Podcast Summary

The Investor With Joel Palathinkal

Episode: David Hampton: Founder of Hampton Strategies
Date: January 18, 2026

Episode Overview

Host Dr. Joel Palathinkal welcomes David Hampton, founder of Hampton Strategies, to discuss the critical role of executive recruiters in private equity and venture capital. The conversation explores how recruiters and candidates can collaborate for successful placements, the career journeys that lead to executive search, best practices for both sides of the hiring process, and broader career development insights. David, with a background in forensic psychology and intelligence, shares his unique path and actionable advice for candidates and clients.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. David Hampton’s Unconventional Career Path

• Non-linear Careers: David emphasizes that career paths are rarely straight lines and shares how curiosity, adaptability, and linguistics led him from psych and English studies to being a private investigator, educator, researcher, and eventually, an executive recruiter.

  “Career paths are not linear. They're not a straight line.” (03:27, David)

• Forensic Psychology and Military Insight: His experience creating psychological profiles for presidential candidates in Afghanistan and pivoting due to industry and academic realities adds to his recruiter superpowers in due diligence.

2. The Role & Impact of Recruiters

• Recruitment as Impactful Work:

  “There's nothing like manifesting something that's going to be better, like, life-changing for somebody else. ... There's nothing like it. And I truly believe that I do God's work.” (09:24, David)

• Recruiters as Allies: Joel and David highlight the importance of building strong, sincere relationships between recruiters and candidates, as recruiters are not just gatekeepers but real partners in shaping careers.

3. Candidate Journeys: From Early to Late Career

• Midlife Career Changes:

  • Addressing professionals transitioning in their 50s—importance of core values, authenticity, adaptability, and demonstrating resilience.

  “There are core principles and values that most people will agree on … authenticity, resilience, grit, tenacity…” (13:08, David)

• Common Success Traits:

  • Candidates placed successfully tend to blend the necessary technical chops with demonstrable soft skills—resilience, adaptability, and authenticity.

  “You can have all these intangibles, but if you can't do the job, you’re not … going to make it.” (14:17, David)

4. The Interview & Placement Process

• Process Differences:

  • Larger firms (“the big boys”) have multi-round (can run up to six months) interview processes, but David prefers nimble, decisive clients for more impactful partnerships.

  “I work with the firms that are going to be less bureaucratic, that are going to be more decisive … probably like, you know, maybe a four week turnaround.” (18:51, David)

• VC vs. Private Equity:

  • Processes are similar; however, VC may focus more on due diligence, PE on deal sourcing and operating experience. Both require relevant case studies and presentations.

5. The Recruiter's Selection Criteria

• Coachability Matters:

  • Willingness to be prepped and humble acceptance of guidance is key.

  “I’m going to pick up whether the person that I’m talking to is coachable, will they work my process?” (26:27, David)

• Avoiding Candidates With Ego:

  • David discusses past experiences with candidates who refused prep, lacked organization, and ultimately failed.

  “...a candidate who was really obtuse ... just the lack of preparation, lack of willing to prepare, the lack of ... authenticity.” (28:21, David)

6. The Importance of Storytelling and Framing

• Storytelling in Interviews:

  • A successful narrative has a clear beginning, middle, end, and logical transitions, focusing on skills gained and reasons for moves.

  “You have to be able to tell a story where you have a beginning, middle, and end ... take the person through the story of how you started, why you started ... and why you pivoted.” (47:07, David)

• Motivation Framing:

  • Always position yourself as running towards growth opportunities, not fleeing problems.

  “Are they running away from something, or are they running to something? There’s a big difference.” (36:24, David)

7. Motivations for Career Moves (The “CLAMS” Framework)

• C.L.A.M.S:
  • Challenge
  • Location
  • Advancement
  • Money
  • Stability

  “Generally speaking, there are five main motivations that people make change. And I use an acronym. It's called CLAMS.” (36:32, David)

8. Job Hopping and Market Norms

• Rules of Thumb:
  • Ideally, no more than three jobs in 10 years (approx. three years/job).
  • Authenticity in explaining transitions is crucial.

  “The rule of thumb is no more than three jobs in 10 years.” (44:54, David)
  “If the story tells … if there's enough authenticity in the story ... I always start with my candidates with their story.” (45:43, David)

9. Job Descriptions & Hiring from the Client Side

• Employer Value Proposition:

  • Job descriptions should go beyond requirements and clearly set out why someone should want to work for the hiring manager specifically.

  “Why should someone quit their job and come work for you? People don’t work for companies. They work for people.” (52:10, David)

• Best Practice:

  • Incorporate vision, personal leadership, firm accomplishments, and culture into the job pitch.

10. Core Ingredients for Career Satisfaction

• Three Key Factors:
  • Mastery: Feeling capable and confident.
  • Autonomy: Being trusted to operate independently.
  • Meaning: Believing the work matters.

  “That is, that's mastery ... There's autonomy ... The last one is meaning. … Do they believe what they're doing matters?” (40:54, David)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Confidence & Sales:

  “Sales is the ability and willingness to understand what the other person wants and giving it to them.” (31:01, David)

• On Career Transitions:

  “The candidates who succeed are the ones who prepare, who understand what the needs are and the problem … and then they understand how their value is going to be of substance…” (32:27, David)

• On Perseverance:

  “Don’t be afraid to be the person in the arena. It's that person who's going to learn the most.” (54:25, David referencing FDR's ‘Man in the Arena’)

• On Working with Clients:

  “You're either going to partner up with me because you see that and you acknowledge that or you don’t … I’m unapologetic about that because I know what I’m worth.” (29:57, David)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:27 | David describes his non-linear career journey | | 09:24 | David on the fulfillment of improving others’ lives through recruiting | | 13:08 | Core values and authenticity in career pivots, especially for mature candidates | | 14:17 | Discussion of required hard/soft skills for finance placements | | 18:51 | Differences between big vs. boutique/private firms in hiring process | | 26:27 | Recruiter’s focus on coachability and humility | | 31:01 | David’s definition of sales as understanding needs and delivering | | 36:24 | The “running to vs. running from” motivation frame | | 36:32 | Introduction to the CLAMS motivation framework | | 40:54 | Three factors of career satisfaction | | 44:54 | Rule of thumb on job hopping: three jobs in ten years | | 47:07 | How to effectively narrate your career story | | 52:10 | Why people leave jobs: “People don’t work for companies. They work for people.” | | 54:25 | Grit and learning from being “in the arena” |

Final Takeaways

For Candidates:

• Build an authentic, logical career story
• Be coachable and prepared
• Articulate your motivations using CLAMS
• Express confidence and a clear value proposition in interviews

For Hiring Managers/GPs:

• Go beyond boilerplate job descriptions—explain why high-caliber candidates should join you
• Clearly communicate vision, leadership, and culture
• Approach the recruiter-client relationship as a true partnership

Overarching Message:

Grit, authenticity, and preparation are timeless keys to personal and professional growth for both job-seekers and organizations.

Summary by The Investor Podcast Summarizer. For further details, listen to the episode or connect with David Hampton at Hampton Strategies.