About The Good Search

The Good Search is a retained executive search firm that recruits Board and C-level executives for legendary hires. We serve technology companies and employers in other industries that use technology for competitive advantage. We also specialize functionally in recruiting Chief Technology Officers, Chief AI Officers, Chief Information Officers, Chief Information Security Officers, Heads of Engineering, and Technology Luminaries.

Headquartered in Westport, Connecticut, in the Greater New York City Area, The Good Search serves employers of choice across the United States. Our clients range from top-tier venture capital-backed startups to private equity portfolio companies to Fortune 500 corporations and nonprofit organizations. We’ve led elite recruiting for some of the world’s most innovative public, private, and pre-IPO companies. For the companies and VCs who retain us, we’re a trusted business partner.

We Recruit Differently

The Good Search is not a traditional search firm by design. We believe you deserve a better executive search experience. Indeed, our investigative approach makes search smarter and gives you more. Candidates you never dreamed existed. Flat fees you can trust. All the research.

We Asked. Then We Listened.

To design a better search experience, we first asked executive search buyers, “What traditional retained search practices bother you?” Then we listened and learned a lot. Next, we identified retained search shortcomings — the things you find so incredibly frustrating about search firms. As a result, we took action: we created the next generation of executive search.

Banish Searches That Fail

For instance, traditional retained executive search firms often fail to deliver game-changing leadership. In fact, the Executive Search Information Exchange (ESIX) has found that 40% of retained searches fail to complete. At The Good Search, statistically, we do not fail.

Eliminate Conflicts of Interest

In addition, we removed the conflict of interest inherent in percentage-based fees in executive search firm pricing. Charging a percentage of the hired candidate’s first-year compensation incentivizes search firms to negotiate higher salaries, potentially compromising a search firm’s loyalty. Our simple flat fee is based on the amount of work we do.

“Owning” a Candidate Is Weird. We Don’t Do That.

Some firms tag candidates for placement fees, making extra work for employers. We reject the notion of “owning” candidates. Actually, we find it a little weird.

Erase Extra Search Fees

Moreover, traditional firms often charge extra when clients hire their candidates for additional roles. Conversely, if our work produces another hire, you don’t pay extra. We invest in your long-term success.

Bar the Black Box

Furthermore, we’ve eliminated the lack of transparency that plagues traditional search firms. While other firms withhold candidate research under the guise of confidentiality, our work is available for you to review 24/7. We share candidate profiles with contact information, fostering trust and enabling you to audit our work.

Our Secret Sauce

Investigative Search

Founded by a former investigative journalist, our innovative investigative approach makes search smarter and gives you more. It is how we deliver legendary hires. In contrast, traditional sourcing methods, while useful, do not build the foundation required for excellence.

Dream Candidates

Our investigative approach harnesses the power of information to uncover dream candidates that others miss. Our expertise is unparalleled. Throughout every engagement, we develop actionable intelligence that makes search smarter and more effective. Ultimately, it reveals the shortest path to the perfect hire. That is how we outperform traditional search firms.

We systematically map target companies, creating organizational charts that LinkedIn cannot provide. Indeed, this detailed mapping allows us to locate your ideal executive candidates with precision, enabling game-changing hires.

Make Legendary Hires

In conclusion, by identifying the direct superior of every executive, we achieve laser-like precision in our searches. Consequently, our investigative approach uncovers the best talent—dream candidates you never knew existed. This is why the world’s leading technology companies have become clients of The Good Search.