Adam K. Schmidt
Adam has over 20 years of experience in recruitment, as well as an academic background in sociology, with a specialization in Job Market and HR Management. After several junior HR roles in local organizations, he worked as a Freelancer for 2 years. In 2010 he joined Headhunters CEE, first as a Junior Researcher, then Senior and finally Senior Executive Search Consultant. Adam has been directly working with clients across various industries with a focus on board and board -1 level assignments across Europe, incl. Marketing & Sales Directors, especially in automotive and production, CEO/COO for major international corporations, CPO/CDO with a focus on data security and R&D and various finance roles, incl. SSC. Additionally, has worked on employer branding projects, AC/DCs, improvement of recruitment processes as well as strategic workforce planning Adam joined Career Angels in 2022. He works in Polish and English.
Why are you a Career Angel? What’s your favourite part of your work?
I love being a Career Angel because working directly with executives gives me the opportunity to connect with them and help them live up to their full potential. What I’ve always found worrying is that sometimes experienced professionals settle for less than their ideal position as they don’t know how to navigate the job hunting process effectively. After over 20 years in Executive Search I have a vast knowledge of what recruiters look for in candidates and I apply it to help the candidates directly.
At Career Angels, I can now observe how candidates achieve their career goals due to our cooperation. Every email from a satisfied professional who has finally got their dream offer shows me that the work I do here is 100% worth it.
What’s your life motto?
“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up” – Thomas A. Edison
I strongly believe that a positive mindset, being persistent and not letting occasional mistakes drag you down is the key to achieving your dreams. This applies to job search as well: it’s way too often that I see wonderful candidates give up in their search for the offer they truly wanted. They’re not satisfied and can end up feeling bitter over the dreams that never came true. What they don’t realize is that, most of the time, just putting a few more hours into the job hunting process and being consistent (or outsourcing the process if you don’t have the time) would have made all the difference.
What’s the best & worst career advice that you have ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to never burn bridges and keep many sincere, friendly contacts. Many people don’t realize the importance of having a wide network – even if at the moment you’re not interested in a position a headhunter is offering you, you might need their help in the future, so do not ghost them or be rude.
The worst advice would definitely be to “just be satisfied with what you have right now”. There is nothing wrong with aiming higher or seeing that you have the potential to achieve even more than in your current position. Never settle for less than what you deserve!