Executive search and recruiting agencies both help companies hire, but they work differently. Executive search proactively maps a market and approaches senior leaders who aren't job hunting, while a typical recruiting agency fills roles faster from a pool of active candidates. The fee models differ too — and understanding both will help you pick the right partner for the role you need to fill.
What a recruiting agency does
A recruiting agency works on contingency: no fee unless they place someone. Agencies typically move quickly, drawing on databases of active candidates and applicant flow. That model is efficient for roles where good candidates are actively looking — and it puts the risk on the agency, not you.
What an executive search firm does
An executive search firm starts from the market, not the database. For a leadership role — a CTO, a CMO, a VP of Engineering — the strongest candidates usually aren't applying to anything. Search work means mapping every relevant company, identifying the people doing the job well, and approaching them directly and discreetly.
Do you have to choose between the two?
Not anymore. Some specialized firms — Periscope Search Group among them — run leadership searches with search-firm methodology on contingency terms: senior-led talent mapping and direct outreach to passive candidates, with no retainer and no fee unless the hire is made. For companies, that combination means search-quality shortlists without search-firm risk.
How to choose for your role
If the role attracts strong active candidates and speed matters most, a conventional contingency agency serves you well. If the role is senior, confidential, or hard to fill — and the best people need to be found and persuaded rather than sorted from applicants — insist on a partner who actually maps the market and approaches passive talent, whatever their fee model. Ask any firm you're considering one question: where will the candidates come from? The answer tells you which model you're really buying.
Periscope Search Group is a boutique firm specializing in technology and marketing talent, with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Miami, and New York. Every search is led by a senior consultant, on contingency: no fee unless we place. Looking to hire? Get in touch at info@periscopesearch.com.