Written search brief
Confirm the role, expected outcomes, assessment criteria, and organizations to exclude. The brief also records what can be shared with candidates and when the employer’s identity can be disclosed.
Employer engagements
What you receive
during a confidential search.
Private Mandate Search manages your assignment from the initial brief through candidate assessment and interviews. You receive a written brief, progress updates, and a shortlist that explains how each candidate meets the agreed criteria.
Search deliverables
The brief, updates,
and candidate assessments.
The engagement letter sets the scope, the people who receive updates, and how often they receive them.
Search progress updates
See which parts of the market have been explored, what candidates are saying about the opportunity, and what may be slowing the search. If the evidence suggests a change to the brief, the update explains the decision and its tradeoffs.
Shortlist with written assessments
Review each candidate against the agreed criteria. Assessments cover relevant experience, interest in the role, and questions to explore in an interview. Candidate identities and CVs are shared with permission.
Interview and decision support
Coordinate introductions and interviews. The scope can also include reference coordination and support through the offer stage. Your organization makes the final decision.
Sample candidate assessment
Chief Financial Officer
This sample shows how Private Mandate Search summarizes a CFO candidate’s relevant experience and identifies questions for the interview.
Finance integration
Candidate A led finance integration after two acquisitions and brought subsidiary reporting into a single monthly close. That experience aligns with the board’s plan to integrate recently acquired businesses.
Debt and lender relationships
The candidate has supported refinancing discussions. Ask which decisions they owned, how they handled lender negotiations, and what results they were accountable for.
Before outreach
Agree how the search
will be handled.
Discuss the fee, reporting schedule, disclosure stages, and expectations before authorizing the work.
Review the search process ↗Who sees search updates?
The employer identifies the people authorized to receive progress reports and candidate information during the briefing.
What if the market challenges the brief?
Progress updates identify where the search is encountering resistance. That may lead to a discussion about compensation, location, or the balance of responsibilities before continuing outreach.
When will I receive a shortlist?
Timing is discussed for each assignment and depends on the scope, the market, and candidate availability. The engagement terms set the expectations for your search.
Private Mandate Search
Discuss a confidential appointment.
Start with the role and why discretion matters. Share sensitive details once the boundaries are agreed.