Business Development Associate

6 days ago

Chicago, Illinois, United States Crucial Hire Full time $90,000 - $600,000 per year

Business Development Associate – Executive Search (Chicago | In Office)

About the Company

Crucial Hire is growing, and we're looking for someone memorable. Someone whose presence raises the standard in the room. We're a boutique executive search firm in Chicago's Gold Coast, partnering with CEOs and CHROs to fill high-impact HR and People Leadership roles ($90K–$600K total comp). Our clients expect excellence, and we take that seriously. When you join us, you're stepping into a brand with a trusted reputation — one that opens doors before you do.

About the Role

This is not a remote role. And it's not a "stay quiet behind a screen" role either.

It's in-person, voice-forward, handshake-driven. If you enjoy real conversations, real relationships, and the electricity of connecting with decision-makers, you'll thrive here. It's a role for someone who likes the energy of the Gold Coast office and isn't afraid to meet the moment. For the right person, this is a career-making step into executive search.

Responsibilities

  • Make 40–60 outbound calls each day to HR leaders, CHROs, and senior business executives
  • Follow up on 100+ warm leads per month (our brand gets real callbacks)
  • Build your own targeted business development pipeline
  • Attend local HR and business events
  • Participate in client conversations and candidate interviews
  • Shadow executive-level recruiting meetings
  • Represent Crucial Hire with a confident, approachable voice and presence
  • Learn executive search from the inside and grow into a full recruiter role

Qualifications

You'll stand out if you come from strong B2B sales or agency recruiting backgrounds such as Enterprise, TEKsystems, Aerotek, ADP, Paychex, CUTCO/Vector, CDW, Xerox, Northwestern Mutual, Cintas, or similar environments that develop disciplined, high-output professionals.

Beyond background, here's what matters most:

  • You love the phone, and people genuinely enjoy talking with you
  • You create callbacks through tone, timing, and credibility
  • You're accountable, self-directed, and organized
  • You bring empathy to candidates, clients, and the hiring process
  • You're confident without ego, sharp without arrogance
  • You have a sense of humor and emotional intelligence
  • You want to be part of something meaningful — not just "a job"
  • You quickly become the role model others watch

Required Skills

  • Strong B2B sales experience
  • Excellent verbal communication
  • Relationship-building instincts
  • Self-discipline and follow-through
  • Emotional intelligence

Preferred Skills

  • Exposure to recruiting or executive search
  • Familiarity with HR or business networking events
  • Comfort shadowing senior leaders in real time

Compensation

$50,000 base salary + performance bonuses.

Equal Opportunity Statement

At Crucial Hire, you're not another sales rep on a spreadsheet. You're someone we invest in — personally and professionally. Our goal is simple: hire someone so strong that we feel fortunate they chose us.

If that resonates with you, we should talk.

How to Apply

Send your resume or LinkedIn profile to "Subject: 1016 Business Development Associate." and/or book a 15-minute intro conversation:

If this role sparked something in you, you may be exactly who we've been looking for. Let's talk. — Zach

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