Dilys Search Answers
Signing a search retainer without asking the right questions first is how organizations end up in a slow, expensive process that does not produce what they needed. These are the questions that separate firms with real capability from those that are better at selling mandates than completing them.
Ask Us These Questions or book a call first →Most organizations retain a search firm at a moment of pressure — a vacancy, a transition, a growth decision. That pressure creates urgency, and urgency creates shortcuts. Taking 45 minutes to ask the right questions before you sign will save you months of recovery later.
These questions are not hostile. A search firm worth hiring will answer them directly and with specifics. Vague, defensive, or overly polished answers tell you something important.
Dilys Search answers these questions plainly before any retainer is signed. We tell you what we know about your candidate market, how we run the process, and what you should expect. If we do not think we are the right fit for your mandate, we say so.
Boards, HR leaders, operators, and owner-operators preparing to retain an executive search firm for a leadership role.
These questions are designed for the conversation before you sign — the evaluation meeting, the capabilities presentation, the introductory call. You do not need to ask all of them. But the answers will tell you quickly whether the firm you are speaking with has the substance to back up the conversation.
This is not a trick question. It has a factual answer. A firm with real sector experience will cite specific mandates — geography, role type, rough timeline, outcome. A firm without it will redirect to general capability.
For organizations in seniors living, long-term care, regulated healthcare, or other mission-driven environments, sector depth matters significantly. The candidate pool is narrow, the leadership context is specific, and a firm that does not know the landscape will spend your time finding out.
Ask specifically who your day-to-day contact will be, and what role the principal or partner named in the proposal will play once the mandate is signed. In some firms, senior people sell and junior people execute. That is not inherently wrong, but you should know it going in.
If you want CEO-level or principal-level involvement throughout, ask for that explicitly and get clarity on what it means in practice.
The mandate definition is where most searches either get set up for success or not. Ask how they approach this step — what questions they ask, how they validate compensation, how they handle disagreements between stakeholders about what the role requires.
A firm that rushes the mandate definition to start “searching” faster is not actually saving you time. They are deferring the alignment work until after problems show up in the process.
Most strong candidates at the leadership level are already employed. Ask how the firm reaches people who are not actively looking. Direct outreach methodology, sector relationships, and how they handle confidentiality when approaching passive candidates are all relevant.
A large candidate database is only useful if the firm knows how to use it. Ask how they determine whether someone in their network is right for your specific role.
Ask for a general description — not names — of what their shortlists typically contain. How many candidates? What does the assessment process look like before someone makes the slate? What was the conversion rate from shortlist to hire in recent mandates?
Dilys Search delivers vetted shortlists of two to four candidates within 10 to 14 days for most mandates. That is a specific commitment, not a vague promise.
This is one of the most important questions and one of the least asked. If 30 days in the shortlist is thin or the right candidates are not engaging, what does the firm do? A real answer involves specific levers — reassessing the mandate, revisiting compensation, expanding the geography, reconsidering the candidate profile.
If the answer is “we continue working” without specifics, follow up.
Understand the structure: retainer percentage, payment schedule, what happens if the hire does not work out within a defined period, and what is included in the scope. Does the fee cover reference checking? Background screening? Any post-placement support?
Fee conversations should not be awkward. A good firm will be direct about what they charge and why.
If the firm has done what they say they have done, they will have clients willing to speak to it. A reference check for an executive search firm is the same rigor you would apply to a candidate. Use it.
These questions take one meeting. The answers you get will tell you whether the firm in front of you is a real partner for your mandate or someone who is better at getting retained than completing searches effectively.
For broader context on what to look for before this conversation, see how to evaluate an executive search firm.
You do not need a long list. Five to eight direct questions, asked in a real conversation, will tell you most of what you need to know about whether the firm is the right fit.
Who specifically will run this search, and what does your active involvement look like after I sign the retainer? The answer separates firms that deliver from those that delegate.
Yes. Asking for two or three client references from mandates in your sector is entirely reasonable, and a firm confident in their work will have no problem providing them.
If you want to put these questions to Dilys Search before making a decision, we are available for a direct conversation with no obligation.
Ask Us These Questions or book a call first →