Working with Recruiters
How to Find Executive Recruiters for Your Industry and Seniority
Sending your CV to hundreds of recruiters is not a targeting strategy. Learn how to identify the firms and individual consultants relevant to your next role.
Kristof Schoenaerts
To find the right executive recruiters, filter search firms by industry, seniority and geography. Then identify the individual consultants who handle your type of assignment. Your goal is a relevant list of people, not a long list of company names.
I regularly see executives send their CV to everyone with “Recruiter” in their title. Weeks later, they have a few automated replies and no useful conversations.
The problem starts before the first message. Executive search consultants fill an average of 10.1 roles per year. Each assignment has a defined function, level, industry and location. A consultant recruiting MedTech leaders in Europe is not automatically relevant to a SaaS finance executive targeting the US.
Start with three filters
Industry and function
Look for evidence that the firm recruits in your sector and function. A healthcare practice is a starting point. A dedicated medical-device practice with consultants covering your subsector is a more precise match.
Seniority
Check the appointments the firm handles. Director, Vice President, C-level and Board searches are not interchangeable. Retained search firms are particularly relevant for senior executives because their work involves actively identifying and approaching candidates.
Geography
Check the firm’s active markets, not just its headquarters. For a search focused on Benelux or Switzerland, identify consultants who actually cover those markets. A global logo alone does not establish the right local expertise.
If a firm fails one of these filters, reconsider whether it belongs on your list.
Four steps to build your recruiter list
1. Identify relevant global search firms
Use executive search rankings, such as those published by Hunt Scanlon, to create an initial list. Visit each firm’s website and inspect its practices, locations and consultant biographies.
Keep the firms that match your sector, seniority and target region.
2. Add specialist boutiques
Use the AESC member directory to find specialist firms. Search by industry, function and geography.
Boutiques can have deep networks in a particular subsector, such as diagnostics, surgical robotics or rare diseases. Do not assume the largest firm is automatically the best match.
3. Search for your specific market
Combine your subsector, seniority and geography in a search:
Medical devices executive search EMEA
Biotech Vice President search Germany
Life sciences executive recruitment Netherlands
Read the firm’s actual practice descriptions and consultant profiles before adding it. Apply the same three filters consistently.
4. Find the individual consultant
A firm cannot have a conversation with you. A person can.
Read the relevant practice page and identify who leads searches in your area. Record the consultant’s name, specialism, geographic coverage, professional contact details and the reason they belong on your list.
Aim for a focused starting list of 20 to 30 firms, then identify the right people within them.
How to approach an executive search consultant
Make the message specific to their market. A short email referencing a relevant industry development gives the consultant a reason to engage.
Do not begin with a generic request to “keep my CV on file.” Explain the shared context and suggest a brief conversation. Your profile should make your own role, industry and level clear before the consultant looks you up.
In one case, a VP of Marketing in IVD had contacted 160 recruiters and received six meaningful responses. We rebuilt the list around 22 relevant firms. Targeted outreach produced 11 responses and five calls in three weeks, with two firms putting her on active shortlists within six weeks.
Same candidate. A better list.
Build the list and the strategy together
My one-month coaching program includes a LinkedIn profile rewrite, an outreach strategy, four private calls, a network activation plan and a tailored list of executive search consultants relevant to your industry, seniority and target markets, complete with their contact details.
Next, read how executive search differs from recruitment and how to prepare for a recruiter screening call.
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