What to Expect in Our Hiring Process

Exploring a leadership advisory role at ghSMART is a meaningful step, one that typically comes at a pivotal moment in a candidate’s career. Many of the people who consider our firm are senior operators, seasoned consultants, or leaders seeking work that is both intellectually challenging and deeply human. They want to focus on what matters most: helping leaders make better decisions and creating lasting organizational impact.

Because this transition is significant, you deserve complete transparency into what our hiring process looks like, why it’s designed the way it is, and how it enables both you and us to make a confident, well-informed decision.

Our approach is structured, thoughtful, and intentionally rigorous – grounded in Who: The A Method for Hiring, the evidence-based framework we use with clients and apply to ourselves. At its core, our process reflects two commitments:
1. Respect for your time, and
2. Clarity in determining mutual fit.

This article walks you through each step of our process, explains what you can expect, and shares why candidates often describe the experience as the most holistic and insightful hiring process of their careers.

1. Introductory Conversation With a Talent Specialist

Purpose: Understand the work and make sure the fundamentals align.

Your journey begins with a conversation with one of our Talent Specialists. This first discussion is designed to establish clarity and connection. We want to understand your story and help you understand ours.

In this call, we cover:

Who we are and the types of leadership advisory problems we solve

What a leadership advisor does day to day

The backgrounds and experiences that tend to thrive in our model

The expectations of the role, including autonomy, pace, and client engagement

The culture – and the generosity, trust, and high standards at the core of it

Equally important, we want to learn about you: what has defined your career so far, the moments that have shaped your trajectory, and what’s prompting you to explore this next chapter. You’ll also have the space to ask the questions that matter most to you, so you can begin assessing whether ghSMART aligns with what you value in a career.

2. Conversation With an Executive Recruiter

Purpose: Explore your leadership journey, decisions, and impact.

If there is early alignment, your next step is a deeper conversation with an Executive Recruiter who specializes in assessing senior leaders.

This discussion typically includes:

A walkthrough of the arc of your career

The major decisions and transitions you've made – and why

How you’ve led teams, influenced stakeholders, and created impact

How you approach problem-solving and ambiguity

How your strengths translate to our highly autonomous advisory model

Because our work blends analytical rigor, psychological insight, and leadership judgment, this step is essential. It helps us understand not only what you’ve done, but how you think.

This is also a chance for you to get a more nuanced picture of the role: the cadence of client work, what “flexibility with high responsibility” truly looks like, and the long-term growth paths available within the firm.

3. Case Study

Purpose: Preview the analytical and judgment-driven nature of the work.

Candidates for leadership advisory roles complete a case study based on a sanitized SmartAssessment. You’ll review the material, synthesize the most important insights, and prepare a brief written summary.

We then walk through your analysis with a leadership advisor to understand how you:

Interpret complex, qualitative data

Identify patterns and themes

Form judgments rooted in evidence, not intuition

Structure and communicate a clear point of view

This exercise mirrors real client scenarios. It gives you a realistic preview of the advisory challenges you would face at the firm and helps ensure the work energizes you.

4. The SmartAssessment: The Heart of Our Work – and Our Hiring Process

Purpose: Understand your leadership patterns, strengths, and trajectory.

The SmartAssessment is the centerpiece of our hiring process because it is the foundation of our work with clients. It allows us to understand leaders deeply – their track record, decision patterns, strengths, and the conditions under which they perform at their best.

During this conversation, typically around four hours, you and a leadership advisor walk through your career chronologically. We explore:

Every significant role you’ve held

The outcomes you achieved and how you achieved them

The environments where you thrived – and those where you didn’t

The through-line patterns that define your leadership

Most candidates describe the SmartAssessment as the most comprehensive reflection they’ve ever experienced. It is both introspective and clarifying, helping surface the patterns and themes that have defined your career – and offering a deeper understanding of how you show up as a leader.

You’ll also experience the core methodology you would ultimately use with clients – assessing CEOs and executives, shaping teams, and guiding major leadership decisions. Seeing it from the candidate’s side brings clarity to the type of advisory work you would do every day.

We invest deeply in this stage because it is the most reliable way to assess long-term success and ensure that if we move forward, we are setting you up for a role where your strengths can meaningfully translate into impact.

5. Mutual Due Diligence

Purpose: Create clarity – for both sides – about long-term fit.

If both you and ghSMART choose to continue, we enter a mutual due diligence phase.

For us, this includes referencing conversations with peers, managers, and colleagues who can speak to your leadership and performance. We take a holistic, balanced look at strengths, tendencies, and the environments where you’re likely to thrive.

For you, this stage is equally important. You’ll have additional conversations with our team, giving you deeper visibility into:

Our culture and values

Our client model and teaming approach

How we think about autonomy, impact, and flexibility

The expectations and rhythms of leadership advisory work

We encourage candidates to use this phase to ask candid questions about development, balance, compensation, career path, and long-term trajectory. You deserve to make a decision with full clarity.

6. The Offer and Onboarding Experience

Purpose: Set you up for long-term success and impact.

If the process leads to an offer, you will join a community of colleagues dedicated to meaningful work, deep client impact, and a culture rooted in generosity and trust.

Your onboarding experience includes:

A tailored training program

Bootcamp sessions focusing on advisory skills, the SmartAssessment, and client excellence

Tools, frameworks, and support to help you thrive

A dedicated group of colleagues committed to helping you navigate your first year

From day one, you’ll have the autonomy to shape your career and the support to grow as a senior advisor.

Why We Hire This Way

Our process reflects what we value most: clarity, fairness, rigor, and respect.

A thoughtful process produces better insight.

The structured conversations and assessments help us understand your capabilities, your decision patterns, and the types of roles where you are most likely to thrive.

It ensures alignment for the long term.

We want you to be successful not only in your first year, but across a long, fulfilling career here.

It creates a high-quality experience for candidates.

Many candidates tell us that our process is the most comprehensive and meaningful hiring experience they’ve ever had. That matters deeply to us.