Some roles cannot be advertised. The incumbent is still in post, or the hire signals a strategy shift, or the market is small enough that naming the company identifies the position within a day.
A confidential search replaces the advertisement with direct approach. We map the target population — the specific owners, managers and operators the right profile comes from — and approach individuals without naming the client until there is mutual interest and an NDA where appropriate.
Two things are worth knowing before commissioning one. It takes longer: expect two to three weeks more to first shortlist, because there is no inbound flow to work with. And it needs a tighter brief, because we are selling the opportunity in a phone call rather than a job description, and vagueness kills those calls.
What you get in exchange is a slate drawn from people who were not looking. In a market this small, that is usually where the right person is.
