■ Nine weeks, brief to signed offer
Method
Every search runs the same way, and you can see every step of it. Scroll through one of this year’s searches, from 4,812 people to the one who said yes.
Week 0
01
Brief
A two-hour session with the hiring manager and whoever the hire will work with most. We write the brief together, agree the number, and agree what would make you hire nobody.
Weeks 1–2
02
Map
We chart every team doing the work, name by name, usually 3,000 to 5,000 people. You see the map before we call anyone, and you can take names off it.
Weeks 2–4
03
Approach
A partner makes every first call. We lead with the work, the team and the number. We log every no and the reason, and you see those reasons every Friday.
Weeks 4–7
04
Meet and shortlist
Two-hour conversations with the strongest thirty to forty. Then a shortlist of six, each with our notes, references we took ourselves and the offer that would move them.
Weeks 7–9
05
Offer and close
We run the offer, the counter-offer and the notice period, then stay close for the first year. If the hire leaves in year one, we run the search again at no charge.
■ Every Friday, in your inbox
The whole funnel, including every no.
One page, sent by your partner, never a dashboard login. If the brief, the pay band or the story is the problem, you see it in week three, not week nine.
Search #0412 · week 5
Fri 19 Sep
Mapped
4,812
Approached
+34 this week
212
Replied
38%
81
Met
+6 this week
38
Shortlisted
2 new
6
Why people said no
Pay didn’t match
41%
Wrong timing
27%
Equity story
18%
Happy where they are
14%
Fee
A third of first-year cash
Paid in three stages: on brief, on shortlist and on start. No retainers hidden in the small print.
Guarantee
One year, no charge
If the hire leaves in the first year for any reason, we run the search again at no cost.
Exclusivity
One firm per search
We don’t run competing searches for the same profile in the same quarter. You get the market, not a share of it.
Questions
■ Before you brief us
The six things founders and heads of talent ask most often, answered plainly.
How many searches do you run at once?
Never more than eight per partner. That is why a partner can make every first call.
Do you work on contingency?
No. Contingent search rewards speed over fit, and our candidates can tell the difference.
Can we see the market map?
Yes, in week two, before we call anyone. You can take names off it for any reason.
What if we hire someone we found ourselves?
Then the fee stops at the stage we reached. We would rather you hire the right person.
Do you place outside AI and trading?
Rarely, and only when the role needs the same kind of person: deep technical work with high stakes.
How do you handle confidential searches?
Code names, a separate data room and a partner-only team. Several of our clients have never been named on this site.