Search Strategy
The shortlist is the product
Mike Wolford · February 3, 2026 · 4 min read
Volume metrics are easy to report and easy to ignore. A hiring manager measures a search by the quality of the first three conversations, not by how many profiles were reviewed to get there.
That changes what a search firm should optimize. Coverage of the market matters because it makes the shortlist defensible. Research matters because it makes each introduction credible. Everything else is internal process.
We share the funnel behind a search so clients can see where a market is thin, where compensation is misaligned, and where the strongest candidates actually sit.