Executive Recruiting: An Essential Industry That Deserves Better
The dominant recruiting model I’ve encountered my entire career – hiring recruiters and being recruited – is a relic. Broad, bloated, generic, built for volume over value, leaning on junior delegation and transactional incentives.
If you could rebuild executive recruiting from first principles, what would it look like?
Firsthand Talent Partners is inspired by insider knowledge and direct experience, forming a deep and practical understanding of what actually moves top performers.
The Legacy Model: Built for Speed, Not Substance
- Generalist, diluted execution. Most firms try to be all things to all people—and hand off real work to junior staff.
- Transactional mindset. Churn-and-burn placement incentives favor volume, not long-term fit.
- Reactive, trend-chasing. Flashy, short-term momentum substitutes for strategy.
- Overreliance on automation. Tech to filter and screen, replacing human connection instead of enhancing it.
- Low-effort sourcing. Outreach defaults to job seekers and stale pools rather than seeking out the truly exceptional.
The Firsthand Approach: Rebuilt with Purpose
- Specialized. Real industry experience, no handoffs—every search is personally led and deeply informed.
- Relationship-driven. Long-term partnerships with a select group of clients to ensure alignment and accountability.
- Substance-first. We don’t chase trends—we prioritize thoughtful, targeted, and relevant search work.
- Tech-enhanced, not tech-dependent. Tools are used to deepen relevance and further in-person interactions.
- Deliberate sourcing. We build relationships with the best-in-class—many of whom aren’t looking but would move for the right opportunity.