Executive Search Firm

An executive search firm specializes in helping businesses find and assess candidates for C-suite positions.

The reason this is important is that it’s difficult to hire for leadership positions, as the best candidates for the job are usually already employed, and filling a vacant role this high up in the organization requires active outreach. You may sometimes see an executive search firm referred to as an executive employment agency or an executive search company.

TalentHub is an executive search firm that specializes in helping startups, scale-ups, and VC-backed companies hire their first leadership teams. This matters because early-stage businesses often struggle to commit the time and resources needed to find C-suite candidates.

In a nutshell, an executive recruiter will find candidates for your senior leadership roles by:

• Identifying suitable candidates
• Discreetly making contact with them
• Assessing their leadership potential in the context of your business

At TalentHub, our Talent Acquisition Partners embed themselves in your teams to learn about the company and the products or services you sell.

From there, they research and contact leaders across Europe, learn about them and their work history, and create an in-depth candidate profile for you.

How much an executive search firm or recruiter charges depends on its payment model.

In most cases, it's a percentage of the candidate’s first-year base salary, so for a CEO on a €150,000 salary, the firm could charge up to €52,500. Here are some market ranges we could find online (but they aren’t indicative of TalentHub’s fees):

• Contingency model: 15% to 25% of first-year base salary
• Retainer model: 25% to 35%, paid in stages
• Flat fees: roughly €4,200 to €18,800 per hire
• RPO subscriptions: roughly €1,700 to €8,600 a month

The harder the position is to fill, the higher the price and the more involved the executive recruitment firm will be in the hiring process.

TalentHub's standard fee is a percentage of the candidate's annual gross salary, paid across three stages. Pricing flexes with the scope and type of service.

For key leadership hires, usually yes.

A seat that stays empty or goes to the wrong person costs you time, momentum, and credibility with your team and investors.

An executive recruiter gives you access to passive candidates, assessed shortlists, and a replacement guarantee. TalentHub's guarantee runs for four months, a month longer than the three months most agencies offer.

However, that doesn’t mean that you have to use an executive search firm. You can skip an outside firm when:

• You already know a strong candidate
• The role is entry-level or high-volume
• Your in-house team has the time and the network to run a senior search itself

Choose a firm that knows your stage, your sector, and the markets where your next leader may be based.

Then ask each firm:

• Who will run the search day-to-day?
• How do you reach candidates who are not job hunting?
• Can I speak to a client who hired for a similar role?
• What does the fee cover, and when is it paid?
• What happens if the hire leaves early?

Compare two or three firms on the same questions, and pick the one whose answers fit your company best.