Connecting executives in the C-suite across the country’s major metropolitan hubs to jobs and one another is what sets Browning Associates apart from the average headhunter, says founder and President John Seraichyk.
Using a private, internal social network, along with common job-hunting techniques and leveraging a database of 16,000 companies and individuals through partner InfoGroup USA, Browning Associates gives “full allegiance” to clients, Seraichyk said.
“We’re not a job-placement agency,” explained Seraichyk, who lives in Coventry. “How we define success is our ability to work with somebody from start to finish until they get into a new position. We stay with 90 percent of them until they get a job. The other 10 percent may quit [but there is a] high success rate working with qualified people. We make a long-term commitment.”
Fees range from $8,000 to $15,000 for work for an average executive making upwards of $200,000. It may take six months to a year to yield results, Seraichyk said.
He founded the search firm Barrett Group in Warwick in 1990 but sold it in June 2007, thinking he’d go into Christian ministry. That didn’t materialize, and by December of that same year, he’d started Browning Associates from scratch with “a lot of passion and a lot of fear.”
Along the way, he’s kept some Christian messaging as part of the business, but adds that he does not try and leverage it to gain credibility.
Today, an annual client list of about 150 seek his services. But the work is not without its challenges.
“Going into the marketplace and trying to find $300,000 or $400,000 worth of compensation is not an easy endeavor,” he noted. “Emotionally, there’s the rejection that comes with it, so you find yourself in the capacity of counselor and helping people stay motivated.”
Some clients who are laid off don’t even tell family, so the level of confidentiality required is demanding as well, he said.
Along the way, he’s learned that “voice-to-voice” and face-to-face contact beat résumés and emails.
“You need to go right to decision-makers and your telephone is still your best friend,” Seraichyk said.
For every 10 companies the firm reaches out to for a client, only three or four end up making a connection, so the quest for the right fit remains “a numbers game,” he said.
With only a few clients in Rhode Island, most individuals seeking his services come from Boston, Houston or other major metros. Clients span industries ranging from IT and manufacturing to banking, insurance, medicine, gaming and the military.
His favorite success story is about a 57-year-old Rhode Islander who wanted to remain local but whose manufacturing experience was completely outdated.
“He did not believe there would be a job for him,” Seraichyk said. “[But] he took a job offer in three months. We were able to find a manufacturing company where there was enough of a synergy. We went right past human resources to the CEO. They loved his approach and brought him in.” •
