It depends on the seniority of the role and how specific the brief is, but most senior placements move from brief to shortlist within 7 to 10 days. That's the honest average, not a marketing number, and it's worth explaining what actually drives that timeline up or down for any given search.
What speeds a search up
The fastest placements tend to share three things: a specific, honest brief (see our piece on how to brief a role properly), a role and salary that's genuinely competitive for the market, and a venue that can move quickly once we present a shortlist. When all three line up, we've placed Head Chefs within a week of the first call, because we already had the right candidate warm in our network from a previous search or from our talent pool.
What slows a search down
The slowest searches are almost never slow because we can't find candidates, they're slow because the brief was vague, the salary wasn't set at a level that matches the seniority being asked for, or the decision-making process on the client side has multiple stakeholders who need to align before an offer goes out. We'll flag any of these upfront if we see them, because a slow search caused by an internal decision-making bottleneck isn't something more sourcing effort fixes.
Why we won't rush a bad fit
We'd rather take the time to get the right person in front of you than rush a shortlist that doesn't fit. A fast placement that falls over in three months costs you more than a placement that took an extra week to get right, in lost momentum, in team disruption, and in having to run the search again. Every timeline we give you accounts for that: fast where speed is genuinely possible, honest where it isn't.
What the 7 to 10 days actually covers
To be clear about what that number means: it's brief to shortlist, not brief to start date. Once you've met candidates from the shortlist, there's still interviewing, reference checking, and typically a notice period on the candidate's side, usually two to four weeks depending on their current role's seniority. The full process from first call to someone starting is usually four to eight weeks for a senior hire, which is fast for a genuine leadership placement, and realistic rather than optimistic.
If you need a timeline for a specific role, the fastest way to get an honest answer is to brief it directly. We'll tell you what's realistic before we start, not after.