Committing To Excellence: What You Need To Know Before Providing A Professional Endorsement - Maryann Bruce
Maryann Bruce is an experienced Corporate Director and former Fortune 100 Division President & CEO. She has been a C200 Member since 2002 and is the current Board Chair. Her article, co-authored by Barri Rafferty, Committing To Excellence: What You Need To Know Before Providing A Professional Endorsement, was published in Forbes. They proudly embody C200’s spirit of “Success Shared. By leveraging the pillars of partnership, preparation, and purpose, they guarantee that your endorsement leaves a lasting impression as they aim to empower executives, especially women, throughout the interview and selection process.
Securing a high-level executive role is a career-defining accomplishment. When entrusted with supplying a professional reference for a colleague vying for such a position, the weight of your words cannot be overstated. Since most companies check references after narrowing down their list to just a few candidates, your endorsement could be the deciding factor in your colleague being offered the role.
It’s critical that companies run a stringent hiring process. According to Zippia, the average cost to hire an executive in 2023 is $14,936. Factoring in human capital, company resources, and training time, it costs companies more than 200% of the new executive-level employee’s salary to complete the hiring and onboarding procedures.
As Board Chair and a member of C200, embodying our motto of “Success Shared” is always top of mind. Recently, I was called upon to provide a professional reference for my colleague and fellow C200 member, Barri Rafferty, and I couldn’t help but appreciate the role C200 played in this situation. Barri and I met through C200 and developed a close personal relationship when she took on the role of interim CEO for C200. I was honored and felt uniquely qualified to speak on her behalf.
I understood my role in making the recruiter’s final decision clearer; my endorsement needed to make a significant impact. Aware of the time commitment this would require, Barri and I organized the process so that I could easily deliver a quality reference and showcase Barri’s strengths. However, we quickly discovered that, despite its importance in the executive hiring process, there is a notable lack of resources for executives about how to give a professional endorsement — which means this is especially true for women executives. We believe sharing our experience will allow fellow executives a more informed and confident interview experience and intend that this article can serve as a practical guide.
Read the full article here.
