The Million-Dollar Question to Ask Your Executive Search Firm
When companies launch an executive search, they often assume the recruiter can approach the entire leadership market. In reality, that is rarely the case.
Many large executive search firms operate under strict off-limits rules. If a firm works with a company, it cannot approach executives from that organization for other clients. In highly specialized industriesthis can severely limit the search universe. In some cases, a recruiter may berestricted from approaching a large part of the relevant market.
The result is predictable:
The shortlist reflects who canbe approached, not necessarily who is best suited for the role.
This is why companies should aska simple question before launching a search:
“From which companies are youactually allowed to recruit?”
For boutique firms with aselective client portfolio, the answer is often very different.
With fewer conflicts and feweroff-limits restrictions, a boutique search can access a much broader leadershipnetwork - including candidates that larger firms cannot approach.
