The Key to Coping: Focus on the Silver Linings
October 29, 2020 – Scott Page is a founding partner, and a managing director of Solomon Page, a Manhattan-based provider of staffing solutions (temporary, contract, temp to perm, project staffing, direct hire and executive search) and heads the financial services division since the firm’s inception in 1990. He has nearly three decades of experience in the executive search industry and is widely respected as a market leader in the recruitment of senior financial services professionals on a global basis across both developed and emerging markets. He recently sat down with Hunt Scanlon Media to discuss what the current New York City market looks like. He also shares how his firm has been conducting business during this volatile time.
Scott, having worked in the city for so long what are some changes you’ve seen since the pandemic began?
As a search firm based in Manhattan, our company has encountered a number of unique and heartbreaking circumstances during the past three decades in business – including 9/11, the financial crisis in 2008-2009 and Hurricane Sandy, and now a global pandemic as a result of COVID-19. Each one of these difficult set of challenges created the necessity to evolve and learn as we persevered to become stronger and better prepared to build the best possible business. We are committed to pulling together and becoming a closer-knit firm and acting as a leader in the New York City community so we in some way benefit from this experience both on a professional and personal level.
Is remote working shrinking the market here?
As an industry based upon interpersonal relationships, the realities of physical distancing have created a transformational opportunity to stay connected to our colleagues, clients, and candidates, as well as demonstrate our strengths as a diverse organization with a shared set of core values. While the job market and hiring trends have most definitely been in flux since the onset of the pandemic, we have held true to our core value of adaptability to not only survive but thrive during these unprecedented times. It is inevitable that certain industries have been significantly impacted, but due to our extensive infiltration across a wide array of functions and industries, the ability to pivot and redirect our efforts to those sectors have proven successful.
What are some of the adjustments that Solomon Page has made during the pandemic?
At the onset of the pandemic, the Solomon Page leadership team established a strategy called “The Five Pillars of Strength” as a foundation for navigating the “new normal” we are currently experiencing in every aspect of our lives. Our focus is on safety, continuity, communication, character, and community/collective spirit. Our firm has taken this approach to both our relationships internally and externally as we manage this unprecedented set of challenges and business conditions.
What has been the biggest shift in business?
As a firm that, prior to COVID-19, met with clients and candidates daily, working remotely has been a major shift. Although the transition to remote work happened quickly, we did so efficiently and ensured all internal employees were equipped with the right tools and technologies to guarantee no disruption in services. Additionally, the company has implemented new technologies, such as a customizable video interviewing platform, as a value add to our service offerings.
Can you share some advice for clients and colleagues about doing business during these challenging times?
Focus on the silver linings that have happened as a result of COVID-19. Although the perception may be that job opportunities and candidate pools are shrinking, that is far from the case. Some corporations are taking the strategic approach opposite of a hiring freeze and utilizing this as an opportunity to recruit high caliber talent they may not have had access to earlier this year. Now with many companies more open to remote work, they are no longer restricted to hiring talent within a specific geographic area. With this major shift within the market, there are many opportunities to reinvent your organizational model as a result. For the past 30 years, Solomon Page has been committed to the well-being of the relationships we share both professionally and personally. The more we consult and collaborate, the more successful we can be, together.
