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The Recruiter Who Picks Up the Phone

After twenty years in executive search, I have learned one thing. The best candidates are not scrolling job boards. They are working. To reach them, you need to pick up the phone and have an actual conversation. I am Steven Cardwell. I specialize in mid to senior level placements when companies have tried everything else and the role is still empty. When your search has stalled past thirty days, when other agencies gave up, that is exactly the situation where I do my best work.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR SEARCH

The Recruiter Who Picks Up the Phone

After twenty years in executive search, I have learned one thing. The best candidates are not scrolling job boards. They are working. To reach them, you need to pick up the phone and have an actual conversation. I am Steven Cardwell. I specialize in mid to senior level placements when companies have tried everything else and the role is still empty. When your search has stalled past thirty days, when other agencies gave up, that is exactly the situation where I do my best work.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR SEARCH

My Philosophy

I started recruiting when the job meant opening a phone book and cold calling every name on the page. The tools are better now, but the approach still works. The industry has fallen in love with automation. LinkedIn messages, email sequences, AI sourcing tools. Those have their place, but they created a generation of recruiters who have never made a real cold call. They send fifty messages and hope someone replies. I do it differently. I research who you actually need. I figure out where people like that work right now. Then I call them and have a conversation. Not a pitch. A conversation about whether they might be open to something better. That approach fills searches that have been open for months. When you need the last resort recruiter, you need someone willing to make the calls other people will not make.

Why Companies Choose Me

I Actually Pick Up the Phone

While other recruiters send automated messages and track open rates, I am on the phone having real conversations. A five minute call tells me more about a candidate than fifty emails ever could. It gets me referrals. It surfaces people who are thinking about leaving but have not told anyone yet.

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Industry Depth, Not Just Breadth

I have placed plant managers in food
manufacturing and automotive. Financial advisors with compliance certifications. Logistics directors for freight companies. Twenty years of this work teaches you what questions to ask and what red flags to watch for. I know the difference between someone who has the title and someone who can actually do the job.

Honest Assessment, Every Time

If your salary is twenty percent below market, I will tell you before we waste three weeks. If your requirements do not exist in real candidates, I will explain why. Most recruiters string you along hoping something changes. I would rather lose a fee than waste your time on a search that cannot succeed.

The Last Resort Specialist

When searches have been open thirty days and other agencies failed, that is when I do my best work. The obvious candidates are already gone. The easy approaches already got tried. What is left requires persistence and phone calls and a willingness to keep going when most people quit.

Credentials & Track Record

I have been recruiting senior level candidates for over twenty years. My LinkedIn network of 17,000+ connections represents decades of relationship building, not automation. I work on contingency fees between 18 and 25 percent, which means you only pay when I successfully place someone. No retainer. No upfront cost. No risk.
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If you have a challenging search that needs an experienced recruiter who actually picks up the phone, let's talk.

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