Insights
Search, priced and timed honestly.
On fees, timescales, choosing a firm and when not to search at all.
Executive search
How to interview a senior leader when everyone on the panel wants something different
Agree executive interview criteria, divide the assessment and resolve panel disagreements using evidence. Includes an illustrative interview scorecard.
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Hiring leaders for a decentralised business and what changes
Assess leadership judgement, local autonomy and group responsibility when recruiting for a decentralised business. Includes practical evidence to explore.
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What should happen between accepting an offer and starting a senior role
Prepare a senior hire during their notice period with clear expectations, useful contact and a practical plan for the organisation they are joining.
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What a good executive search brief contains
A good search brief defines the outcomes the role owns, the decisions it makes, the evidence of success at twelve months, the package and the process. It is written with the search firm, not handed to it.
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- Confidential searches: how they work and when you need oneA confidential search keeps the client's identity, and sometimes the role's existence, from the market until a candidate has been assessed and has signed a non-disclosure agreement.
- Why senior searches stall at offer, and how to prevent itSenior searches stall at offer because the package was not benchmarked, the process lost pace after final interview, or nobody tested the candidate's real position before the number went out.
- How many candidates should a shortlist have?For a UK director-level search, a shortlist of four to five fully assessed candidates gives a real choice without wasting the panel's time; more than six usually means the assessment was not done.
- Retained versus contingent search for senior rolesRetained search pays for the process and the firm's full attention; contingent recruitment pays only on placement and gets the attention left over. For director-level roles, retained is nearly always the better buy.
- What to ask an executive search firm before you signAsk who will do the work, how the market will be mapped, what the shortlist will have been through, what the fee covers and what happens if the appointment fails.
- First-ever roles: how to search for a job nobody has done in your sectorA first-of-a-kind role needs a brief written by people who have seen the role work elsewhere, a market map that crosses sectors, and a panel that assesses against outcomes rather than sector experience.
- How to use a search firm's market map after the searchThe market map from a completed search is a live asset: use it for succession planning, for the next role in the same function, and for a reward benchmark, before it goes stale in about eighteen months.
- What does a replacement guarantee actually cover?A replacement guarantee commits the search firm to run one further search at no professional fee if the appointed candidate leaves within a set period, subject to conditions that vary widely between firms.
- Executive search in the public sector through CCS RM6229Public bodies can engage re:find for senior appointments through the Crown Commercial Service RM6229 Permanent Recruitment 2 framework, Lot 2, without running a separate tender.
- How much does executive search cost in the UK?Executive search is commonly priced as a retained fee, a percentage of remuneration or a fixed project fee. The important comparison is what is included and what outcome is being bought.
- Executive search fees: why are they still based on salary?The work involved in a search isn't neatly proportional to the candidate's salary. That's why re:find prefers fixed project fees.
- How long should an executive search take?For many UK executive searches, a credible assessed shortlist should be achievable in around four to six weeks, although unusually narrow, international or confidential assignments can take longer.
- How to choose an executive search firmChoose the firm and people who understand the decision, can reach the relevant market and will personally do the work, not simply the best-known logo.
- When shouldn't you use an executive search firm?Don't commission a full search when the role is unclear, a credible internal successor hasn't been tested, or the market can be reached effectively through a simpler process.
From the archive
183 articles from the previous re:find site.
Kept at their original addresses. Written for HR, change and search audiences between 2016 and 2026.
- 5 Reasons the Market Isn’t to Blame for Your Slow Senior SearchCareer and leadership