“We need someone… but we don’t know exactly who.”
In headhunting, this happens more often than people admit. And here’s the point: without a brief, there’s no search — just hypotheses.
When the company doesn’t know what it wants, your job isn’t to “go fishing”. It’s to create clarity. And to do it fast.
How to turn a fuzzy brief into something solid without losing weeks:
1. Change the question
It’s not “what profile are we looking for?” It’s: “what problem must this person solve in the first 90 days?”
2. Define the role by outcomes, not labels
Anchor the role with:
- 3 measurable outcomes
- 3 critical decisions they will make
- 3 key relationships they will need to manage
3. Force clear choices
There will always be priorities in conflict. Make them explicit from the start. For example:
- sector experience vs ability to build
- leadership vs execution
- speed vs perfection
- potential vs track record
4. Separate non-negotiables from nice-to-haves
If everything is essential, nothing is. The process becomes unmanageable — and the market will push back.
5. Validate the market with evidence
With a handful of calibration conversations, the market gives you reality: availability, ranges, motivators and objections. From there, you recalibrate the brief objectively.
6. Close the brief as a decision agreement
Who decides, by which criteria, within what timelines, and under what conditions. Without this, the process drifts back into opinions.
Headhunting without a brief isn’t an operational challenge. It’s an alignment challenge. And once it’s solved, the search flows and decisions improve.
What’s your favourite technique for turning a messy brief into an actionable one?
Sources:
- AMKALIS’ own 17 years’ real-world experience in Executive Search
- Intake Meeting: Tips & Agenda — https://www.noota.io/en/intake-meeting-guide
- The 3 Biggest IT Hiring Bottlenecks: and How to Eliminate Them — https://refactortalent.com/the-3-biggest-it-hiring-bottlenecks/
