The Three Selection Mistakes
Most founders make one of three mistakes when selecting a search firm: choosing based on brand name, choosing based on the lowest fee, or choosing based on the warmest relationship. None of these criteria predict search quality.
Brand name predicts past performance on large corporate mandates, not startup VP searches. Lowest fee often signals a contingency firm masquerading as a retained firm, or a retained firm that will deprioritize your search. Warmest relationship is the most dangerous — it creates a false sense of confidence in a firm that may lack the specific skills your search requires.
The Criteria That Actually Matter
Stage and sector fit
A firm that primarily serves Fortune 500 companies does not have the sourcing network, the brief calibration experience, or the candidate relationship depth to run a Series A VP search effectively. Find a firm whose typical client looks like you. The candidate pools are different, the dynamics are different, and the execution requirements are different.
The individual partner, not the firm
Search quality is delivered by the specific person running your search. Ask who will actually be doing the sourcing, conducting the candidate screening, and managing the relationship — not just who will be attending kickoff calls. At smaller boutique firms, these are often the same person. At large firms, they often aren't.
Process transparency
Ask the firm to walk you through their process end-to-end: how they source, how they screen, what the shortlist looks like, how they manage the candidate relationship through offer. A firm with a strong process can describe it clearly. A firm with a weak process gives vague answers about their "proprietary approach."
Reference check the firm
Ask for two or three founders who have used the firm for a comparable search and speak to them directly. The questions that matter: Did the search close on time? Did the placement stick? Was the firm responsive and honest when things got difficult? Would you use them again?
Search Firm Selection Checklist
See: How to Evaluate Search Firms | Retained vs. Contingency | When to Use a Search Firm
"41 days. A $275K search. Two firms failed in 60+ days. That's not luck -- that's a different system."
-- Majhi Group placement record. Read the full process anatomy