When a critical role sits empty, whether it's a Chief Technology Officer, Director of Nursing, Product Manager, or Clinical Department Head, every day without the right leader costs your organization money, momentum, and morale. Traditional executive search takes 4-6 months. Contingency recruiting leaves you competing with multiple other clients for recruiter attention. The Retained Search Accelerator model is different: dedicated resources, guaranteed delivery, and 30-day timelines for mission-critical roles.
What is Retained Search?
Retained search is an exclusive recruiting partnership where an organization pays a search firm upfront to find and deliver qualified candidates for a specific, high-priority position. Unlike contingency recruiting (where multiple firms compete and only the one who places gets paid), retained search provides dedicated attention, guaranteed deliverables, and full ownership of the search process.
The Retained Search Model: Core Principles
- Exclusivity: You work with one search partner, not five agencies competing for the same role
- Dedicated Resources: A consultant is assigned exclusively to your search with committed time and attention
- Guaranteed Delivery: Contractual commitment to deliver a specified number of qualified candidates by a set date
- Full Process Ownership: From market research to offer negotiation, the search firm manages every aspect
- Investment Structure: Typically 30-33% of first-year compensation, paid in phases regardless of whether you hire
Why "Accelerator"?
Traditional retained search firms take 90-180 days to complete assignments. The "Accelerator" methodology compresses this timeline to 30-45 days through:
- AI-Powered Initial Sourcing: Technology identifies 200+ potential candidates in 48 hours vs. 2-3 weeks manually
- Rapid Outreach Cadence: Simultaneous multi-channel contact (email, LinkedIn, phone) instead of sequential attempts
- Compressed Interview Timeline: Candidates pre-vetted and available, reducing scheduling delays
- Experienced Consultants: Senior recruiters who've done hundreds of searches know how to move fast without sacrificing quality
Need to Fill a Critical Role Fast?
Schedule a consultation to discuss your search requirements. We'll review the role, timeline, budget, and determine if Retained Search Accelerator is the right approach. If it's not, we'll recommend alternatives.
Schedule Your Consultation