First hires
First engineer. First seller. First product hire. First leader.
Your first hires shape the product, the culture and every hire after them, and the work of finding them usually lands on you while you run the company. We run the search end to end, so your time goes to the people worth meeting and the decisions only you can make.
What a first hire needs
Three things every first-hire search builds in from the start.
A role defined by outcomes
Founders often know the work before the title. We start from what this person must accomplish in their first year and write it down as your Signal Spec.
An interview process from day one
Each interviewer gets a scorecard tied to the outcomes you approved, so a team of three judges every candidate the same way.
A reason for strong people to listen
Early companies have little name recognition. We write to each person about the problem they would own and why it matters now.
Where your time goes
Your time goes to the first working session, your interviews and the final call. We handle everything between them.
You decide
The role, in one working session. The direction, from a few calibration profiles. The candidates, in your interviews. The offer.
We handle
Market research, outreach, assessment, identity verification, scheduling, candidate follow-up and offer support.
In their words
From a co-founder making early hires, and a candidate considered for a founding role.
“Looking at my calendar a few weeks in, I realized recruiting hadn't taken over my life. I still met the people and made the call, but I wasn't spending Sunday night on LinkedIn or trying to remember who I had to reply to.”
“They were honest that there wasn't a finished playbook waiting for me. That was the point of the role. I knew I was being considered for what I could build.”
Fees
Most first hires run as Specialist Search. A first leadership hire, such as a first VP or head of function, runs as Leadership Search.
Usual fit
Specialist Search
$10,000
Retainer: $2,500
Balance at signature: $7,500
For individual contributors and people managers within a defined functional market.
Leadership Search
$20,000
Retainer: $5,000
Balance at signature: $15,000
For executives, heads of function, and searches that need broader market mapping, multi-stakeholder alignment, leadership assessment or heightened confidentiality.
Choose Exclusive Search and we're your only external firm for 20 business days, starting when you approve the Signal Spec and outreach is ready. Your fee becomes $9,000 for Specialist or $18,000 for Leadership, and replacement coverage extends to 180 days. View the fee schedule
Questions
How much of my time does a search take?
Your time goes to the first working session, your interviews and the final call. We handle everything between them: outreach, assessment, scheduling and candidate communication. Your shortlist arrives in your inbox, and your Hiring Workspace holds the detail.
Do I need a finished job description?
Bring the job description you have, or the role in your head. We define the role with you before outreach begins.
How do you decide between Specialist and Leadership Search?
Leadership Search covers executives, heads of function and searches that need broader market mapping, multi-stakeholder alignment, leadership assessment or heightened confidentiality. We confirm the type before your engagement begins.
Tell us about the role. Within one business day, we confirm whether we are the right firm to lead the search.
Bring the job description you have, or the role in your head. We define the role with you.