, I would love to chat with you, here's my resume. And if nothing else, you know that you'll be added to their database as a potential client or potential prospect

Claudia Miller: 9:49

in the future. Okay, and then when they reach out they should include their resume and cover letter.

Elizabeth Otter: 9:56

I don't think cover letters actually necessary at At level, a definitely a resume, I think that would make things a lot easier and streamlined. It's a really fast pace environment. And so sometimes if you're not presenting everyone the information that they need to consider you, there might not be enough time to, for that person to then go online to look at you up on LinkedIn to see if you have the right skill set. Okay, great.

Claudia Miller: 10:26

And I'm curious to know, has there been a time or have you experienced a time or heard about a time where you were able to interview someone that maybe was like a senior director level, and they made that jump into that C suite? Or has it mostly been in your experience where somebody already was a CEO, or CFO, and they're just maybe moving to another organization, or they're moving from CEO to CEO?

Elizabeth Otter: 10:50

More of the latter, you know, different industries have different titles. So at Russell Reynolds, for example, the highest you can get as a title wise as Managing Director, and managing directors are usually former C suite executives themselves. So, you know, if, if you're in an industry already, where you know, that kind of the titling, then that jump would make sense. But usually, at least for within the client base that Russell Reynolds has someone with a traditional senior director role wouldn't be a contender for a CEO or CFO role. They do at times do you know, SVP or EVP placements, and that could be an area. But yeah, I wouldn't say they would go from that senior director to C suite. There are times where someone will have like bigger business experience. So a Cigna or GE, and Aetna, where there'll be a business line CEO or business mind CEO, so not necessarily own all of the different functions that you would traditionally if you were a standalone CEO, and that's when we'll see like the jump from a business unit CEO at a large company to a standalone CEO at a midsize company.

Claudia Miller: 12:17

Okay. And then just wanted to confirm I made sure I understand correctly. So let's just say there's someone right now who's in the senior director level position, or almost close to like, the next step would be like the SVP role, that person should look more for SVP roles, and then from there, try to make the jump to like a CEO role or in the C suite.

Elizabeth Otter: 12:36

Yeah, that I mean, I think that would be the more traditional route, there are so many different ways to get to the C suite. These days, you know, you could take maybe a total operating revenue, step back, so you could be at a company, you know, close to an SVP role at a company that's over a billion dollars in revenue a year. And so then take that step, that compromise, I guess, to be in the C suite for a company that might be like $90 million a year, you know, so there are shifts that way.

Claudia Miller: 13:11

Okay, awesome. And what challenges do you face when looking for executive candidates?

Elizabeth Otter: 13:18

Oh, wow, that is a difficult one, because there are quite a few, you know, it's a, what you think would be a really straightforward, easy industry. But it has quite a lot of challenges. A clients don't always know what they want until after they've seen a few different types of people. So we call that calibration or profiles, at least within Russell Reynolds. And so they might start off saying, we want this type of person with this experience. And you'll find those people, you'll present them, they'll interview with the client, and they'll be like, this is absolutely not what we're looking for. And the search will take a totally different direction, which kind of goes back to, you know, you could have everything you can check every box that the recruiter is looking for and not get the job and it has nothing to do with you. So I think that's definitely one area. Sometimes clients want the unicorn, and they'll be very upfront about wanting someone that has experience that doesn't exist. So it might be, you know, a very innovative, first of its kind company that's PE backed and they want someone that's very proud of the fact that they're first of its kind, but want someone that already has this experience. And so having to navigate that relationship and the client to say you're the Pioneer here. No one has done this before. But there are people that have done like things successfully. You know, where can we compromise?

Claudia Miller: 14:59

That's good. This is very helpful, I think that you give a lot of perspective on many different angles. And like you said, you work for the client, and you're just trying to find who these candidates are. And there are some times where, you know, people shouldn't take it personal where, you know, you check every single box, and they're just looking for something or they're trying to even get to the point of understanding what is it that they want? Because they know they need this fill the role fulfilled? But who will be that person? What are the qualities or attributes they have? It's always it sounds like it's not always fully formalized until the interview process has started. So do you have some great examples or stories of people that you worked with and the or that you advocated for that, you know, you're like, this person really amazed me. I've never seen a candidate like this before. Or here's kind of like a story of a candidate where we didn't think it was great. And all of a sudden, it turned into something different. And they amazed us once they met with the client.

Elizabeth Otter: 15:55

Yeah, so one rule of thumb is that you never present anyone to the client that you're not confident about, because it's your reputation and the firm's reputation on the line. So you might bring in another colleague to interview to get their opinion. But it's really important to continue to build and hold that trust with the client. There, I think are quite a few people. It's a really interesting field, because you're talking to people who are the best at what they do in their field. It's was definitely a highlight for me, in my role to be able to screen and interview people that genuinely were the best at what they did. I was talking to an executive at HCA, the largest for profit health system in the country. And he said that he couldn't make the week before because he was fully packed. And so when we did get to connect, I, you know, asked if we had gotten through his busy week successfully. And he said, yes, thank God I did, I was in charge of all of the public health and health security for the last presidential debate. And during the end, he was like when we agreed to this COVID wasn't around. So I mean, having and President Trump at that time, had just tested positive for COVID. So you know, making sure people are wearing masks, making sure that people are tested, and then all of the different security, you know, the epidemiological components of where people are sitting, it was just fascinating talking to him. And it's, you know, could be easy to get sidetracked away from what the job you're screening people for, because people have such an interesting career histories and passions. And so, yeah, I think there are a lot of stories like that there's one instance where a private equity backed company was looking for a Chief Financial Officer, they were convinced that they wanted someone that had previous PE experience. And I was able to do research and find someone that didn't have that traditional PE experience. But you really checked the boxes, and a lot of other ways had this strategy had the operations had that innovative, like entrepreneurial spirit that they were looking for. The consultant who was leading the search, or the search consultant, I was the research consultant was really apprehensive about meeting him, didn't see the couldn't really pick up what I was like, seeing in there advocated for him to be interviewed, and he just swept everyone away. So I think if you're on the recruiting side of things, being able to trust your gut and advocating when you do find someone that excites you, is really important.

Claudia Miller: 18:49

Okay, good. And, you know, if people could know just three things about getting hired, that they can apply in their life, like, what would they be and why?

Elizabeth Otter: 18:59

I think keep your LinkedIn updated. You know, there are a lot of different ways to identify people, but within the search world, but having the LinkedIn updated, having your different resume bullet points, even underneath as an area between each job. LinkedIn is important, because as we know, titles aren't consistent and don't always equate equally to what your responsibilities actually are. And so it's really hard for a recruiter to know if you're the right fit, if they're just looking at your title or past titles. And then I think, you know, do your own networking and sourcing as well. You have a job or a title in mind. Spend some time looking for people in those roles and reach out and just ask them if they'd be willing to talk about their career history. There's a lot that can be gained from sourcing. And people might know of like jobs or like companies that could be a good fit for you. And the third, I would say, one that can do you know, to get hired, or while your job searching is do your homework, the first round interview is usually a screening. And if people come in, prepared, and with a question, or two about the role, or the culture that carries a lot of weights, and even if you might not check every box, the fact that you seem invested and you're prepared, can get you to that more serious next level pretty easily. It doesn't take a lot of time to do, but I think the rewards are tenfold.

Claudia Miller: 20:52

Thanks for that, Elizabeth. Yeah, and I'm definitely an advocate of you know, always being prepared, it's hard for a candidate, especially if you're a candidate, you're job searching, you're maybe prepping two, three days before the interview, it's hard to beat that candidate that has been prepping already for a month or two, and has done research and has talked to people within the company. You know, that preparation really sets you up as a top candidate makes you become a sought after person. Even if you don't get that position, that recruiter or that person you've talked to will have you in mind saying, hey, this didn't work out. But maybe these are other opportunities that I think you'd be a great fit for. So you know, great point. Yeah, let's

Elizabeth Otter: 21:32

do that all the time, you know, someone might not be the right fit for the role that we're looking to fill with that individual company. But chances are, at least in the executive search world, you're working on, you know, at least 12 different searches at one time, and you've seven to 10 other colleagues that are doing the same thing, if you're impressed with someone, you're going to say, Hey, I just spoke to this person last week, they need to be on your radar. And that's really going to, even with if you're looking are not going to entice you and get you a new job.

Claudia Miller: 22:08

Yeah. And actually, Elizabeth, I think he's just brought up another great point that I want people to know is that, like you mentioned, you're usually what looking for 12 to fill 12 different positions.

Elizabeth Otter: 22:19

Yeah, with 12 different companies and organizations. So, you know, it'd be working with three different academic medical centers for different PE backed companies, you know, three different healthcare services companies all looking for different roles. So a chief marketing officer or chief executive officer, or chief financial officer, you know, it all varies. Okay.

Claudia Miller: 22:44

And then how big is that database, by the way?

Elizabeth Otter: 22:48

Wow, it's huge. And we're building it every day, as well.

Claudia Miller: 22:55

And a rough estimate, like, is it like 100? Is it 5000? Is it 10,000 people?

Elizabeth Otter: 23:01

The company is 50 years old. We have over 1000 searches a year, there are over usually 100 or more people that are evaluated per search. So I'm sure it has hundreds of 1000s of people.

Claudia Miller: 23:18

Yep. And I'm glad you brought that up. Because, you know, I always get questions or, you know, frustrations from prospects and clients where, you know, they're job searching, and, you know, they're like, they're not hearing back, or they're just why do we have to go. And I know, this is not very pertinent or useful for a, you know, a CEO level. But when you're job searching, there's that ATS system. And you know, it's very unfortunate. And it's not the best way. But because recruiters and hiring managers have so many positions that they're, you know, managing, there's multiple candidates, there was reading even this data, like even companies like Google, on average, they get anywhere between 12 to 1400 applicants for every job posting, and I can't imagine one person having to go through that many, you know, resumes, let alone their hiring for you know, even let's just say 12 to 15 roles, there's just so much to manage that to kind of ease through or simplify the process, they created these ATS algorithms, where it just looks for keywords gives you a score, in order to help even identify is this person will be at least sort of a good fit for this role. Are they saying the right things, you know, so just keeping things in perspective, especially for some of the lizards out there that are looking to maybe make that pivot into the C suite is understand that there's a lot of work that recruiters have to do you want to make their jobs easier, and like you know, we mentioned earlier, you want to reach out to them be to the point don't send a whole biography about you, but also include the resume so that way it makes their job easier when you make people's jobs easier. They're more likely to push you through the process because there's no added steps. There's no having to look you up on LinkedIn, then reaching out to you're emailing you for Your resume and you tell though, Hey, hold on, I need to update my resume, it's going to take me a few days, by that time, it might be already too late. So you always need to be ready. Once you know you want to be job searching, you want to prep so that way you become that top candidate. And you want to make sure you keep in mind the people that are running this, you know, job searching process, they're very busy. And think of how can I make her job easier? How can I get through this process? What other questions they might have that I can answer them, and she doesn't have to reply back to me and ask me those questions. Well, thanks, Elizabeth, for you know, sharing all your knowledge and insight. You know, thanks. Again, you're one of our first guests here on the podcast. And you really gave us a lot of valuable information that I think that now our listeners can learn a little bit more of what it's like, you know, once you make it up to the C suite, you know how to get ahead and how to manage this and navigate it. And it's similar to most job searching, you know, at all levels, but it does differentiate it. There's a big differentiator, once you get to that level. And, you know, I'm so happy that you were able to share that with us. Oh, thank

Elizabeth Otter: 26:06

you so much for having me. It was really fun to talk about. And I loved answering the questions and this conversation.

Claudia Miller: 26:12

All right. Well, thanks again, Elizabeth. I'm so happy to have you on the show.

Elizabeth Otter: 26:16

I'm honored to be here. Thank you.

Claudia Miller: 26:21

Thanks for listening in. If you liked this episode, you can go to our website roadmap to the executive suite.com For show notes and sign up to get alerts. All new episodes will be posted every Thursday. Talk to you next week.