What Is an Executive Search Firm?
What Is an Executive Search Firm?
An executive search firm helps companies hire senior leaders (Director through C-suite) by recruiting the people who are not actively job searching. Unlike job postings that attract whoever’s looking, executive search is targeted outreach, structured evaluation, and hands-on closing support for high-stakes hires.
Hiring a Director to C-level leader?
If you’re filling a high-impact role and want a principal-led search process, book a quick call. I’ll ask a few questions, tell you if search makes sense, and outline next steps.
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What executive search firms do (and don’t)
What I do
Proactively recruit the people you actually want, not just whoever applies.
Calibrate the role so you’re hiring for outcomes, not a wish list.
Pressure-test candidates with structured evaluation, not gut feel.
Run the process end-to-end from outreach through offer acceptance, including candidate management and closing.
Recent example: Placed a Head of Sales who wasn’t job searching but was the exact sales leader and team builder the company needed.
What I don’t do
I don’t post a job and hope the right person sees it.
I don’t send a pile of resumes and disappear.
I don’t treat critical hiring like a volume game.
Executive search tends to make sense when the role is high-impact, confidential, hard to fill through inbound, or you need more certainty than a typical hiring process provides.
Executive search vs staffing vs internal recruiting
A simple way to think about it:
Staffing agencies
Best when speed and volume matter and qualified people are actively looking.
Internal recruiting
Great when you have bandwidth, a strong employer brand, and the role can be filled through normal pipelines.
Executive search
Best for senior, specialized, or high-stakes roles where the best candidates are not applying, evaluation needs to be tighter, and closing requires more hands-on work.
Search is less about “finding candidates” and more about reducing risk on an important hire.
The boutique advantage: principal-led search
Most executive search firms run a team model. Often a partner sells you, an associate runs point, and a researcher does the sourcing. That can work, but it can also mean handoffs and missed nuance.
With me, it’s principal-led from kickoff to close:
role calibration and scorecard
sourcing strategy and outreach
evaluation design and debriefs
offer strategy and closing
No handoffs. Clear accountability. Your search does not compete with internal priorities.
Retained vs contingency: what’s the difference?
Retained search
You engage a search partner to run a structured process and prioritize your role. This is common for leadership and critical hires where the cost of getting it wrong is high.
Contingency recruiting
A fee is typically paid only if a candidate is hired. This can work when the role is easier to fill and there are multiple viable recruiting channels.
If you’re not sure which model fits, that’s exactly what the first call is for.
What to expect: timeline, process, and investment
Typical process
Kickoff and calibration: success profile, must-haves, dealbreakers, and interview plan
Targeted outreach: proactive recruiting into the right talent pools
Screening and evaluation: structured interviews and consistent scorecards
Shortlist: a tight slate of candidates you would realistically hire
Interviews: interview support, feedback loops, and process control
References and closing: de-risking, offer strategy, and acceptance support
Timeline (what’s realistic)
Most searches: identifying a legitimate “candidate of choice” within 6 to 9 weeks from kickoff. Recent benchmark: 42 days from launch to offer acceptance on a Head of Sales search.
Investment (high-level)
Fees vary based on seniority, scope, and model (retained vs contingency). Most executive search fees are tied to compensation in some way. If you share the role level and rough comp range on a call, I can give you a clear, concrete expectation.
MBE-certified search: why it matters
If your organization tracks supplier diversity metrics or navigates corporate procurement requirements, working with an MBE-certified executive search partner can make vendor onboarding easier while supporting diversity spend goals. For many companies, this isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s part of strategic sourcing.
The certification doesn’t change search quality or rigor. What it does: creates a procurement pathway and diversity spend advantage that larger firms can’t offer. For companies navigating supplier diversity initiatives, it’s a strategic lever, not just a check-box.
How to choose a search partner
Questions I ask upfront
These are the questions that separate strategic search from order-taking:
What does success look like 18 months after this hire starts?
What has caused previous hires in this role (or adjacent roles) to struggle?
How does this role need to evolve as the business scales?
What are the true non-negotiables vs the “nice to haves” that are inflating the search?
What would make you say yes to someone you didn’t expect?
For a deeper look at how I approach evaluation and role calibration, read How Startups Should Partner With Executive Search (Without Wasting Time or Budget) and Recruiting Partnerships in the Age of AI.
Questions you should ask any search partner
Who is actually running sourcing and outreach day-to-day?
How do you evaluate candidates consistently (scorecards, structured interviews, references)?
What does your shortlist typically look like (quantity, quality, format)?
How do you handle candidate management and closing?
What’s the communication cadence and who do I talk to weekly?
FAQ
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What types of roles do executive search firms fill?
Most often: Director, VP, and C-level roles, plus critical leaders where the bar for impact and fit is high.
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Do executive search firms only recruit executives?
Not always. Search can also make sense for critical individual contributors when the role is specialized and the market is tight.
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How is executive search different from posting a job?
Job posts attract whoever’s looking. Search targets the people who aren’t. That’s usually where the best candidates are: currently employed, not actively searching, and needing a compelling reason to consider something new.
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How long does executive search take?
Most searches are measured in weeks, not days. As a baseline, I can usually share an initial slate within about 15 business days for active searches, then keep building the pipeline until the hire is closed. The exact timeline depends on role scope, market tightness, and how quickly feedback and interviews move.
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How do executive search fees work?
Fees depend on role level, urgency, and the engagement model. Executive search is often retained or project-based, with staged payments tied to the work required (research, direct outreach, evaluation, and process management). If you share what you’re hiring for and why, I’ll recommend the simplest structure that fits the situation.
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Can search be confidential?
Yes. Confidential search is common when replacing a leader or when the company is not ready to announce the role.
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How can I contact you?
Reach out through the Contact page and tell me what you’re hiring for (role, level, location/remote expectations, and timeline). I’ll reply within one business day and suggest the most straightforward way to move forward.
Hiring a leader and want to do it right?
Book a call and we’ll pressure-test the role, your current pipeline, and whether executive search is the right approach.