Industries / 02 / Executive search
Search strategy, sourcing, and short lists
For retained search firms. The strategy document your team executes against, the short lists that follow from it, and the closing plan for finalists.
Who
Retained search firms, boutique to mid-sized
Practice
Functional and industry practices
Input
Search criteria, off-limits, prior search history, and your candidate database
Output
Search strategy documents, candidate short lists, partner-ready dossiers, closing strategies
Deployment
Managed; configured to your firm's house view on talent
What it does
Strategy first, then sourcing, then closing
01
Search strategy
Role profile, targets, sourcing, assessment, timeline. Your team's framework, client-shareable in your template.
02
Short lists
Candidates from your database and external signal scored against the role overlay. Off-limits applied upstream as hard rules. Partner-ready on every name.
03
Closing strategy
Comp benchmarking and closing plans for finalists. Adjacent-industry mapping where the highest-value names actually live.
How the platform fits into your search workflow
Input
Search criteria and your candidate database
Role definition, must-haves, off-limits firms, prior search history, and your candidate database arrive normalized.
Output
Strategy docs, short lists, closing plans
Client-ready strategy docs, short lists with sourced rationale, partner-ready dossiers, closing strategies for finalists.
Calibrated
To your firm's house view on talent
Configured to your firm's house view on talent. Learns from partner overrides and search outcomes. Partners run every search; the platform does not score candidates on protected characteristics.
Integration
Plugs into your candidate database and ATS
API and MCP integration with your candidate database and ATS. External research APIs and document parsing for partner briefs. Exports as branded Word, PDF, or Excel.
Example output
The document the whole search runs on
A branded strategy brief from kickoff criteria. Your team runs the search from it; partners share it with the client.
Powered by Synthesize, Match and Evaluate.
Search strategy brief
Chief Financial Officer
Healthcare services · PE-backed platform
Engagement
ES-2025-0142
Partner
M. Renwick
Issued
Q3 2025 · Wk 1
01 · Role profile
Treasury-led CFO; M&A integration scope; healthcare exposure preferred
Must-haves: scaled treasury function, prior PE-backed CFO seat, integration of 3+ acquisitions. Differentiator: clinical revenue cycle fluency. Compensation band aligned to mid-market healthcare leadership.
02 · Target companies
24 in scope · 4 tiers · off-limits cleared
03 · Sourcing approach
Research-led mapping with selective network referrals
- Primary: direct outreach to mapped Tier 1–2 finance leadership.
- Secondary: referral channels via prior placements and board network.
- Adjacent: financial-services CFOs with healthcare investment experience.
04 · Timeline
Wk 1–2
Mapping complete
Wk 3–6
Outreach + screens
Wk 7–9
Short list to client
Wk 10–14
Finals + close
Questions search firms ask
Book a demo
See the platform in action
Walk through an example search end to end: kickoff criteria into a strategy doc, then short list, then closing plan.