Engaging a specialist recruitment firm is different from engaging a corporate recruiter. The process is closer, slower at the front end, faster at the back end, and more demanding of the client than many expect. This article explains what a professional engagement actually looks like, so clients can evaluate what they are getting and candidates understand the process from the other side.
It is written for principals and family office directors engaging a search for the first time, or for those who have had mixed experiences with previous firms and want to compare what good process looks like.
For current opportunities, see our job board. To discuss a search, see our Private Households & Estates page or Family Office recruitment page.
The first conversation is a discovery, not a pitch. We ask why the role is being hired now, what has been tried before, what is working in the office, and what is not. We ask about the principal's preferences, the existing team, the brief as currently understood, and the internal decision-makers on the hire.
Signals of a professional engagement. The recruiter asks questions before describing their process. They probe assumptions rather than accept the brief at face value. They identify what is missing from the scoping before committing to a search.
Signals to be cautious of. The recruiter moves quickly to fee structure, pitches a standard process, or presents candidate CVs within the first few days without extended scoping. Speed at this stage is usually a warning, not a strength.
By the end of the first conversation, both sides should have a clear sense of whether the engagement is viable. Some searches are not the right fit for us, and we say so. A firm that accepts every mandate offered to them is not being selective enough to serve the client well.
Scoping is the most valuable part of the engagement and the most frequently skipped. It takes two to four conversations, typically over one to three weeks, and it defines the search that follows.
What scoping covers.
Role scope. What does the person actually do, day one to year two?
Authority. What decisions does the role close? What escalates?
Reporting line. Who does the role report to, and who reports to the role?
Compensation structure. Base, bonus, benefits, accommodation where relevant, any deferred or long-term compensation.
Success criteria. What does the hire look like at six months, twelve months, two years?
Trade-offs. Every brief has trade-offs. Experience versus energy. Senior track record versus long runway. Local knowledge versus international scope. We surface these explicitly.
The output of scoping is a written brief that both the client and the recruiter can work against. Firms that start searching without this documented agreement usually end up rewriting the brief halfway through and losing weeks.
The search itself runs in parallel with candidate assessment. Three sourcing channels operate.
Network. Our existing candidate relationships, including candidates we have placed before, candidates we interviewed for other searches, and candidates introduced by principals or advisers.
Targeted approach. Identifying comparable roles at comparable households or offices and approaching named candidates directly. This is methodical mapping, not cold outreach.
Inbound interest. Candidates who apply through our process or are referred to us. For senior roles, this is usually the smallest channel.
For a standard senior search, we expect to speak to twenty to fifty candidates over the first three to six weeks. Most will not progress. Those who do are interviewed in depth.
Every candidate we present is interviewed by Oplu in depth, usually for sixty to ninety minutes. We assess technical fit, judgement, discretion, and written clarity.
Candidates who fail the discretion or judgement assessment do not reach the shortlist, regardless of how strong the CV is. We have passed on candidates we liked personally because their interview revealed a behaviour the client would not tolerate. The firm exists to make the client's decision easier. Passing on candidates is part of that work.
Clients should expect honest feedback on why candidates have not progressed. A recruiter who only says "the pool is limited" without specific observations about why individual candidates did not meet the bar is not doing the job properly.
Our shortlists are deliberately small. Three to five candidates for most retained searches. Each comes with a written profile covering experience, direct-role evidence, working style, salary expectations, and an honest fit assessment.
What a good profile includes:
Factual summary of experience and role history.
Assessment of strengths against the specific brief, not generic ones.
Specific observations about where the candidate will and will not thrive in this role.
Salary expectations and willingness to negotiate.
Motivation for considering this role, based on the candidate's own words.
Risks or concerns that the client should be aware of before interview.
The last point matters. Clients need accurate information, not marketing. A recruiter who presents only upsides is hiding something the client will discover later.
We coordinate the interview process but do not dictate it. The client decides how many stages, who participates, and what the format is. We recommend a structure that gives the candidate proper exposure to the principal and the senior team, without running so long that the best candidates withdraw.
Typical structure.
First interview with the recruiter (already completed by the time the shortlist is presented).
Second interview with the Chief of Staff, Family Office Director, or senior operator on the client side. Screens fit and values. Usually 45 to 60 minutes.
Third interview with the principal. The substance interview. Usually 60 minutes, sometimes over a meal, sometimes in the residence.
Optional fourth stage: task or trial. For senior or operational roles, a short piece of work that mirrors the real job. For live-in or domestic roles, a paid trial.
Final reference and verification stage. Runs in parallel or after the trial.
Total elapsed time from shortlist to offer: typically four to eight weeks, depending on the principal's availability.
We take references directly with previous principals, family office directors, or direct senior colleagues. Not HR contacts. Not generic referees.
We ask specific questions: would you hire them again, in what role, at what salary, describe a moment when their judgement was tested, what should the next principal know on day one, is there anything that will help them succeed that you would share in confidence.
Reference calls are summarised in writing and shared with the client. Sensitive observations are shared verbally rather than on paper, with the client's agreement.
Background verification, as covered in a separate article, runs in parallel. For most senior searches, verification is conducted by specialist firms we coordinate but do not run ourselves.
We manage the offer conversation. Compensation structures in private roles are rarely just a base salary. Accommodation, bonuses, travel, car, health insurance, pension arrangements, and non-compete or non-solicitation provisions all need to be agreed.
Common pitfalls at offer stage:
Misaligned expectations on bonus. Discretionary is not unlimited. A client thinking 20% upside and a candidate thinking 100% upside will not reach an agreement without explicit conversation.
Gross versus net confusion. Particularly in cross-border roles. Agreeing the structure in writing, including currency and tax treatment, prevents weeks of negotiation drag.
Unclear notice periods. Six months is standard for senior roles. Longer notice periods should be agreed, not assumed.
Post-employment restrictions. Non-competes and non-solicitations need to be proportionate to be enforceable. Overreach produces friction and may be unenforceable.
We flag these early and push both sides to agree in principle before final documentation.
The offer is signed. The start date is agreed. We remain in contact with both sides during the notice period. Small issues arise (counter-offers, second thoughts, contractual queries) and are easier to address early.
For the start, we recommend a structured first month. A written one hundred-day plan, agreed with the principal or senior operator, sets expectations and provides a reference point for the first check-ins. The plan does not need to be elaborate. It needs to be written.
We check in at one week, one month, and three months after start. These conversations surface small issues before they become resignations.
Between these formal check-ins, the work continues quietly. Between events is where placements actually drift. A candidate who feels unsupported for two months, or a principal who has lost confidence in the second month without raising it, rarely recovers without intervention. The recruiter's work does not end at signature. The placement is the product, and the placement is verified by retention.
For retained searches, we offer a defined replacement guarantee if the placement does not work out within an agreed window. Terms are agreed at engagement. We have rarely needed to invoke the guarantee because the process is built to prevent mis-hires, not to backstop them.
The engagement is not one-sided. A professional firm expects the client to commit to specific responsibilities.
Access to the principal. Not for every conversation, but at key moments: scoping, final shortlist review, selected interviews. Searches that lack principal access beyond the initial briefing usually struggle because feedback cycles break down.
Timely feedback. Within a few days of interviews, not weeks. Candidates lose interest in processes that go quiet.
Honesty about budget. Clients who suggest a budget and then quietly hope for someone at 30% less lose the best candidates.
Commitment to one firm. Parallel searches with other agencies on the same mandate compromise the process.
Openness during scoping. Including the awkward details: family dynamics, previous failed hires, internal politics. This is where trust is built.
Reconciliation beats brilliance. In recruitment work, the firm that quietly closes loops, follows up, documents decisions, and maintains consistent communication outperforms the firm with the flashy pitch and the impressive rolodex. Most of what earns a repeat engagement happens in the routine work, not the headline moments.
Clients should evaluate firms on process discipline as much as on relationships. A firm with a mid-sized network and a disciplined process usually delivers better outcomes than a firm with a larger network and casual process.
Retained fees are paid in three instalments: at engagement, at first interview stage, and at placement. Contingent and exclusive fees are paid on successful placement. Fixed-term contract placements are priced higher than permanent, reflecting the shorter engagement.
Fees reflect the depth of the process. Lower-priced firms are typically running higher-volume, lower-depth searches. For senior, specialist, or sensitive roles, the economics do not support that model. We explain this at engagement and price transparently in the first conversation.
Oplu works on retained, exclusive, and contingent mandates, matched to the role rather than standardised. Senior investment, Chief of Staff, Estate Manager, and principal household roles are typically retained. Mid-seniority family office roles may be retained or exclusive. Junior domestic staff roles are usually contingent.
We discuss the right engagement model at the scoping conversation. Clients choose, but we are transparent about what each model will and will not deliver.
For current opportunities, see our job board. To discuss a search, get in touch.
Typically eight to sixteen weeks for most senior UHNW roles, from engagement to signed offer. Scoping takes one to three weeks, search and shortlisting takes three to six weeks, interviews and references take three to six weeks, and offer and notice periods add further time. Royal or sovereign household searches can take four to nine months.
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