Working with executive search firms for the first time can feel like navigating uncharted territory – especially when the stakes involve finding a leader who will shape your organisation’s future.
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The executive search industry has operated the same way for decades – rigid pricing models, opaque processes, and a one-size-fits-all approach. Here at Career Moves, we’re redefining what it means to find top-tier talent, targeting and selecting the best candidates in the marketplace. We’ve spent 35 years guiding organisations through this journey, and we know that transparency from the outset creates the foundation for exceptional placements. This guide walks you through each stage of the executive search process, ensuring you’re prepared for a partnership that delivers lasting impact.
What is an Executive Search Firm?
An executive search firm specialises in recruiting highly qualified senior-level and executive-level positions for client companies. Using effective leadership recruitment strategies, an executive search consultancy will actively approach leaders who aren’t looking, and headhunt passive candidates who are excelling in their current roles.
Executive recruitment is a partnership approach that demands discretion, industry expertise, and the ability to assess not just skills and experience, but the intangible qualities that determine whether a leader will thrive in your specific culture and context.
The Difference Between Executive Search and Traditional Recruitment
Traditional recruitment fills roles; executive search firms transform organisations. With transparency, agility, and precision at our core, we’re an executive search firm setting a new standard for executive search.
| Traditional Recruitment | Executive Search Firms |
| Payment Model: Contingency basis – only paid if successful | Payment Model: Retained basis – partnership from day one |
| Commitment: Working multiple similar roles for different clients | Commitment: Exclusive focus on your search |
| Candidate Source: Existing database of active job seekers | Candidate Source: Original research and passive talent mapping |
| Approach: Volume-based – sending multiple CVs | Approach: Precision-based – presenting 3-5 vetted leaders |
| Screening: Basic qualification matching | Screening: Weeks of cultural fit and competency assessment |
| Talent Pool: Candidates already looking for opportunities | Talent Pool: Approaching successful executives in competitor organisations |
| Typical Roles: Mid-level and volume positions | Typical Roles: High level C-suite, board, and senior strategic positions |
| Timeline: Quick turnaround | Timeline: 8-12 weeks for thorough, strategic process |
| Success Metric: Placement made | Success Metric: Long-term performance and cultural integration |
When Executive Search Becomes Essential
Executive search becomes critical when the appointment’s impact extends beyond a single department. For example:
- If you’re replacing a CEO whilst maintaining market confidence, you need discretion that internal recruitment can’t provide.
- When entering new markets or sectors, you need access to talent networks your human resources team hasn’t cultivated.
- For transformation initiatives that require specific expertise, you need partners who deeply understand these specialisms.
- When cultural fit could make or break your organisation’s trajectory, or when you’re competing against tech giants for scarce C-suite talent, executive search levels the playing field.
The Executive Search Timeline: What to Expect at Each Stage
Executive search firms typically work to an 8-12 week timeline, though this can vary depending on role complexity and market conditions. This isn’t a rigid hiring process – we adapt our approach to your specific needs whilst maintaining momentum towards finding your ideal leader. Here’s what you can expect during a typical retained search partnership from Career Moves Group:
Week 1-2: Discovery and Partnership Alignment
This foundational phase shapes everything that follows. Your executive search partner will conduct in-depth consultations with key stakeholders to understand your organisation’s culture, strategic objectives, and the specific challenges this leader will need to address.
You’ll define success metrics, agree on compensation parameters, and map out reporting structures. We’ll also examine why the role is vacant – whether you’re replacing a beloved leader or transforming after a difficult departure- and this will inform our approach. By week two’s end, you’ll have a detailed position specification and search strategy that everyone’s aligned on, preventing costly misunderstandings later.
Week 3-6: Market Mapping and Candidate Approach
Now the real detective work begins. Your search partner conducts original research, identifying target companies and mapping organisational structures to find leaders with proven success in similar challenges. We tap into our industry intelligence and years of relationship-building to engage these passive candidates.
Initial conversations explore interest and fit without compromising anyone’s current position. By week six, we’ve typically spoken with 30-50 potential candidates, qualifying them against your requirements and building a robust pipeline of interested, capable leaders.
Week 7-10: Assessment and Shortlist Presentation
From the broader pipeline, your search partner conducts rigorous assessments with the most promising candidates. These are comprehensive evaluations using psychometric tools, competency-based questioning, and deep-dive conversations about leadership philosophy and achievements.
We verify credentials, explore career motivations, and critically assess cultural fit. By week ten, you’ll receive detailed profiles of 3-5 exceptional candidates, each capable of succeeding in your role.
Week 11-12: Selection and Onboarding Support
The final stage involves coordinating interviews, managing candidate expectations, and maintaining momentum through to offer acceptance. Your search partner facilitates the interview process, briefs both parties, and provides honest feedback that keeps everyone engaged.
Once you’ve selected your preferred candidate, we handle in-depth reference checking to understand how this leader truly performs. We support offer negotiation, ensuring terms work for both parties, and help manage counter-offers from current employers. Our involvement doesn’t end at signature; we support the first 90 days of integration, ensuring your new leader has the foundation for long-term success.
What Your Executive Search Partner Will Need from You
This is a partnership, not a procurement exercise. While your executive search firm brings expertise, networks, and process, your organisation’s input determines whether we find a leader who truly fits.
Success requires honest dialogue about your challenges, active participation from key stakeholders, and commitment to seeing the process through even when competing priorities emerge. The more invested you are in the search, the better the outcome.
Transparency and Open Communication
Your executive search partner needs the whole picture. If your last CEO left due to board conflicts, we need to know about it. If your company culture is struggling with remote work transitions, that matters. Share your genuine challenges around compensation constraints, internal politics, or market reputation – we’re not here to judge, but to navigate these realities successfully. The candidates we approach will ask tough questions, and we need honest answers to represent you credibly.
Stakeholder Alignment
Nothing derails an executive search faster than stakeholders discovering they want different things at the final interview stage. Before engaging your search partner, ensure your board, senior team, and key decision-makers agree on role priorities, success metrics, and cultural requirements.
Identify who’s involved in the selection process and their specific concerns. If your CFO prioritises commercial acumen whilst your CEO values transformational leadership, we need to balance both. Establish clear decision-making protocols – who interviews when, who has veto power, and how final decisions are made. This alignment prevents mixed messages that confuse candidates and reflect badly on your organisation.
Time and Commitment
Executive search requires meaningful time investment from senior stakeholders – typically 15-20 hours across the 12-week process. This includes initial briefings, progress updates, candidate interviews, and decision discussions. Your search partner needs responses within 24-48 hours to maintain candidate engagement; top executives won’t wait whilst you find diary space three weeks away.
Designate a primary contact who can make quick decisions on process matters and ensure interview panels prioritise the search. When we present shortlisted candidates, we review their profiles promptly and provide specific feedback. If someone isn’t right, explain why – this intelligence shapes our continued search.
The irony is that the busier you are, the more you need outstanding leadership, yet finding time for the search feels impossible. Block diary time upfront; your future leader is worth the investment.
The Investment: Understanding Executive Search Fees
Engaging executive search firms represents a significant investment in your organisation’s future. At Career Moves Group, we believe in complete transparency about fees from the outset – it’s part of the partnership approach that’s underpinned our 100% success rate with retained assignments over 35 years.
Understanding the fee structure and genuine return on investment helps you make informed decisions about what ultimately proves to be one of your most valuable investments.
Fee Structures Explained
Executive search firms typically operate on a retained-fee basis, charging between 25% and 35% of the successful candidate’s first-year total compensation package.
The fee is usually structured across three payments: one-third upon engagement to initiate the search, one-third at shortlist presentation, and the final third upon successful placement. This retained model ensures exclusive dedication to your search.
The fee covers comprehensive services, our market intelligence, and investment in our networks built over decades. Most reputable executive search firms, including Career Moves Group, offer a guarantee period – typically 90-180 days – ensuring that if a placement doesn’t work out, we’ll conduct another search at no additional charge.
Return on Investment
Having placed over 6,399 candidates in the last decade, including partnering with 5 of the biggest tech companies in the world, we’ve seen firsthand how the right leader can deliver returns that dwarf the initial search investment.
Consider what a vacant C-suite position actually costs your organisation. Beyond the obvious productivity loss, there’s strategic drift, delayed decision-making, and team uncertainty.
Industry research suggests an empty executive role can cost £5,000-15,000 per day in larger organisations. A 12-week search process that prevents six months of vacancy has already paid for itself.
But the real ROI comes from avoiding a bad hire. A failed executive appointment costs far more than recruitment fees when you factor in severance, disruption, lost opportunities, and having to search again. One wrong CEO appointment can set organisations back years. Our rigorous assessment process and cultural fit evaluation dramatically reduce this risk.
Making the Most of Your Executive Search Partnership
Your executive search partner brings expertise, networks, and process, but the most successful placements happen when clients actively contribute to the partnership.
At Career Moves Group, we’ve learned that organisations that invest time in preparation, maintain engagement throughout the search, and support integration afterwards consistently achieve better outcomes. Here’s how to extract maximum value from your executive search partnership at every stage.
Before the Search
Preparation determines success. Before engaging your executive search partner, conduct an honest internal audit. Why did the previous leader leave? What worked and what didn’t? Gather feedback from teams who’ll work with this new executive – they often have insights senior stakeholders miss.
During the Search
Active participation during the search accelerates progress and improves outcomes. Respond to your search partner’s updates within 24-48 hours – even if just acknowledging receipt. Top candidates have multiple opportunities; delays signal disinterest. When reviewing candidate profiles, provide specific feedback. “Not quite right” doesn’t help; “strong commercially but lacks digital transformation experience” helps us refine our search.
After the Placement
We’re invested in long-term success, not just making a placement. We understand your new leader’s motivations, concerns, and development areas from hours of assessment. We can advise on early wins to pursue and potential pitfalls to avoid.
Use the first 90 days strategically. Schedule regular check-ins between your new executive and search partner – we’re a neutral sounding board when they can’t yet be completely open internally. If integration challenges emerge, early intervention prevents escalation. That’s partnership, not procurement, and it’s how we’ve maintained 100% success rates with retained assignments – by staying invested long after the placement fee is paid.
Conclusion: Your Next Steps
What to Expect When Working with Executive Search Firms:
- Initial consultation and role definition – A thorough discovery process to understand your requirements, culture, and strategic objectives (Weeks 1-2)
- 8-12 week structured search timeline – From initial brief to successful placement, with clear milestones throughout
- Exclusive, retained partnership – Your search firm works solely on your assignment, not competing with other agencies
- Confidential market mapping – Discreet approaches to find candidates who aren’t actively job searching
- Shortlist of 3-5 qualified executives – Thoroughly vetted leaders with detailed assessment profiles
- Investment of 25-35% of first-year compensation – Covering research, assessment, negotiation, and ongoing support
- 90-day placement guarantee – Protection ensuring long-term success with continued support through integration
- Partnership beyond placement – Onboarding support, market intelligence, and succession planning guidance
The stakes are too high and the impact too significant to approach senior executive appointments without expert guidance. Whether you’re navigating a sensitive succession, driving transformation, or building competitive advantage through leadership, the partnership approach delivers results that justify the investment.
Ready to find your next senior leader? Book a confidential consultation with our executive search recruiters to discuss your requirements and discover how we can partner for lasting success.
No obligations, no pressure – just an honest conversation about your leadership challenges and how executive search could provide the solution.
FrEquently Asked Questions
How do executive search firms work?
Executive search services work on a retained basis, partnering exclusively with organisations to identify and recruit senior leaders. They proactively approach passive candidates through research and networking, conduct thorough assessments, and present a shortlist of qualified executives.
What industries do executive search firms specialise in?
Most executive search firms develop expertise in specific sectors. At Career Moves Group, we specialise in engineering, media, digital, finance, and professional services, having partnered with organisations from global tech giants to scaling startups.
What is the difference between an executive search firm and a recruitment agency?
Executive search firms work on retained, exclusive partnerships for senior roles, approaching passive candidates and providing consultative services. Recruitment agencies typically work on contingency recruitment for mid-level roles, focusing on active job seekers from their existing databases.
How long does an executive search typically take?
A thorough executive search typically takes 8-12 weeks from brief to offer acceptance.
How do companies choose the right executive search partner?
Look for firms with proven sector expertise, a strong track record (check success rates and client retention), and a genuine partnership approach. Cultural fit matters – you need a search partner who understands your organisation’s values and challenges.
What makes a good executive search consultant?
Exceptional executive search consultants combine deep industry knowledge with strong assessment skills, discretion, and extensive networks.
Do executive search firms recruit confidentially?
Yes, confidentiality is fundamental to executive search. We handle sensitive replacements, approach competitors’ top talent discreetly, and protect both client and candidate interests throughout the process.
Can executive search firms help with diversity hiring?
Leading executive search firms actively promote diversity, using structured assessment methods to reduce bias and deliberately mapping diverse talent pools. We help organisations access candidates they wouldn’t naturally reach through traditional networks.
Do executive search firms operate internationally?
Many executive search firms have global capabilities through owned offices or partnership networks. Career Moves Group conducts international searches, leveraging our experience with global businesses to identify cross-border talent.
Are executive search fees worth it?
When you consider the cost of a vacant executive position and the catastrophic impact of a wrong hire (5-15x annual salary), executive search fees deliver strong ROI through faster placements and significantly reduced hiring risks.
