What does a good executive search firm look like?
Executive search is not just about filling an immediate need. An executive search firm should be like a partner, a strategic advisor with a relationship built and invested in over years.
A good executive search partner will strive to gain a deeper understanding of your business, your culture, the gaps you are looking to fill, and provoke new thinking. Your search partner should know your company inside out; how your business operates, your goals, your values, and your people. This will help them to find the most suitable candidates to help your company grow and evolve.
Functional expertise
A good executive search partner will have an excellent understanding of the market, rather than just one industry or market segment. They will have deep, functional expertise in their area that they can bring to every assignment.
To be successful in today’s marketplace, organisations increasingly need a blend of people in their top team. A diverse top team will have a larger pool of experience and points of view to draw from, meaning they can help you find new solutions to problems and generate new ideas that could catapult your business forward. A good search partner will be able to use their knowledge to encourage organisations to think differently and present you with candidates who can arrive with new ways of thinking.

Strategic advice
As part of helping to drive your company forward, a good executive search partner will be able to provide you with additional support in the form of things like succession planning, organisational design, and executive coaching. Their understanding of your business, coupled with their extensive knowledge of the market, means they are well-equipped to provide a more complete people solution for your business.
Professional service
Your search partner will represent your company to candidates, so it is important that they know you well enough to promote your company in a positive, accurate, and honest light so that candidates want to work with you. As the right candidate may not be actively looking for a new position, your search partner needs to give the very best impression of your company. This also means providing a well-managed, efficient, and professional search process, as this will add to your credibility as an employer and help build your employer brand in the market.