Today’s guest bloggers are Bill Benson and Jeff McGraw with WilliamCharles Search Group located in Grand Rapids, MI and Pittsburgh, PA. WilliamCharles is an executive search and professional recruiting firm specialized in finding managerial and executive talent in finance, HR, operations, sales/marketing as well as president/CEO roles. They have a concentration of clients in Michigan, but they also work across the US. Bill and Jeff are both former chairs of the NPAworldwide board of directors. Read the post below for some tips on successfully transition to a role as an executive leader.

Making the wrong hire at the C-level is one of the most expensive and disruptive mistakes a business can make.

For middle-market companies, especially those that are family-owned, ESOP ownership, or private equity-backed, the stakes are even higher. These organizations typically run lean, value trust and alignment, and have limited room for error. A bad leadership hire isn’t just a financial misstep; it’s a cultural, strategic, and emotional setback.

In this issue, we break down the true cost of a C-suite misfire and share how to prevent it with a smarter hiring approach. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest blogger is Parvathy Krishnan of Cucumber Consultants in Hyderabad, India. Cucumber Consultants has core expertise in executive recruitment, with a focus on placing C-suite executives such as CFOs and other senior leadership roles across diverse industries. Parvathy is currently serving on the NPAworldwide Board of Directors. Here, she discusses the key differences between “Culture Fit” and “Culture Add.”

Why am I even writing this?

I have been working across regions for 25 years in the recruitment space – be it with my direct clients & candidates or with my global recruitment partners. I see hiring conversations play out differently – sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. Many a time, we are told, “Candidate is not a good ‘culture fit’.”

“Culture Fit” often comes up with good intent, yet the way it’s interpreted can narrow a team’s strength if we equate fit with familiarity. I am not here with any prescription; just to offer a practical, global lens with the wish that it does resonate with many of you out there & makes a difference with your hiring for the better! Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest blogger is Bill Benson with WilliamCharles Search Group located in Grand Rapids, MI and Pittsburgh, PA. WilliamCharles is an executive search and professional recruiting firm specialized in finding managerial and executive talent in finance, HR, operations, sales/marketing as well as president/CEO roles. They have a concentration of clients in Michigan, but they also work across the US. Bill is a former chair of the NPAworldwide board of directors. Bill’s post discusses strategic hiring plans for the next year.

As we approach 2026, hiring leaders are facing more complexity than ever before. Talent shortages persist in critical functions. Salary expectations remain high. Skill needs are evolving and cultural alignment, once viewed as a “nice to have,” is now a top priority.

For executives and HR leaders in mid-sized and family-owned businesses, hiring decisions are no longer just transactional; they are strategic inflection points. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest blogger is Bill Benson with WilliamCharles Search Group located in Grand Rapids, MI and Pittsburgh, PA. WilliamCharles is an executive search and professional recruiting firm specialized in finding managerial and executive talent in finance, HR, operations, sales/marketing as well as president/CEO roles. They have a concentration of clients in Michigan but they also work across the US. Bill is a past chairman of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors. In this post, Bill shares how organizations are shifting to a hiring approach focused on critical capabilities, prioritizing skills and adaptability over traditional credentials to build future-ready teams.

A key talent trend in 2025 relates to adjusting the long-standing hiring rubric. Large corporations, banks, and law firms have heavily relied on resumes that combine a degree from a respected university with aligning experience from a competitor or a characteristically similar environment. This hiring approach based on education, title, and specific company experience provided a tangible profile for recruiters to target, and it generally produced quality candidates. This begs the question… does similar or parallel experience ensure effective performance? I would argue this is not always the case. Other factors, including motivation, drive, soft skills, and cultural fit, often have a greater impact on performance. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest blogger is Bill Benson with WilliamCharles Search Group located in Grand Rapids, MI and Pittsburgh, PA. WilliamCharles is an executive search and professional recruiting firm specialized in finding managerial and executive talent in finance, HR, operations, sales/marketing as well as president/CEO roles. They have a concentration of clients in Michigan, but they also work across the US. Bill is a past chairman of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors. He shares hiring strategies for small and mid-sized companies below.

Large companies that have name recognition often start with an advantage when attracting talent. Candidates know who they are, and they often have a reputation for offering good benefits and opportunities. If you are going to win the best talent, you will need to take a strategic approach. Read the rest of this entry »

The saying is “that time kills all deals.” That may be true and yet employers are taking too long to hire. According to data collected by the Josh Bersin Company, data from a half million hires in 2022 and 2023 shows an increase of a full day being added to the average time to hire in the first quarter of 2023 alone. So, what is the cause?

The shift from hybrid and remote work can cause candidates to consider employment changes more carefully. Employees who were working from home may see the move to an in-office requirement as a concern. Concerns and questions lead to extended conversations and reassurance takes times. Obviously, you still want top candidates and if it takes a few days to overcome concerns, it is time well spent. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest blogger is Rachelle Mire, senior account executive at McQuaig, a global leader in talent management solutions. McQuaig assessments are designed to provide a deeper insight into a candidate’s personality, cognitive, and behavioral attributes. With over 50 years of experience, McQuaig assessments provide a comprehensive view of a candidate and their potential to succeed in a organization while shedding light on the most important areas of employee development. This post discusses how to use benchmarking in hiring to identify the right-fit candidates.

Hiring the right candidate for a job is critical to the success of any organization. However, the process of identifying the right fit can be difficult, time-consuming, and prone to human bias. One way to streamline the process and reduce costs is through job profiling, or benchmarking. In this article, we’ll explore what benchmarking is, why it’s useful, and how McQuaig can help organizations define the ideal characteristics required for a specific role. Read the rest of this entry »