💡 Expert Insights: Bottlenecks in executive hiring

🎈 Just for Fun: Spot the red flag in this job posting

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⭐ Associate Spotlight: Daniel Jimenez

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Executive hiring should be a deliberate process — but too often, it drags. Whether you're a candidate wondering why things have gone quiet or a hiring manager frustrated by another failed search, the bottlenecks usually trace back to the same few places.

1. Relying only on job postings. Postings attract active job seekers. Executive-level talent (the people most worth hiring) often isn't looking. They're performing and succeeding — not refreshing your careers page. If a posting is your only sourcing strategy, you're already working from a limited pool and competing for candidates who may be considering multiple offers at once.

2. Not asking the tough questions. Standard interview scripts reveal surface-level skills. The questions that actually matter — about failure, about what's missing from a resume, about what a candidate genuinely wants next — tend to go unasked. That leaves hiring managers making decisions with incomplete information, which increases the risk of a costly mis-hire.

3. Working around blind spots you don't know you have. There are questions hiring managers simply can't ask — legally or relationally. A recruiter operating as a third party can ask candidates directly about compensation expectations, motivations for leaving, and career concerns. That information shapes whether a process moves forward smoothly or stalls at the offer stage. Without it, both sides are guessing.

The common thread running through all of these mistakes? They cost time — and in executive hiring, time is the one thing you can't recover.

"Time kills all deals," says Christie Burgess, Executive Search Team Lead. A candidate who felt uncertain about the process accepts another offer. A hiring manager who skipped the hard questions makes the wrong hire and starts over.

The firms that hire well move with intention at every stage — clear on what they're looking for, asking the right questions, and working with the full picture. That's what keeps a search from stalling.

Whether you're managing a search or in the middle of one, we’re here to help. Contact us or reach out to any team member at the bottom of this email.

Senior Wealth Manager — Regional Bank | St. Louis, MO

Seeking an experienced Senior Wealth Manager with 7+ years in wealth management, CFP or equivalent, and a proven track record with high-net-worth clients.

Did you spot it?

🚩 The red flag: "Competitive salary commensurate with experience."

This phrase sounds reasonable but reveals nothing — and that's the problem. A senior candidate managing a $50M+ book of business needs to know whether the role is worth disrupting their career for. Vague compensation language signals either that the firm hasn't defined the role's value, or that they have and don't want to show their hand. Either way, top candidates move on. The best job postings include at least a salary range. It saves everyone time and signals that the firm respects candidates' time from the very first interaction.