Employee – Carlyle Search Group

Ken Klawans Executive Recruiter | San Diego, California

Specialty: Mortgage, Banking, Finance & Accounting

What’s your strategy when trying to find the best candidate for a specific position?

We have a very defined process when it comes to ascertaining the needs of our clients as well as our candidates. We begin with a very structured interview of every client to fully understand all facets of the position. We want to understand their business as well as their culture. Once we have completed our preparation work, we begin our search. We are strictly searching for passive candidates…those individuals who are not actively seeking a new position. We reach out to those individuals that match the required skillset within both our existing database as well as the numerous sourcing resources available to us. We end up with approximately ten candidates that are reduced to a shortlist of three based on the outcomes of our interviews. Once we believe we have three of the very best candidates, we present our clients with a detailed report on each individual.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about being a recruiter?

Many people think a recruiter is simply a matchmaker…finding someone seeking employment with a company looking to hire. Certainly there are those types of recruiters but I believe there’s more to it then introducing two parties. It’s our job to listen and understand the wants and needs of both the candidate as well as the company. We need to fully comprehend the skillset of the candidate as well as his/her strengths and weaknesses. We want to work with the candidate to make sure they are prepared for the interview. We even find ourselves in a counseling role when it comes to the current job resignation and anxieties that go along with a transition. When we place a candidate with a client, we want to make sure we do our very best to ensure a successful and long lasting placement.

What do you specialize in and why?

I spent my first thirty years after graduating from Syracuse University in the finance world. This included time as a director of a federally insured commercial bank and owning a mortgage brokerage and banking entity. I had not only a thorough knowledge of the industry but extensive contacts too. I had experience working with everyone from CEO/bank presidents to lenders, underwriters, processors, AE’s and loan officers and felt I truly understood the nuances of each position. So it was natural for me to specialize in everything finance related.

Where can we find you on a Saturday?

On a nice Saturday, I will either be at the dog park or the beach. Last year, I adopted a one year old dog from the humane society and he has been quite a handful. He is crazy, loving, goofy ball of energy. On Saturday mornings, my wife and I take him and head over to the dog park where we can sit back with an iced latte while he runs wild with all his dog friends. After our morning park trip, he will take a short nap so I can ride my bike to the beach and enjoy some sun and salt water.

Featured Testimonial

"All I can say is, “Wow!”. I have recruiters calling and emailing me once or twice a week. They know nothing about me but start pitching me a job saying how well qualified I am, etc. Ken was a breath of fresh air. He goal was to get to know me…what I wanted. Before he even recommended or searched for a position for me, he spent well over an hour interviewing me. He dug deep and asked detailed questions about the specific tasks I’m currently performing and what I liked and disliked about each. He listened to what I really wanted and was able to assess my strengths as well as my weaknesses. It was important for Ken to understand the culture I wanted (after all if I’m going to be spending hours every day working with people, I want to like and respect them). After a very thorough assessment, he began his search and within one week, he found me my dream position. Ken worked with me before and after the interview and discussed with me the offer presented. I felt comfortable that Ken was always acting in my interests. Obviously, I think the world of Ken and his ability to connect me with the right company. Thank you!!"