Most executive searches take 60 to 90 days. Some drag past 120.
This one took 11.
Day 1: contract signed with a wealth-management firm. They needed a Software Administrator who could own their Black Diamond platform. Day 4: I submitted one candidate. Day 11: hired on the spot. First and only candidate I sent.
The CEO's words: “She's amazing, she's perfect, great job finding her.”
I want to walk through exactly how that happened, because it wasn't luck. And because the process matters more than the timeline.
The brief and what most recruiters miss about it
The role was a Software Administrator for a wealth-management firm running Black Diamond, which is a portfolio management and reporting platform used by RIAs and wealth advisors.
Most recruiters would read that job description and start searching for people with “Black Diamond” or “software administration” on their LinkedIn profiles. That's keyword matching. It gets you a pile of resumes, some of which look right on paper.
I read it differently. I spent my career in finance and operations before starting ICA. So when I looked at this brief, I was thinking about the actual work: what does day-to-day life look like for someone managing this system inside a wealth-management firm? Who are the internal stakeholders? What does success look like in the first 90 days?
That context changes the search. You're looking for someone who understands the intersection of financial data, client reporting, and system configuration, not someone who happens to have the right keyword on page two of their resume.
“I read the brief the way a hiring manager would, because I was one.”
Why one candidate instead of fifteen
Here's something most hiring managers don't realize about the recruiting process: when a recruiter sends you 10 or 15 candidates, they're hedging. They're not confident in any single one, so they flood the pipeline and hope something sticks.
That approach wastes everyone's time. The hiring manager now has to review 15 profiles, schedule 6 or 7 interviews, and sort through varying levels of fit. Multiply that by the hours involved and you're looking at weeks of internal effort just to get to a shortlist.
I submitted one person. One.
The reason I could do that is the prep work. I spent the first three days understanding the role deeply: what the firm actually needed (someone who could own the system from day one, not learn it on the job), what their team looked like, what kind of personality would work in that environment. Then I went into my network and found someone who matched on every dimension.
When you do the prep right, precision is all you need.
Speed as a byproduct, not a goal
Eleven days makes a good headline. But speed was the byproduct, not the point.
The point was accuracy. The CEO didn't hire this person because I was fast. He hired her because she was exactly right. “She's amazing, she's perfect” is a reaction to fit, not to speed.
What made it fast was that the process was clean from the start. No wasted cycles reviewing candidates who were 70% matches. No second rounds because the first batch didn't land. One candidate, one interview, done.
What this means for companies hiring right now
According to SHRM, replacing an executive costs between 100% and 200% of their annual salary. For specialized roles, the number goes higher. Every extra week a position sits open adds cost: lost productivity, team strain, delayed projects.
Speed matters. But only if it comes with accuracy.
If your recruiter is sending you batches of 10 and hoping for the best, you're paying for their uncertainty with your time. If they're sending you one person and that person is right, you're paying for their expertise.
That's the difference between a process built on volume and a process built on judgment.
About ICA
I'm April Ben-Sabat, founder of Inner Circle Agency. I built my career in finance, accounting, HR leadership, and industrial operations before starting ICA. ICA recruits for the roles I used to hold. Our team evaluates candidates the way a board would, because that operational experience is baked into how we work.
ICA is boutique by design. We take on a small number of searches at a time so every client gets senior-level attention. We specialize in Director-to-C-Suite placements across finance, ERP, and operations for mid-market companies in the US.
If you're hiring for a role where the wrong person costs you a year of momentum, let's talk.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an executive search typically take?
Most retained executive searches take 60 to 90 days. Contingent searches can vary more widely. The timeline depends on role complexity, market conditions, and how precise the brief is from the start. ICA has completed placements in as few as 11 days when the preparation and candidate match are right.
Why would a recruiter submit only one candidate?
Submitting one candidate signals confidence in the match. It means the recruiter did the prep work to deeply understand the role and found someone who fits on every dimension. Submitting 10 or 15 candidates typically means the recruiter is casting a wide net and relying on the client to sort through the noise.
What makes a boutique executive search firm different from a large agency?
At a boutique firm like ICA, every search is run by a recruiter with real functional expertise and senior oversight at every stage. You're not handed off to a junior associate. The trade-off is capacity: boutique firms take fewer clients at a time. The benefit is depth: every search gets full attention from someone with real functional expertise.