Chris caught up with Global Executive Search expert & trainer, Louise Archer on the latest episode of Employer Bland. Louise is the Founder of Retrained Search, a global training organisation taking agencies through the exec search transition and continuously helping exec search firms sharpen their tools. Louise has recruitment in her DNA. It all started when Louise began to shadow her mother as a 12-year-old 'candidate controller' in the family secretarial agency business. From there, the fire was lit... Louise's journey through established agencies began in her early 20's, learning the craft with a constant desire to grow and develop. Louise quickly realised there was hard work being done and it was often not being paid for. There was huge waste and holes in the process creating inefficiencies for Louise, her business and her customers... Louise's shift to Executive Search began.  In this conversation Chris and Louise discuss the tightly knitted relationship between Exec Search and Employer Brand. Exec Search are ultimately the custodian of an Employer Brand. They are responsible for understanding key elements of an organisation's EVP, what differentiators sit within the EB and how this all needs to be communicated to ensure the best available talent is being engaged with.   We also covered; - Best practice for uncovering critical information and stories from key project stakeholders - How to present a search to candidates, ensuring the right information, elements of an EB and stories are communicated most effectively. - Not being afraid to tackle the elephant in the room. Not every search is sprinkled with gold dust and sparkles. Get under the skin of the company, their employer brand, their story and tell that truth. There are people out there wanting this challenge, its up to you to find them. - The importance of content and visuals in the process - Bringing a search to life is critical.   Louise shared so much advice and anecdotal insight into her incredibly successful career as a true global powerhouse in exec search and exec search training. If you are working in agency looking to make the transition to Exec Search or you are already firmly in Exec Search, there is a lot in this episode for you to take-away. We hope you enjoy!