When to use an executive search firm and when not to
Retained search has its place. So does contingent search. So does doing it yourself. Here's the matrix.
Retained search has its place. So does contingent search. So does doing it yourself. Here's the matrix.
Retained search
Right for C-level and very senior hires, where the candidate pool is small, mostly passive, and the consequences of getting it wrong are board-level.
Flat fee search
Right for senior IC and Director hires, where the pool is larger and the alignment of incentives matters more than the brand of the search firm.
Self-served
Right when your network genuinely contains the right person, you have time to manage the process, and you can run a structured interview loop.
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