We are often asked by clients what are the best questions to ask in vetting a search firm. The answer is dependent upon type of search. We have seen a great deal of cross over in clients questions from one type of search to another. The best thing to do is to first figure out the type of search that you would like to conduct – retained, engaged, or contingent – and then make sure your questions are appropriate for the type of search model you are using.
A retained firm is about process. Your questions should be about methodology, how the firm goes about conducting a search, what is the process, how do they conduct research, and how would they approach the talent market on your behalf.
A contingent firm should be asked what positions have they filled just like yours in the past. Since contingent firms primarily use their own internal databases to source talent, it is important to know the pool of talent they are sourcing from. This question would not be relevant for a retained firm.
Based on the questions that clients use in vetting we can ascertain how much they know about the executive search process itself. If you are not completely up to speed on search firms and their different methodologies, make sure that you aren’t weighing your decision based on the wrong questions.