Why not just hire several contingency search firms and let them compete for my business
and the best candidates?
Contingency search firms measure themselves in resume volume and number of searches
completed. They most often passively collect resumes from people out of work and looking for
jobs. They often do simple keyword searches and may or may not have had a phone interview
with the real person behind the resume they send. They hardly ever have face-to-face interviews
with the candidates. Contingency search firms can waste your precious time with candidates
who may look OK on paper, but the chemistry fit with you and your team is all wrong.
The best candidates do not deal with contingency search firms. They are barraged with phone
calls from recruiters, and will not spend the time it takes to meet with a contingency recruiter
while not knowing whether they will actually have a chance to meet with their client. The best
people are very conservative about where their resumes go and do not want them distributed
without permission. Contingency firms simply do not have access to these quality candidates.
But it seems too expensive! We're only a startup!
Nothing is more expensive for a startup than hiring the wrong candidate. An excellent retained
search firm will keep you from making costly mistakes such as assuming a successful big-
company executive will automatically be successful leading a small startup, or giving in to a
sense of urgency and making quick, expedient hires rather than strategic hires that will prove
successful over time. The section Typical Startup Hiring Mistakes details many of the most
common hiring mistakes made by startups.
Click here for Typical Startup Hiring Mistakes
How can I tell an excellent retained search firm from a not-so-great one?
Excellent retained search firms will not let you make Typical Startup Hiring Mistakes. They will
reinforce your hiring criteria if they believe they will lead to a successful hire. They will also
respectfully challenge you if their extensive experience and accumulated wisdom points towards
a different path to success.
Excellent retained search firms should be your intelligent filters. Since the search professionals
in these firms are, in essence, establishing the caliber of your candidates, they should be high-
caliber themselves. They should have strong educational backgrounds, successful high-tech
Silicon Valley operating backgrounds and be smart enough to understand the nuances of your
strategic positioning, competition and business model.
Excellent retained search firms should always meet with your existing management team to
assess skill sets, not just titles, and develop a strong feel for team chemistry and company
culture. They then find candidates with the right fit in both skills and personality / character that
will prove successful for your company. Personal chemistry is always important, but never more
so than at a dynamic, high-intensity startup.
Excellent retained search firms are proactive. They go after quality executives who are doing
well in their careers and are not necessarily looking to change. They know what motivates these
entrepreneurs and can usually get them to take a serious look at your opportunity. They
leverage their own extensive networks of known “A” players to get referrals to great candidates.
Excellent retained search firms take only a limited number of searches at one time. The fewer,
the faster they can complete your project. They spend weeks looking for your best candidates,
trying to find the right skill set, background match and personality fit for your company. They do
not deal in resume or search volume, rather in people who they know and have tracked for
several years, or quality referrals from these same people.
and the best candidates?
Contingency search firms measure themselves in resume volume and number of searches
completed. They most often passively collect resumes from people out of work and looking for
jobs. They often do simple keyword searches and may or may not have had a phone interview
with the real person behind the resume they send. They hardly ever have face-to-face interviews
with the candidates. Contingency search firms can waste your precious time with candidates
who may look OK on paper, but the chemistry fit with you and your team is all wrong.
The best candidates do not deal with contingency search firms. They are barraged with phone
calls from recruiters, and will not spend the time it takes to meet with a contingency recruiter
while not knowing whether they will actually have a chance to meet with their client. The best
people are very conservative about where their resumes go and do not want them distributed
without permission. Contingency firms simply do not have access to these quality candidates.
But it seems too expensive! We're only a startup!
Nothing is more expensive for a startup than hiring the wrong candidate. An excellent retained
search firm will keep you from making costly mistakes such as assuming a successful big-
company executive will automatically be successful leading a small startup, or giving in to a
sense of urgency and making quick, expedient hires rather than strategic hires that will prove
successful over time. The section Typical Startup Hiring Mistakes details many of the most
common hiring mistakes made by startups.
Click here for Typical Startup Hiring Mistakes
How can I tell an excellent retained search firm from a not-so-great one?
Excellent retained search firms will not let you make Typical Startup Hiring Mistakes. They will
reinforce your hiring criteria if they believe they will lead to a successful hire. They will also
respectfully challenge you if their extensive experience and accumulated wisdom points towards
a different path to success.
Excellent retained search firms should be your intelligent filters. Since the search professionals
in these firms are, in essence, establishing the caliber of your candidates, they should be high-
caliber themselves. They should have strong educational backgrounds, successful high-tech
Silicon Valley operating backgrounds and be smart enough to understand the nuances of your
strategic positioning, competition and business model.
Excellent retained search firms should always meet with your existing management team to
assess skill sets, not just titles, and develop a strong feel for team chemistry and company
culture. They then find candidates with the right fit in both skills and personality / character that
will prove successful for your company. Personal chemistry is always important, but never more
so than at a dynamic, high-intensity startup.
Excellent retained search firms are proactive. They go after quality executives who are doing
well in their careers and are not necessarily looking to change. They know what motivates these
entrepreneurs and can usually get them to take a serious look at your opportunity. They
leverage their own extensive networks of known “A” players to get referrals to great candidates.
Excellent retained search firms take only a limited number of searches at one time. The fewer,
the faster they can complete your project. They spend weeks looking for your best candidates,
trying to find the right skill set, background match and personality fit for your company. They do
not deal in resume or search volume, rather in people who they know and have tracked for
several years, or quality referrals from these same people.
