How AVID EXEC runs an executive search
AVID EXEC assesses capability, emotional intelligence, leadership style, motivation and cultural alignment alongside experience. Every search starts with the organization: what the role has to change, who it has to work with, and what the first year has to produce. The shortlist is built against that, not against a job description.
We look past the résumé.
What has to be true in eighteen months that is not true now?
Who will decide whether this person succeeds?
What is the organization ready to change, and what is it not?
What does the first year have to produce?
Who does this person need to win over in the first ninety days?
What has made this kind of hire fail here before?
- 01
What motivates you to leave a role that is still working?
- 02
How does your leadership style change under pressure?
- 03
What would you need from the organization to do your best work?
- 04
What kind of team do you build around you?
- 05
What is the mistake you are most careful not to make again?
Executive Search
Retained search for leadership roles that carry real consequence. The right fit when the hire changes the direction of the organization, a division or a portfolio.
Leadership Advisory
Succession, structure and the conversations boards find hardest. The right fit when the question is not who to hire, but whether the organization is ready for what comes next.
Organizational Excellence
Compensation, retention and building teams that hold together. The right fit when the real risk is losing the people who already make the place work.
We begin with the organization, not the job description. What the role has to change, who it has to work with, and what the first year has to produce are written into the brief before any name is raised.
We map the market for people who have done this before, whether they are visible or not. Most of the best candidates are not actively looking; they are reached through trusted, direct conversation.
We assess capability, emotional intelligence, leadership style, motivation and cultural alignment alongside experience. The shortlist is built against the brief, not against a résumé.
We stay in the negotiation through offer and acceptance, then advise on the first ninety days. The goal is not placement; it is a leader who lands and lasts.
A hiring committee will decide how they feel about you in under two minutes.
Most strong candidates are lost on the page, not in the room. Scope described but never sized. Accomplishments listed but never quantified. Judgment and emotional intelligence left entirely to the reader's imagination.
Your document has one job: make the person on the other side want the meeting. We tell candidates exactly what to sharpen before we put them forward.
Two readers decide your candidacy: a hiring committee that skims for seven seconds, and an ATS that never skims at all. Most résumés are written for neither.
So run yours against the role first and the strength of your documents. Pick the AVID EXEC posting you're planning to apply to and we'll score your résumé against that specific mandate, two scores, human and machine, the gaps costing you the most points, and the same experience rewritten to show what it could have scored. One candidate went 58 to 82 with a hiring manager and 44 to 79 through the ATS. Nothing was invented. It was written to be read and to amaze.
Then apply with the version that makes the impression you intended. Back in 36 hours, guaranteed — most audits are done inside two hours. Scoring is independent, done by our document partner Noticeable: AVID EXEC never sees your résumé or your score, and it carries no weight in any search we run. Free, private, and yours whether you work with us or not.
36-hour turnaround, guaranteed. No cost, no obligation, no bearing on your candidacy.
What is the difference between retained and contingency executive search?
Retained search is a dedicated engagement. AVID EXEC is briefed exclusively, maps the market, and builds a shortlist against the organization’s needs. Contingency search is typically faster, less structured, and paid only on placement. The work before the shortlist is where the difference shows.
What does a retained executive search cost?
Fees are a percentage of first-year compensation, agreed before work starts. The exact percentage reflects scope, role complexity and market. AVID EXEC does not negotiate around the work itself — the brief, market map, assessment and close are all included.
How long does an executive search take?
Most retained searches run twelve to sixteen weeks from brief to offer. A tight market, an unusual mandate or a confidential search can add four to six weeks. The first shortlist is usually presented within four to six weeks.
What happens if a placement does not work out?
AVID EXEC stands behind the work with a guarantee period. If a placed executive leaves within the agreed window, the search is restarted at a defined replacement rate. The exact terms are set in the engagement letter before the search begins.
Does AVID EXEC work outside commercial real estate?
Commercial real estate is the deepest specialization, but AVID EXEC also places leadership in development, construction, engineering, finance, corporate and professional services, and not-for-profit organizations. The process is the same; the market knowledge is what changes.
How confidential is a retained search?
Confidentiality is the default. A candidate’s name is not shared without consent, and the client’s identity is disclosed only when the brief allows. A retained search is usually quieter than a public posting, which is why it reaches people who are not actively looking.