If you are about to hire a leader for the first time, you are buying a service you do not quite know the contents of. You are presented with a fee, a timeline and the promise of a good network. But what actually happens between the kick-off meeting and the day the candidate signs?
Here we walk through how executive recruitment actually works: the difference between search and advertising, the phases of an assignment, how long it takes, and what you should require of the partner you choose.
Search or advertising: two different processes
An advertised position reaches those who are looking for a job. A search reaches those who are not. That difference matters more than many assume, because the most relevant leadership candidates are usually settled in a role and do not read job adverts.
With advertised recruitment the position is published, and the work lies in assessing those who apply. That works well when the role is attractive and well known in the market, and when the candidate pool is large enough.
With search, often called executive search, the market is mapped systematically. The advisor identifies relevant people in relevant organisations, approaches them directly and gauges their interest before any application is written. It takes more time, but it gives you access to candidates you would otherwise never have heard from.
In practice the two are combined in many assignments: the position is advertised while an active search runs in parallel. That way you get both those who put themselves forward and those who have to be approached.
The phases of an executive recruitment assignment
An assignment usually follows six phases. It is worth knowing what happens in each of them, because this is where the differences between suppliers become visible.
1. Job analysis and requirement specification
Everything starts with agreeing what the position actually requires. Not the wish list, but the three to five requirements that determine whether someone succeeds in the role. A good advisor spends time here, talks to more people than the one placing the order, and challenges the description. A competency-based approach assumes this foundation is in place; otherwise candidates are assessed against an unclear standard.
2. Search strategy and market mapping
Which organisations and communities are relevant, and who holds those roles today? In this phase an overview of relevant people is built, often forty to a hundred names, narrowed down as the work progresses. Do ask how the mapping is done, and whether it goes beyond the advisor’s own network.
3. First contact with candidates
Candidates are approached directly, usually by phone. That conversation decides a great deal: it has to spark the interest of someone who is not looking, without promising more than the position actually is. This is where you notice the difference between an experienced advisor and one following a script.
4. Structured assessment
Relevant candidates go through in-depth interviews, usually supplemented by tests of aptitude and working style. The point is to assess everyone against the same criteria, rather than letting the impression from the first interview colour the rest. This is what separates a structured process from a conversational one, and the difference is well documented in the research on bad leadership hires.
5. Final assessment and references
Towards the end, two or three candidates remain. Now it is about distinguishing between people who are all qualified, and this is often where processes go wrong: you pick the one who made the best impression, not the one who best fits the role. A structured final assessment reduces that risk. References are the last real test of whether the picture holds, and we have written about how they should be conducted in our guide to reference checks.
6. Decision and follow-up after the start date
The assignment is not finished when the contract is signed. The first six months determine whether the hire was a success. Ask whether the supplier follows up after the start date, or whether contact ends at signature. Many organisations combine that follow-up with coaching and leadership support during the first six months.
How long does an executive recruitment take?
Expect two to four months from kick-off to signed contract. The breakdown typically looks like this:
- Job analysis and requirement specification: one to two weeks
- Mapping and search: two to four weeks
- Candidate contact and first-round interviews: three to five weeks
- Testing and in-depth interviews: two to three weeks
- Final assessment, references and decision: two to three weeks
After that comes the notice period, which for leaders is often three months or more. From the moment you decide until the new leader is actually in the chair, half a year will therefore often have passed.
What most often delays a process is not the search, but the decisions along the way: unclear requirements at the outset, board members or executives who cannot attend the interviews, and long response times between rounds. Candidates who are in work lose interest when weeks pass between each piece of feedback.
When the position cannot be advertised
Some processes have to be run confidentially. It may be that the current leader has not been told they are to be replaced, that a reorganisation has not been communicated, or that the market should not yet know about the plans.
Search is then the only option, and discretion has to be handled in practice, not merely promised. Concretely, that means candidates are told what type of organisation is involved before they are given the name, that the number of people involved on the client side is kept low, that meetings are held away from the organisation’s premises, and that candidate lists are not shared widely internally.
Ask the supplier how they handle this in practice. The answer tells you a great deal about how many confidential assignments they have actually run.
Seven requirements you should set for a recruitment partner
These are the questions that separate suppliers from one another. They are worth asking before you choose, not afterwards.
- A documented method. How are candidates assessed, and against which criteria? Ask to see the structure, not just to hear that it exists.
- Who does the work. Is the advisor you meet in the sales meeting the one who actually conducts the interviews, or does a junior take over once the contract is signed?
- A candidate pool beyond their own network. A network is useful, but an assignment consisting solely of the advisor’s acquaintances gives you a narrow selection.
- Reference handling. Who obtains the references, how many, and are the same questions put to everyone?
- Guarantee terms. What happens if the leader leaves during the first year? Ask for the terms in writing.
- Reporting along the way. Do you get insight into the market while the process is running, or only a candidate list at the end?
- Follow-up after the start date. Are the new leader and your organisation followed up after three and six months?
The public sector has its own rules
If a leadership position is to be filled in central or local government, the qualification principle, the duty to advertise and the public applicant list under section 25 of the Freedom of Information Act all apply. That does not rule out search, but it changes the order of things: candidates identified through search must formally apply for the advertised position on equal terms with everyone else.
The public applicant list is the most common obstacle in practice. A candidate who is in work will rarely want to appear publicly as an applicant for another position. Exemptions can be granted, but only after a specific assessment, and the candidate must be made aware that an exemption is not guaranteed. The Norwegian Parliamentary Ombud has collected practice and requirements in the guide Ansettelser fra A til Å.
Habberstad has carried out executive recruitment for municipalities, health trusts, directorates and public bodies for many years, and knows both the regulations and how to talk to candidates about them. See also the industries we work within.
What does an executive recruitment cost?
The price is rarely published, because it depends on the level of the role and how demanding the search is. But there are only a few pricing models, and it is useful to know them before you ask for a proposal.
A fixed fee is agreed as a sum for the whole assignment, independent of the candidate’s salary. It gives predictability and removes any incentive to push the salary up.
A percentage of annual salary is common internationally and typically sits between 20 and 33 per cent of the candidate’s first year’s salary. The model is simple, but it gives the supplier an interest in a higher salary than necessary.
Staged payment per phase means the fee is split in three, for example at kick-off, at the presentation of candidates and at signature. It is the most common model in search assignments, and it gives you a natural checkpoint along the way.
Whichever model applies, the proposal should state clearly what is included: tests, reference interviews, travel, any background checks and follow-up after the start date. It is the add-ons that turn an inexpensive proposal into a more costly one than the expensive alternative.
How to prepare internally
Much of what determines the outcome happens at your end, not at the advisor’s. Three things are worth settling before kick-off.
Who decides. Clarify who will interview, who recommends and who ultimately decides. Processes where decision-making authority is unclear drag on, and candidates drop out along the way.
The calendar. Block out interview slots at kick-off. Finding a common time for four busy people often takes longer than the search itself.
What you can offer. A candidate who already has a good job needs a reason to move. Role, mandate, room for manoeuvre and development opportunities matter more than salary for most leaders. Be clear about this early, and you avoid discovering in the final stage that the offer was not attractive enough.
How Habberstad works
Habberstad Rekruttering og Utvikling carries out executive recruitment and executive search for organisations in the private and public sectors, from our offices at Skøyen in Oslo. We combine search and advertising where that is the right approach, and we use structured, competency-based assessment in every assignment.
If you are appointing a senior executive and the process has to stay confidential, we run executive search as a separate assignment. If you already have the candidates and need help in the final stage, we can assist with final interviews and final assessment.
Get in touch for an informal conversation about what kind of process suits the position you need to fill.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an executive recruitment take?
Expect two to four months from kick-off to signed contract: one to two weeks on job analysis, two to four weeks on mapping and search, three to five weeks on candidate contact and the first interview round, and four to six weeks on testing, final assessment and references. On top of that comes the notice period, which for leaders is often three months.
What is the difference between executive search and ordinary recruitment?
With advertised recruitment the position is published, and the work lies in assessing those who apply. With executive search the market is mapped systematically, and relevant candidates are approached directly even if they are not looking for a new job. Search gives access to candidates who would not otherwise have come forward, and it is necessary when the process has to stay confidential.
Can a leadership position be filled without being advertised?
In the private sector, yes. The whole process is then run as a search. In the public sector there is a duty to advertise, so the position must be published, but search can be used in parallel to get more qualified candidates to apply.
What should I ask a recruitment partner before choosing?
Ask to see the method for candidate assessment, clarify who actually conducts the interviews, ask how candidates are identified beyond the advisor’s own network, how references are obtained, what the guarantee terms involve in writing, what reporting you receive along the way, and whether there is follow-up after the start date.
What happens if the new leader leaves after a short time?
Most reputable suppliers have guarantee terms meaning the assignment is carried out again without a new fee if the leader leaves within an agreed period, often six to twelve months. The terms vary, so ask for them in writing before the agreement is signed.
