DSML Executive Search Firm in Boston and Chicago hires some of the best cross-cultural professionals to serve European subsidiaries expanding to the US. That’s why we’re pleased to announce one of our newest team members: executive search associate Esteban Blettry.

We had the privilege of sitting down with Esteban to chat about his role and his overall impact on customers. He was glad to share his thoughts on the executive recruitment industry and explain how his background led him to DSML.

Getting to Know Esteban and His Journey into Executive Search Recruitment

Q: Tell us about your professional background and experience. How did you get into executive recruitment?

I’m originally from France and came to the US as a child. As of today, I’ve been in Chicago for more than 20 years.

I started in executive recruitment during the time of the Pandemic. I was working in education before then and didn’t know if schools would reopen, so I thought it would be a good idea to look outside my field and pursue a different passion.

In July 2020, I worked in the technology sector as a professional recruiter for Enterprise Peak. After that, I developed an appreciation for the recruitment process and was ready to learn more about it.

Q: How did you come to DSML?

I’ve known Myriam Le Cannellier, Co-Founder and Director of DSML Executive Search, for quite some time. We started having conversations about the executive recruitment industry, and I shared my passion to learn more about the process. I spoke with her about the possibility of joining her team, and ended up taking a role in July 2023.

Q: What is your current role at DSML?

I was hired specifically for candidate sourcing, which is what I did with my previous company. This mainly entails searching for candidates online — but also researching companies, looking at the specifics of a role, or looking at company websites, goals, mission statements — so I can pass on knowledge to other members of the team.

Research is pivotal to understanding our client’s needs. We are experts in many fields, but when we spend time researching a client’s specific role, it becomes easier to align expectations and get a greater understanding of what they’re looking for. We can also provide that research through a meeting or phone call to continuously refine the executive recruitment process.

Q: What languages do you speak? And how do you feel that benefits your role now at DSML?

French is my first language, and English is my second. I took a lot of Spanish in school, and feel confident reading the language.

French is perhaps the most important language shared by our clients. Even if clients are bilingual and can speak multiple languages, there’s a lot of French vocabulary that simply doesn’t exist in English. It’s great to understand exactly what a client needs rather than just approximating with language barriers. Things can get lost in translation sometimes, which is why it’s critical to us that everyone on the team speaks more than one language.

Q: What is your area of recruiting expertise?

For now, definitely technology. I feel very confident researching roles in software development, especially for clients in the medical devices field. I also take an interest in positions within technology, internet of things (IOT) and software as a service (SaaS) industries. I’m happy to keep adapting to what the sector holds and am confident in my ability to deliver sound, careful research.

Q: How have your responsibilities grown since you have been at DSML?

I was hired specifically for candidate sourcing, but I see my role growing over time. Myriam sees a lot of potential in me, and I am happy for her confidence. I look forward to taking on more responsibilities as my tenure with the team grows.

Today, I help with transcribing interviews, taking notes during meetings, or compiling documents for internal and external use. I’m taking on more responsibilities as time goes on, and believe I may soon be helping to screen candidates in the future.

Q: What advantages do you have with prior executive recruitment experience?

One of the greatest benefits of my background is the ability to understand the tools of executive recruitment — LinkedIn, for instance. It helps to look at a candidate’s profile and understand what the terms and technical aspects mean.

Knowing technology is also a benefit, as a lot of technology intersects with executive recruitment. Knowing professional language and which industries do what is a plus, and something my previous role helped with a lot. It’s great foundational knowledge to have, especially since it transitions so well to the executive recruitment sector.

Q: What are the core values of DSML?

Collaboration is number one. We are always in communication with one another. When team members perform interviews, for example, they team up so at least two recruiters review the same profile. We also try to have a meeting after interviews so we can talk about what we’ve learned.

After collaboration, I would say the next important value is respect — which includes respecting each other, the client, and the candidate on the other end. We believe in communicating respectfully with everyone since candidates and clients need to know what’s going on at every stage of the recruitment process.

As an example of this, we rely on a cloud-based portal where clients can see recruitment information in real-time. This means they don’t have to wait for a meeting with us to see our progress. In the blink of an eye, they can read our notes, see why we disqualified people, and even get process updates from the same portal dashboard.

Q: What do you like the most about executive search?

Frankly, there’s no part of the job I find boring or uneventful. But I’ve always enjoyed the sourcing aspect of recruitment.

Something I enjoy specifically is participating in calls with clients during interviews. It’s interesting to see that part of the process. I wasn’t privy to that in my previous role, but at DSML, I am. Now I know who’s getting selected and why, which helps me in the process of sourcing. Since I understand the entire picture, I can do my job to the best of my ability.

DSML Executive Search is a Chicago and Boston based executive search firm designed to help European subsidiaries expand to the USA. We appreciate Esteban becoming a member of our team and deeply appreciate his willingness to learn, grow, and serve our clients.