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David Gonzalez has worked in recruiting since 2007, and as the Director of Recruiting Services at GSG, he’s our in-house expert when it comes to finding talent for financial services consulting positions.

As the first quarter of 2019 comes to a close, we sat down with him to get his perspective on what he’s seeing in the market, and what advice he’d share with consultants and hiring managers.

As Director of Recruiting Services at GSG, what are some recent trends you’re seeing in terms of types of roles, hiring speeds, etc.?
I think the same trends have been building over the past five years or so. Our clients reside primarily within financial services, and we’re seeing a shift away from hiring in the regulatory reporting space, and towards building out teams who can analyze data and leverage it to understand their customers better. Customer service is continually becoming more personalized and experiential, so our clients want consultants who can lift insights from large data sets and help them identify how to drive and sustain loyalty.

Hiring speeds haven’t changed much among our clients, but the interview dynamic has shifted somewhat. Candidate pools are really competitive right now, so we’re seeing consultants be very selective in screening would-be employers.

What is the job market like these days? How is it impacting consultant hiring?
It’s really interesting to see that with unemployment holding steady (especially in the professional services space), there are still plenty of opportunities for those wanting to make a change.

This isn’t resulting in increased wages as much as you would think, but employers are being much more flexible with remote/telecommuting options, which in a majority of cases is more desirable for candidates. Conversely, this has a negative impact on those applying for jobs with the option of working remote as an advertised benefit, as professionals are now finding themselves competing against a much larger candidate pool as well as being in a compensation band that is not reflective of higher-cost markets.

If you could give one piece of advice to hiring managers, what would it be?
My natural inclination is to say move quickly and prioritize securing the talent you need—but more importantly, I advise having a candid conversation with your consulting partner on how appealing the role you’re offering to the market is. It’s a candidate-driven market currently, and many well-qualified professionals are interviewing for several opportunities alongside yours. I encourage our clients to think strategically about how they can differentiate their opportunities. We also work together to establish expectations about the talent they can anticipate seeing given the resources they have to work with. I’ve seen managers under tight conditions do a lot for their organizations by screening and hiring for potential in these circumstances.

How about one piece of advice to candidates?
It’s hard to give advice that’s universal, but I think from all sides—candidate, employer, talent firm—the most important thing is to work with partners who prioritize relationships over transactions.

With more than 10 years of recruiting experience under your belt, how do you think the industry has the industry changed or stayed the same?
When I first started recruiting, contacting candidates was much easier—you called, and they answered. However, with the significant influx of robocalls, candidates are pushing most inbound calls from unknown numbers straight to voicemail. This has been a significant hurdle for firms like GSG that focus on approaching individuals personally, not mass-emailing large candidate groups based on key word searches of resumes.


Granite Solutions Groupe has been placing high caliber consulting talent with financial services clients since 1998. Consultants work with us because their talents and motivations are understood and respected by our best in class recruiting team. Clients choose us because we take the time to understand their needs and deliver top-quality talent that gets consistent and efficient results. To find out more about how we can work together, reach out to engage@granitesolutionsgroupe.com.