Mitch Feldman, Executive Director and Senior Executive Recruiter for Response Companies Places Professionals Nationally

Professional Overview

Mitchell Feldman is the Executive Director and senior executive recruiter for Response Companies, a recruiting and advisory services firm based in New York - Tri-state region. Response seeks and places quality talent in the areas of banking & mortgage banking, accounting & finance, legal, human resources, health care, securities compliance, Wall Street, marketing, and information technology. The firm has made placements throughout the United States, with a particular focus in nationwide recruitment searches.

For more than twenty years, Response Companies has provided its candidates and clients a professional, consultative, and service-oriented approach. They strive to understand their candidates and clients' visions and fulfill their goals. All of their account executives have extensive experience and skills in the disciplines or industries within which they work, which permits them to add value, knowledge, and excellence to the placement process.

In addition, the Response Companies are home to numerous subsidiary entities which include RESPONSE Legal Search and RRMS Advisors, which are providers of nationwide legal searches and provide Expert Witness and Advisory Services to the financial services industry nationwide. RRMS Advisors managing directors have been chosen to be a leading testifying expert involved in some of the largest class action mortgage industry settlements in the history of the United States. Also, Response Legal Search, under the Direction of its Director, Anna Savic, has been selected as the #1 legal search recruitment firm by Connecticut attorneys for the last five years.

Mr. Feldman is a practice leader who performs high quality recruiting of financial and accounting professionals from associate to C level suite in Fortune 500's and senior associates, managers, directors and partners in the Big 4, the top one hundred consulting firms, accounting firms, and law firms. He also places professionals in start-ups, financial services, venture capital, private equity, hedge funds, and banks throughout the country.

Prior to joining Response, Mr. Feldman was president of A.E. Feldman Associates, Inc., an executive search and recruiting firm specializing in legal, financial, accounting, technology and the diamond jewelry industry. The firm recruited mid-level to C-suite executives from across the U.S., as well as overseas for Fortune 500's, family practices, law firms, real estate, banks, hedge funds, start-ups, and accounting firms.

Mr. Feldman was born and raised in New York. He earned his B.S. in Marketing and Management from New York Institute of Technology-Old Westbury. When Mr. Feldman isn't working, he enjoys tennis, cycling, and coaching kids in sports. He also enjoyed reading Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.

Mr. Feldman's Successful Career Path and Tips for Legal Recruiters

Does Mr. Feldman have a top memory from school? "I was president of the American Marketing Association while I studied at New York Institute of Technology." What does it take to become a successful recruiter? "A successful recruiter must stay on top of current trends and should be knowledgeable of the everyday issues because they change every day. Recruiters should be networking and they should consistently communicate with their candidates and clients to get proper information." Mr. Feldman noted that it would be helpful if recruiters read the related industry trade journals (i.e. New York Law Journal).

Did Mr. Feldman transition into working as a recruiter? "I had the opportunity to work as a recruiter right out of college, but I decided to join corporate America and I worked for a Fortune 500 company. I then ran A.E. Feldman Associates, Inc., in the 1990s and the company grew to fifty full-time employees."

What motivated him to work as a recruiter? "The technology boom in the 1990s is the number one reason why I became a recruiter." Mr. Feldman continued to say that he rode the .com craze through the 1990s. After the tech bubble crashed in 2001, he relied on his legal and accounting knowledge to be successful.

What advice would Mr. Feldman give to someone who's brand-new to recruiting? "I would direct recruiters to not only learn new methods of recruiting, but also learn the old methods because the combination is unbeatable."

What information does he wish he had when starting out? "I wish I had LinkedIn. It's the best thing to happen to the entire recruiting world. My best advice to recruiters is to add proactive content to their profile." Mr. Feldman explained that before LinkedIn was established recruiters depended on tradeshows and telemarketers. He acknowledged that social networks have changed the way recruiters network today.

What's one of the things that Mr. Feldman finds most challenging about his job? "It's challenging to find good candidates to work for my clients. I am sure my competitors feel the same way."

What would he say is the most important thing he learned as a legal recruiter? "To quickly deliver to my clients."

What is Mr. Feldman known for professionally? "I am known to give retainer quality service in the contingent recruiter world."

What does he look for to find the right fit? "You must completely understand what your clients' needs are, and you must know what your candidates are looking for. It has to be a perfect fit, otherwise, it doesn't work well."

Does Mr. Feldman have a recipe for a perfect match? "Besides the right skill set, you have to have the right compatibility and understand your clients organizational goals. During the interview, the compatibility comes out."

What are his strengths and one weakness as a recruiter? "My strengths are my research, interviewing, and client knowledge. I am extremely knowledgeable about the profession. I live my job seven days a week 24/7. My weakness is that I never have enough information. You can never have enough information."

Where does Mr. Feldman see the legal field in the next five years? "I think there are hot areas of growth like information security law, intellectual property and financial services compliance. The legal profession will grow at a reasonable rate but only in expanding newly created disciplines."

How does the businessman process fear? "I face it, and I work through it."

How does Mr. Feldman tackle new obstacles? "There are new challenges every day. I attack my obstacles."

What motivates him to be an executive recruiter every day? "It's all about the desire to be successful and reap the rewards of victory."

Has Mr. Feldman learned something of value from his mistakes? "Yes. If you make mistakes in your career, you don't repeat them again."

Where does he derive his confidence? "I have been a driven individual since I was five-years old. I derived my confidence early on."

Being a Mentor, People Who Inspire Mr. Feldman and His Passion

Does Mr. Feldman consider himself a mentor? "Yes. I mentor people all the time. I like to coach and mentor people all the time."

Has anyone inspired him? "My father inspired me to get into the recruiting business and I learned from him. He was a legend in the business. My father recruited in the 60s and he had a lot of wit in this business. I am also inspired by my kids, industry titans, and sports athletes."

What causes is Mr. Feldman passionate about? "Finding treatment and cures for cancer."

A Rewarding Position, Mr. Feldman's Goals and Final Thoughts

Does Mr. Feldman find his work rewarding? "It's very rewarding and I have a lot of fun."

What are his goals? "To keep working as long as possible."

When asked if there is anything else he cared to share professionally or personally, Mr. Feldman replied, "I would like to spend more time with my family."

Mr. Feldman can be reached via email at mfeldman@responseco.com.