An exclusive executive search engagement where the recruiting firm is paid an upfront retainer fee to conduct a dedicated, confidential search for a specific leadership position.
Retained search is the gold standard for senior executive and C-suite recruiting. Unlike contingency search, the recruiting firm works exclusively on the engagement, dedicating significant resources to candidate identification, assessment, and presentation. Fees are typically structured as one-third of the estimated first-year compensation, paid in three installments: upon engagement, at mid-search milestone, and upon candidate placement. Retained firms invest in deep research, proprietary candidate databases, and comprehensive assessment processes because they are compensated regardless of whether the search results in a placement. This model incentivizes thoroughness and quality over speed. Retained search is standard practice for CEO, CFO, COO, and other C-suite positions, board searches, and any leadership role requiring confidentiality or extensive candidate outreach.
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