Questions to Ask an Executive Search Firm
These questions are for a board member, CEO or HR lead choosing an executive search firm for a senior hire, to put to the firm's partners at the pitch and again before signing the engagement letter. They follow that conversation: who will actually run the search, the firm's record, off-limits clients and confidentiality, how candidates are found and assessed, fees and terms, then the timeline, the guarantee and what happens if the search fails. Each has a note on what a good or a worrying answer sounds like and what to do with it.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Who runs it
Who will lead this search day to day, and will we meet that person before we sign?
Why ask it
The partner who wins the work is not always the one who does it. A firm that means to staff the search properly can give you every name on the team and what each will do, and will write the lead into the engagement letter. 'Our team will handle it' with no names is the answer to worry about.
How many other searches will the lead partner be carrying while ours is live?
Why ask it
A partner who manages their own load answers with a number straight away, and one who takes whatever is sold answers with a description of the team. No figure is right for every firm, so put the question to each one pitching and compare. The follow-up that matters is how many of those searches are still in the weeks of first calls and candidate meetings, which usually take the most of a partner's time.
Who makes the first approach to a candidate: the partner, an associate or a researcher?
Why ask it
A sitting executive who is not looking will often take a call from a known partner and ignore a message from a junior name. What you want to hear is that the partner personally calls the people at the top of the list, whoever handles the rest. If the partner only appears at the shortlist, you are buying the associate's judgment.
Who does the research behind the long list, and do they work for the firm or under contract?
Why ask it
The long list is usually built by a researcher you may never meet, and nobody the researcher misses can reach your shortlist. Ten minutes with that person at the pitch shows how well they know your sector. Contract researchers can be very good, but then someone outside the firm is holding your confidential brief, and you should know who.
If the lead partner left the firm or went on leave partway through, what would happen to our search?
Why ask it
Partners move between firms, and a search can stall for weeks when one does. A good answer names a second partner who sits in from the briefing onward. Some clients have the letter say they may end the engagement if the lead changes, so find out whether this firm would accept that.
If the strongest candidates are in another region or country, who at your firm makes those calls?
Why ask it
A large firm will point to its offices and a boutique to an alliance of independent firms, and either can work. What decides it is whether the colleague over there joins your team at the briefing or is doing a favor for another office. If every likely candidate lives within an hour of you, leave this one out.
Which of you will attend our interviews and the final decision meeting?
Why ask it
Some firms hand over a shortlist and step back, and others stay in the room to the end. Neither is wrong, but a board that hires at this level once in ten years usually wants the second. Settle it now so it does not turn up later as an extra.
Is there anything about this search that makes you hesitate to take it?
Why ask it
Firms that take every assignment are selling. One that names a real difficulty, such as the location, the pay or a founder who is staying on, has already started thinking about your search. Stay on that difficulty until you have heard how they would handle it.
Track record
Which searches like this one have you completed in the last three years, and who led each?
Why ask it
Title, type of organization and year are enough where the client cannot be named. A firm's record belongs to the partners who did the work, so check that those people are still there and would be on your search. A page of logos with no dates is a brochure.
Without naming anyone, what kinds of people do you already know who could do this job?
Why ask it
Someone who works your sector can sketch three or four profiles on the spot, such as the deputy at a larger rival or a division head ready for a first top job. Leave the names out on purpose. Those people have not agreed to be discussed, and a firm that offers them at a pitch will be as loose with your search.
Of the retained searches you began in the last three years, how many ended with a hire from your shortlist?
Why ask it
Firms rarely volunteer this, and how they count matters as much as the figure. Searches that were cancelled, put on hold or filled by an insider can be counted in or left out, and the choice moves the number a long way. A partner who knows it and explains the misses is more convincing than one who says every search ends well.
How many of the executives you placed are still in the job two or three years on?
Why ask it
A search that closes fast and produces an eighteen-month tenure is an expensive failure, and the completion figure will not show it. Not every firm tracks this, which is itself worth knowing. The telling part is what the partner says about the ones who left early: a reason for each, or a shrug.
How long did your last few searches at this level take, from signed letter to accepted offer?
Why ask it
Actual durations are more useful than the timeline in the proposal. Ask for the longest one as well, and what dragged it out. If the delays were mostly on the client's side, you have just been told what to avoid.
Tell us about a search that ended without a hire. What went wrong?
Why ask it
Every firm with a real history has one. Listen for whether the partner takes any share of the blame or puts it all on the client, because you would be the client in the next version of that story.
Which clients can we call, including one whose search ran long or had to be restarted?
Why ask it
References picked by the firm will be friendly, so make your questions to them specific: who actually did the work, how the shortlist compared with what was promised, and what the firm did when things went sideways. Whether they have used the firm again since is the short version of all three.
How do senior people in our market see us as an employer right now?
Why ask it
A firm that works your sector hears what candidates say about you when you are not in the room. A candid answer, unflattering part included, is a sample of the advice you would get during the search. If all you hear is praise, they either do not know or will not say.
Have you worked for a board or a search committee before, and how is that different from working for one executive?
Why ask it
A committee has several opinions, limited time and often no experience of hiring at this level. A firm that has done it will talk about getting a group to agree on a brief and keeping members from holding side conversations with candidates. Skip this one if a single executive will make the decision.
Off-limits
Which organizations can you not recruit from because they are your clients?
Why ask it
Search firms generally agree not to approach people at companies they have recently worked for, so a firm that is strong in your sector may be barred from the places your best candidates sit. Get the list as it applies to this search in writing before you sign, not a general assurance that it will not be a problem.
How does your firm define off-limits: the whole client company, one division, or only the people you placed?
Why ask it
Definitions vary a good deal from firm to firm and sometimes from client to client. A narrow one leaves more of the market open to you and a broad one closes it. Two details pin it down: how long each restriction lasts, and who inside the firm keeps the record.
Here are the ten organizations we would most like to see candidates from. How many of them can you approach?
Why ask it
Bring the list to the pitch. It turns a conversation about policy into a yes or no for each name, and it is the quickest way to compare a large firm with a boutique. If three or four of the ten are closed, ask where the firm would find you people of the same standard.
After this search, for how long will our own executives be off-limits to you, and does that cover the whole firm?
Why ask it
The protection you get is the mirror of the restriction you just asked about. Check whether it binds every office and practice or only the partner you dealt with, and get the period into the engagement letter. The person they place with you is a separate matter: many firms say they will not approach their own placement while that person stays, so see whether this one will write it down.
Are you running a search for a similar role elsewhere, and who would hear about a strong candidate first?
Why ask it
Two clients chasing the same small pool cannot both get first sight of the best person. Some firms will not present one candidate to two clients at once, which protects the candidate and may keep someone from you. You are after the firm's rule and a straight answer on whether it would bite in this search.
If the search has to stay confidential, who will know our name, and when does a candidate learn it?
Why ask it
This matters most when the person in the seat has not been told. Have the partner say the opening of that first call out loud with your name left out, then explain what a candidate signs before hearing more and what the firm did the last time word got out. If the vacancy is public knowledge, skip it.
Candidates
How will you build the long list: fresh research for our brief, or people already in your database?
Why ask it
The database is quick and holds people the firm already knows, while new research finds the ones who have never spoken to a recruiter. A firm that does both can tell you roughly how a recent shortlist split between them. Be wary of all of one: that is either a recycled list or a firm with no memory of your market.
How many people do you expect to approach, and how many should we expect on the shortlist?
Why ask it
Nobody can know yet, but a firm that has run this kind of search can give the range from the last one and say how the list narrowed. A very long shortlist can mean the choosing has been passed back to you. The reasons people came off the list are the judgment you are paying for, so plan to hear them at every stage.
Who writes the position specification, and how much time will you spend with us before writing it?
Why ask it
The specification is what candidates read first, so it should come from interviews with the board, the boss and a few future peers, not from your old job description. A careful firm will name the people it wants to interview on your side and build that time into the plan. One that is ready to start calling candidates on Monday has skipped the step.
Looking at our brief and the pay we have in mind, what would you change before going to market?
Why ask it
You are paying for market knowledge, and this is where it should show. A partner who says the range is light, or that two of your requirements rarely come in one person, is doing the job. Agreement with everything at the pitch tends to become bad news in month three.
Which facts about us will be hardest to sell, and how would you put them to a candidate?
Why ask it
Every employer has some: a turnaround, a difficult owner, an unfashionable town. You want a firm that tells candidates early and in plain words, because a finalist who learns it at the offer stage often walks. Have them say the actual sentence.
What will you do to bring us a slate that is not just the familiar names from the familiar companies?
Why ask it
Good answers describe a method: where they look, which neighboring roles and sectors they map, who they ask for referrals. The evidence is in their last few shortlists, and in how varied the backgrounds and career paths on them were. A statement of values with no practice behind it produces the list you could have written yourself.
How do you assess candidates before we meet them, and who does it?
Why ask it
A long structured interview is the least to expect, and some firms add case exercises, questionnaires or outside assessors. For each tool, find out what it is meant to show and how much weight the firm gives the result. The partner's own interview with every shortlisted candidate is the part not to give up.
Can we see a candidate report from a recent search, with the names removed?
Why ask it
This is the document your board will decide from, so read one before you buy. A useful report weighs the person against the brief and says where they fall short. If it reads like a resume with compliments, you will be doing the assessment yourselves.
How do you treat internal candidates and names that our own board puts forward?
Why ask it
They should be measured against the same brief and by the same process as everyone else, and told so at the start. The hard part is the feedback to an insider who does not get the job, since that person still works for you the next morning, so hear how the firm has handled it before.
When do you take references, and do you speak to people the candidate did not name?
Why ask it
References the candidate chose will be warm. Calls to others say more, but they should wait for the candidate's agreement and need careful timing while the person is still employed. What a referee may be asked differs from place to place, so have the firm explain how it works where you are and who makes the calls.
Who verifies degrees, employment history and other background checks, and is that part of the fee?
Why ask it
Never assume it is done. Some firms check, some send it to an outside provider at your cost, and some leave it to the client. Which checks are allowed, and what consent they need, depends on where you and the candidate are, so put that to the firm and to your own counsel.
What is your part in the offer: testing pay expectations, negotiating, handling a counteroffer?
Why ask it
A good firm knows what each finalist would accept before you make an offer, and has already talked through what happens when the current employer fights back. Where the fee rises with the package, the firm has an interest in the number, so ask how they keep their advice straight.
How do you treat the candidates who are not chosen?
Why ask it
They are senior people in your own market, and each will remember how your search treated them. The answer you want is a phone call from the partner soon after the decision, with real feedback. 'We let them know by email' is a poor answer for someone who gave up three evenings to meet your board.
Fees and terms
What is the fee, and is it a fixed sum or a percentage of first-year compensation?
Why ask it
Retained firms quote both ways. A percentage is the older habit, and a fixed fee takes away any reward for a higher salary. Get the basis written down with a worked example for a package like yours, and ask every firm pitching for the same so you can compare.
If it is a percentage, which parts of the package count: salary, target bonus, sign-on payment, equity?
Why ask it
This definition can move the bill more than the headline rate does. The two places it moves are the bonus, counted at target or at maximum, and equity or a long-term plan, which someone has to put a value on. A firm that has not thought about it will think about it at invoice time.
When is each installment due, and is any of it tied to the shortlist or the accepted offer?
Why ask it
Many retained firms bill in stages by the calendar, so the full fee can be paid before anyone is hired. Some will link a stage to a milestone if you ask. A partner confident of delivering usually has less trouble with that than one who is not.
Is the fee capped, and what happens if the final package comes in above the estimate?
Why ask it
Without a cap, a top-up invoice can follow a successful negotiation. Ask whether the fee would also come down if the package ended lower. If it only moves one way, say so and see what they offer.
What expenses and administrative charges come on top of the fee, and is there a ceiling?
Why ask it
Travel, candidate expenses, assessments and background checks are often billed separately, and some firms add a flat percentage for overheads. Three things keep it manageable: an estimate up front, a ceiling, and your sign-off before any single item above a set amount.
What would we owe if we hired a second person from your shortlist, now or later?
Why ask it
Strong runners-up do get hired, sometimes into a different job a year on. Engagement letters commonly charge for that, and the amount and the period differ. Know both before the shortlist arrives, while it is still easy to negotiate.
Is the fee the same if we appoint an internal candidate or someone we brought to you ourselves?
Why ask it
On a retained search the usual answer is yes, because you are paying for the process and the comparison. Some firms will agree to a reduced fee if an insider is appointed early. Raise it at the pitch if you already have a likely contender in the building.
If we cancel or pause the search, what is owed at each stage?
Why ask it
Plans change: a merger, a budget freeze, a chair who decides to stay. Have the partner price three stopping points for you: after the briefing, after the long list and after the shortlist. A pause is a separate matter, since some firms will pick a search up again months later and others treat it as a new engagement.
Do we keep the long list, the market map and the candidate reports whatever the outcome?
Why ask it
You paid for that research, and it is worth having even if the search stops. Some firms hand it all over and others treat it as theirs. Settle what you would receive and in what form, bearing in mind that candidates' personal details may fall under privacy rules where you are.
Which terms in your engagement letter do clients most often ask you to change?
Why ask it
It is a polite way of finding out what is negotiable. The partner will usually name two or three, often the payment dates, the off-limits wording or the guarantee period. Then have your own lawyer read the letter, since the pitch is not the contract.
Timeline and guarantee
What is your timeline from kickoff to long list, shortlist, offer and start date?
Why ask it
A date against each stage is worth more than one total. The start date is the one that surprises boards, because a senior hire may have a long notice period on top of the search itself. Put the stage dates in the letter as targets, even if they are not binding.
What will your progress reports contain, and how often will we get them?
Why ask it
A useful report lists who was approached, who declined and why, and what the market is saying about the role and the pay. The reasons people decline are the earliest warning that the brief needs changing. Weekly calls with nothing in writing are easy to forget and hard to hold anyone to.
What do clients do that slows a search down, and what would you need from us to prevent it?
Why ask it
Expect to hear about calendars, slow feedback and committees that cannot agree. Settle in advance who gives feedback, within how many days, and which dates the decision makers will hold for interviews. Good candidates read a slow client as an uninterested one.
What is your replacement guarantee, how long does it run, and what sets it off?
Why ask it
A common form is that the firm repeats the search for expenses only if the hire leaves inside a set period, but the length and the triggers differ. Resignation and dismissal are not always both covered, so have each one named. If one firm pitching offers a longer period than the others, tell the rest and see who matches it.
Which departures does the guarantee leave out?
Why ask it
Read the exclusions before the promise. Typical ones are a change in the role, a change of boss, a restructuring, or fees not paid on time. If the list is long enough that almost any exit would fall outside it, the guarantee is decoration.
If nobody on the first shortlist is right, do you keep going at no extra fee, and for how long?
Why ask it
On a retained search the firm is normally expected to carry on until the role is filled, though some letters set a point where a new fee or a new engagement starts. The better half of the answer is what they would do differently in the second round, because the same method will find the same people.
At what point would you tell us the search is not working, and what would you suggest then?
Why ask it
You want a firm that calls it early: after a few weeks of calls with no interest, not after six months of them. The options are usually to change the pay, the brief, the location or the title. A partner who has had this conversation with a client before will describe it without flinching.
If the search ends with no appointment, is any of the fee returned or credited toward a new search?
Why ask it
Often the answer is no, since a retainer pays for work and not for a result. Some firms will credit part of it against a restart. Whatever you are told, the version that counts is the one in the engagement letter.
Will you stay in touch with the person you place after they start, and for how long?
Why ask it
A senior hire can come unstuck in the first months, and the search partner is someone they will often speak frankly to. Firms range from scheduled calls through the first half year, to a meeting with the chair, to nothing at all. Agree on what would be passed back to you and what stays private.
How to choose a retained search firm
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the pitches
Agree on the brief among yourselves first
A firm cannot pitch for a role the board has not settled. Before you invite anyone, agree on the title, the reporting line, a pay range you could approve and who makes the final decision. A disagreement that surfaces in front of the firms costs you standing with the one you hire.
Invite two or three firms, not six
Each pitch takes a couple of hours of senior time on both sides, and word of a search travels with every firm you brief. Two or three, with one large firm and one specialist among them if you can, give a real comparison. Send all of them the same short written brief.
Send the factual questions ahead
The fee basis, the installment dates, the guarantee and the off-limits list can all be answered in writing before the meeting. That leaves the hour in the room for the questions where you need to watch the answer: who does the work, what went wrong last time, what they would change in your brief.
Bring your list of target organizations
Write down the ten places you would most like to see candidates from. It makes the Off-limits questions concrete, and how each firm reacts to the names shows how well it knows your market.
At the pitch
Ask for the people, not the presentation
Tell each firm you want the partner, the associate and the researcher who would work on your search in the room. The questions under Who runs it are for them. If the lead cannot make the pitch, ask yourself how available that person will be in week ten.
Ask for the most recent case
'How do you handle a search that stalls?' gets a policy. 'Tell us about the last one that stalled' gets a story with a client, a date and an outcome. Nearly every question under Track record and Candidates improves when you add 'most recently'.
Put the same questions to every firm
Choose eight to ten from the list and ask them of each firm in the same order. One sheet with a row per question keeps a committee comparing answers and not presenters. Leave the last fifteen minutes for whatever each firm's answers opened up.
Notice what they ask you
A firm that questions the brief, the pay, why the last person left and how your board reaches a decision has already started work. A pitch that ends with no questions for you was a sales call.
Before you sign
Read the engagement letter against your notes
Go through what was said at the pitch about the team, the fee, off-limits, the guarantee and cancellation, and check that each point appears in the letter. Anything said and not written is a hope. Have your own lawyer read it, because which terms hold up depends on where you are.
Call the references yourself
Ask who did the work, whether the shortlist matched what was promised, how bad news was delivered and whether they would hire the firm again. One call to a client whose search ran long tells you more than three to clients whose searches went smoothly.
Compare the whole cost
Set the fee, the expenses, any administrative charge, the cost of a second hire and the cancellation terms side by side for each firm. A lower rate with open-ended expenses and a wide definition of compensation can end up as the more expensive search.
Weigh the partner and the access above the brand
You are hiring a small team for a few months. A committed partner at a smaller firm that can approach all of your target organizations may serve you better than a famous name with half of them closed, and sometimes the reverse is true. Decide on the people and on who they can call.
Mistakes to avoid
Choosing on the pitch alone
The most polished presenter is often the firm's best seller, and may not be the person who makes the calls. Let the track record, the references and the sample candidate report carry at least as much weight as the hour in the room.
Treating the guarantee as insurance
A replacement search gives back neither the months lost nor the cost of a senior hire that failed. The questions about assessment, references and the brief are the ones that lower the odds of needing it, so spend your time there.
Going quiet after you sign
Searches stall when the client takes two weeks to react to a long list or cannot find interview dates. Name one person on your side who answers the firm within a day and can gather the decision makers.
Working a second channel alongside the firm
A candidate who hears about one job from the search firm and again from a board member concludes that nobody is in charge. If you have names of your own, hand them to the firm and let them go through the same process.