Derek Schlender

And so when I was starting off, and frankly, anyone who's gotten their start in search, you don't know what your niche is until you really cut your teeth and you get a sense of where can I win? Where can I go add value? And so I just started to pull what we call pull the thread in the market. Like you see a thread, you start to pull it. And what comes of that is you start to get traction.

And so when I was starting off, and frankly, anyone who's gotten their start in search, you don't know what your niche is until you really cut your teeth and you get a sense of where can I win? Where can I go add value? And so I just started to pull what we call pull the thread in the market. Like you see a thread, you start to pull it. And what comes of that is you start to get traction.

Where I was getting traction was SBA lending. What's unique is we were heading into the pandemic as I was gaining traction. What happened is everyone stopped coming into the office. The marketplace basically overnight was completely remote. While SBA lending is a national product, a national program, I was thrust into a market that was even more national by nature to everyone being remote.

Where I was getting traction was SBA lending. What's unique is we were heading into the pandemic as I was gaining traction. What happened is everyone stopped coming into the office. The marketplace basically overnight was completely remote. While SBA lending is a national product, a national program, I was thrust into a market that was even more national by nature to everyone being remote.

It didn't matter where you lived as long as a company could hire in your state. And so that just became more and more of a focus almost as a product of just circumstances around the pandemic. That's kind of where it all started for me.

It didn't matter where you lived as long as a company could hire in your state. And so that just became more and more of a focus almost as a product of just circumstances around the pandemic. That's kind of where it all started for me.

That's a great question. And I think that's the most important question because when it comes to marketing talent, why are they marketable? Why is there value? That's an important question. So for me, you've got kind of multiple candidate types that you are looking for in the world of finance. You've got people who are straight up and down revenue contributors.

That's a great question. And I think that's the most important question because when it comes to marketing talent, why are they marketable? Why is there value? That's an important question. So for me, you've got kind of multiple candidate types that you are looking for in the world of finance. You've got people who are straight up and down revenue contributors.

They're directly tied to the bottom line profitability. You've got people who are in the background, back office people. credit, operations. So for me, it's different depending on what type of candidate it may be. But to put it simply, if someone's a revenue contributor, have they produced is number one.

They're directly tied to the bottom line profitability. You've got people who are in the background, back office people. credit, operations. So for me, it's different depending on what type of candidate it may be. But to put it simply, if someone's a revenue contributor, have they produced is number one.

Have they produced at a level that is recognized by the marketplace as impressive, as meaningful, but even more complex than that? Have they produced within the deal box or the buy box of the clients that I represent. If they have, I've got somebody who can add value for my clients, for the marketplace that I serve. If they haven't, there's a disconnect there.

Have they produced at a level that is recognized by the marketplace as impressive, as meaningful, but even more complex than that? Have they produced within the deal box or the buy box of the clients that I represent. If they have, I've got somebody who can add value for my clients, for the marketplace that I serve. If they haven't, there's a disconnect there.

And so it's my job as the market master to say, hey, tell me about production, Tell me about where you've won. Let me make sure that I'm connecting the dots in a way that's going to be meaningful and recognized for the value that you bring. And so I've got to uncover that with a candidate and understand that on a deep level. If I'm a generalist who doesn't really deeply know one niche,

And so it's my job as the market master to say, hey, tell me about production, Tell me about where you've won. Let me make sure that I'm connecting the dots in a way that's going to be meaningful and recognized for the value that you bring. And so I've got to uncover that with a candidate and understand that on a deep level. If I'm a generalist who doesn't really deeply know one niche,

over another, that's a lot harder. So if you're somebody who does accounting recruiting, commercial CNI recruiting, mortgage recruiting, all of these things, that's great. If you don't have enough depth to talk shop with somebody and understand what kinds of deals they actually do and where you could take them or that wouldn't add value, that'll be harder.

over another, that's a lot harder. So if you're somebody who does accounting recruiting, commercial CNI recruiting, mortgage recruiting, all of these things, that's great. If you don't have enough depth to talk shop with somebody and understand what kinds of deals they actually do and where you could take them or that wouldn't add value, that'll be harder.

With credit and operations, I think a lot of it comes down to efficiency and proficiency. Are they efficient at what they do in credit decisioning from a timeline perspective? But also, do they have a complexity of understanding of different deal types where they can actually get in and truly decision deals based on the experience that they have?

With credit and operations, I think a lot of it comes down to efficiency and proficiency. Are they efficient at what they do in credit decisioning from a timeline perspective? But also, do they have a complexity of understanding of different deal types where they can actually get in and truly decision deals based on the experience that they have?

For me, a lot of times, somebody who is a MPC as a credit candidate, they need to be a little bit more experienced. Because if they're not, it's a lot harder to showcase that talent and to say, hey, based on their experience, they're going to add XYZ in value. And then the same is, you know, generally true of people in operations and other capacities.

For me, a lot of times, somebody who is a MPC as a credit candidate, they need to be a little bit more experienced. Because if they're not, it's a lot harder to showcase that talent and to say, hey, based on their experience, they're going to add XYZ in value. And then the same is, you know, generally true of people in operations and other capacities.