Use executive search when the leader you need is unlikely to apply to a post, the cost of a wrong hire is high, and you can give the process a single owner and a real compensation band. Use a job post or a contingency recruiter when qualified people are already looking and the role is well understood. Paying retained fees for an ordinary requisition does not make the hire more senior.
Apply three tests before you sign a retainer
Is the person probably employed and not applying? Would a bad hire damage the business, not just annoy the team? Can you brief the outcome, the band and the stakeholders this month? If any answer is no, you are not ready for a retained search.
- A vacant role with a pile of relevant applications is a screening problem.
- A role the leadership team cannot describe is a strategy problem.
- A role with no pay band is a compensation problem. Search will not invent the band for you.
What you owe the process
A search firm cannot compensate for a client who cancels interviews and rewrites the job after every meeting. Name the decision maker, keep the scorecard stable, and give feedback on every profile. That is the work that makes the fee rational.
- Put the brief in writing.
- Meet shortlisted people within the week you promised.
- Tell the firm when the role pauses. Do not ghost your own search.
What a good process feels like to a candidate
You should know the firm, the problem, and eventually the company. You should not be asked to resign early or to share confidential data from your current employer. A process that feels like a fishing expedition is one you can leave.
- Ask the stage and the timeline.
- Ask why the last person left, or why the role is new.
- Keep your own search confidential until the offer is written.
Retained search is for a scarce leader and a client who is ready. It is not a more expensive job post.
Questions people ask
Can we run our own confidential approach instead?
- Yes, if a leader inside the company can reach the right people and will run a fair process. Many cannot, because the approach itself signals strategy. That is when a firm earns the fee.
What should a retainer buy?
- A market map, a confidential approach to relevant people, a shortlist, and support through close. It should not buy a stack of active CVs you could have received from a job post.
When should we stop a search?
- Stop if the outcome, the band or the decision maker changes and cannot be reset. Continuing a search against a moving brief burns candidates and the firm's credibility with them.
Related reading
Kabir Menon
Kabir covers applicant tracking systems and leadership hiring. He explains how shortlists are actually built, for candidates and for hiring managers.
