What the money buys
A market map: who holds this seat at comparable companies, who held it recently, who is ready for it next. Building that is weeks of work and it is worthless to anyone paid only on placement.
Approach: contacting people who are not looking, most of whom say no. A contingency recruiter cannot fund a conversation with a 90 per cent chance of nothing.
Assessment: interviewing, referencing and calibrating against your brief before anybody reaches you.
The stages, and what each should produce
| Stage | What you should receive | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement | A written brief, a target list of companies, a timeline | Week 1 |
| Mapping | The long list, named, with rationale | Weeks 2 to 4 |
| Approach | Progress against the list, including who declined and why | Weeks 3 to 6 |
| Shortlist | Interviewed candidates who have seen the package and confirmed interest | Weeks 6 to 8 |
| Offer | Support through negotiation and resignation | Weeks 8 to 12 |
How to tell it is real
- Ask for the long list, not just the shortlist. A firm that mapped the market can show you who they ruled out and why.
- Ask who declined. A search with no declines was not an approach-led search.
- Ask who is doing the work. The partner who sold it is often not the person running it.
When it is the wrong tool
For a part-time or fractional seat, percentage-of-salary economics fit badly and a flat fee or a direct hire almost always serves better. For a role with a deep, visible market, you are paying for reach you do not need.
Questions
- How long does a retained search take?
- Eight to twelve weeks from engagement to offer accepted is normal for a C-suite seat, plus the notice period, which is frequently three months. Plan for six months from decision to desk.
- What is the difference between a headhunter and an executive search firm?
- In practice they describe the same work. Headhunting names the approach, contacting people who are not looking; executive search names the process around it.