Talent search–especially c-suite searches–is one of the most demanding, complex, and time- and resource-consuming endeavors an organization can undertake. It’s also one of the highest-stakes endeavors, as a high-level hire is often considered one of the most critical hires an organization can make.
Luckily, with Censia’s extensive talent data and actionable insights, high-level search is fast and efficient. So when a major international search firm wanted to test Censia Talent Intelligence for high-volume, AI-powered global high-level search, we said: Why not!
The assignment was straightforward:
- Complete 70+ searches
- Searches spanned the globe and included industries ranging from SaaS to textiles to nonprofits
- Provide a shortlist of optimally qualified and vetted candidates
- Deliver candidates that will surprise and delight
- Do it in 6 weeks.
And Censia delivered on all of those items.
In the 20-minute video below, Tim Grosik and Dan Saul talk about what it’s like to run an AI-powered high-level search, how it can fundamentally change how we find C-level talent and the hidden pockets of talent it uncovers.
If you prefer to read about it, you’re in luck. Just keep going.
If you’re new to Censia Talent Intelligence, you must understand that we can deliver such outstanding results not because we search faster but because we have better data to search in.
Our talent data covers everything you’d expect about a person – their jobs, the companies they’ve worked at, their degrees, etc, and then adds several layers. This includes time-stamped information about companies (such as size, revenue, location, and company events in any given year, to name a few) and industries. This weaves a giant multidimensional web of information (67 trillion data points and running, but who’s counting!) that allows profound, actionable insights into any question you have about the workforce, from microdecisions such as “is this person a great fit for the role?” or “what’s the best way to upskill and promote this person” to “what would be the best city to open an R&D facility in, where there’s an ample supply of the skills and expertise we need?” to name just a few. It also gives us insights into people’s unique X-Factors – the superpowers that certain people bring to the table but never list on their resumés, as well as personal insights into diversity, potential, and hidden skills that get lost under the broken rung. (PS: If you don’t know that phrase, open that link and read it after!)
Now that you understand what our talent data entails, we’ll explain how it makes executive search 80% faster and delivers much better and more unique results across the board.
When companies do an executive search, they seek skills, experience, capability, technical knowledge, and institutional knowledge. When you have multidimensional talent data like ours, you can quickly build a multidimensional search model that encompasses all of these factors and infer missing data for you.
Here’s an example:
| What you asked for | What you really need | What we found | What we inferred |
| CFO | Someone who has the skills and capabilities of a CFO | A list of people with diverse titles that all serve the same functions | …that was never properly promoted due to systemic bias |
| From the top 10 companies in my industry | Is someone whose capability matches the demands of your industry | An expanded list that doesn’t just include your competitors but their equals in similar industries | Certain titles essentially mean the same thing, and certain people are optimally qualified but mislabeled in their job titles. |
| A diverse candidate | A candidate who brings fresh strategy to your organization | A fresh batch of candidates from diverse backgrounds, both professionally and personally | …that were never properly promoted due to systemic bias |
So, when we do an executive search, we can build a list of key players (companies and people) in your industry in a few minutes. We also have pre-built lists for common company-first searches, such as Fortune 100 and Fortune 500, most innovative companies, and more.
Once we have those lists ready to fire, we build that multidimensional search model and input the qualifications you’re looking for, including those fantastic X-Factors, which we can easily toggle as “must haves,” “nice to haves,” and “not important.”
A half-hour into the search, we mapped the market and created a list of candidates ready for review. Each profile contains AI-generated summaries and insights for quick assessment, complete talent data from up to 2,000 sources (to be fair, for most, it’s between 3-7 sources, but we do check them all!) contact data, and links to professional profiles, ready for your review.
Of course, reviewing and vetting the candidates takes a moment, but we’d like to think that completing an average of 2.9 fully vetted executive search slates per person per week is still nothing to sneeze at.
