Marco Purita, Client Manager at Kilpatrick started his career as an intern and grew to a Consultant during his two years with the company. He started his professional career as an intern at Kilpatrick and became a consultant during his two years with the company. After a job shift, he experienced the executive search industry from another sector. His knowledge has guided him to where he is now. In this interview, we explore his advice on how to find your path and follow your instincts.
Could you tell us a bit about your professional career and how did you start working at Kilpatrick?
After completing my bachelor degree in Political Science and International relations in the Catholic University of Milan I did my masters in Human Resources and Organization. There was a game organized by the university and Kilpatrick to gather potential candidates to work for the company. I was amongst the finalists and was chosen to be a Junior Consultant, this is how I was introduced into the HR Executive Search Field and started to search for the best talent worldwide.
I have had the opportunity of working not only on projects in Italy, but also for other clients worldwide such as in LATAM and Turkey. My focus however was particularly in Europe and Italy. After two years in Kilpatrick I decided to take on another opportunity as Junior Business Partner in growth. This meant that I was not doing only Talent Acquisition, but also compensation and benefit support. This gave me the opportunity to experience different aspects of HR Activities. However after a year I received a phone call from one of my ex-colleagues. He spoke to me about the possibility of coming back and growing alongside the company. I made a reflection choosing to come back in Kilpatrick with the possibility to expand my vision in the headhunting field, and so said I returned to Kilpatrick Executive Search in the position of Client Manager. As a Client Manager I cover the Executive Search and Talent Acquisition activities, and also handle direct contact with clients. I am looking towards improving our Commercial Sector and finding new clients.
What would you say makes Kilpatrick stand out from the other companies you’ve worked in? What made you come back to this specific company?
In my opinion Kilpatrick is a particular international boutique of Executive Search. It has the mindset and business model of a recruitment firm but goes a step further by taking on business opportunities and clients around the globe. 18 Offices worldwide and a team of consultants from so many different countries is unusual in this industry, teams usually are around 10 to 15 people maximum. With our regional focus, Kilpatrick will find the best solution for you no matter where you are, we adapt to your needs.
Could you give a piece of advice to other people finding themselves in a situation like this, being in a job, coming back, how would you tell someone to handle this situation?
Change is not easy, but I would suggest considering the factors that have the most importance to you. Do you feel comfortable in the work environment you are currently in? Do you have any conflicts or organization problems? How does the action methodology of the company align with your personal way of working? Define what variables are important to you and think if your needs are being met. Consider how you can grow within the company long term as well. I have always enjoyed Talent Acquisition but was looking towards being in direct contact with clients in my long term goals. For me it was important to have my professional formation from my team and sometimes working in small groups of people can limit growth. I decided to take the risk and change teams to achieve this.
How would you describe your current role within Kilpatrick? And what do you like the most about it?
The client manager position is very, very interesting because you have direct contact with clients, so you have the possibility to be a HR partner, a business partner for them. I guide them in finding the best talent for them to grow their organization. The position of Client manager is an important one that also adds the possibility to work on the complete project from A to Z. You have complete management of the client and supervision for the recruitment selection part as well.
What projects have you worked on in Kilpatrick that you consider have shaped your professional career?
The first international project I was a part of outside of Italy. I had the opportunity to work for a big international project searching for Quality Process Engineers for a Multinational Client in the Automotive Industry. My focus was in Europe and I was working on the project with three other colleagues from our Americas and Asia offices. The project gave me the possibility to grow my international mindset and a chance to gain a deeper knowledge of the local market in different countries.
Could you share a life lesson of your professional career? Something you’ve learned along the way that you would consider important?
To be kind with everybody. It is vital to work in an ethical and straightforward way. Always do your best because the people around you will always have an opinion about you so it’s best if it’s positive. In my experience having a good relationship with a colleague, led to him calling me back and offering me this job because during the two years we worked together he knew the quality of my work from being an intern to a consultant and considered me as a good option for the role. I would also say not only hard skills, but also soft skills are essential. Make sure you have a positive attitude, a proactive approach and always do your best to find a solution. A problem solving attitude is one of the best pieces of advice I can give. Lastly, I would say network as much as you can, it can open doors you didn’t know existed.