# Proof-First Search: validate the shortlist before the major fee - URL: https://kitalent.com/interview-fee-model - Language: en - Family: core_support_corpus - Description: Proof-First Search is the commercial expression of KiTalent's search standard. A validated shortlist in 7-10 working days for suitable mandates, with the interview fee invoiced only after the shortlist is validated. ## Page Content # Proof-First Search: validate the shortlist before the major fee Proof-First Search is the commercial expression of how we run senior search. The full search runs first. The first invoice exists only when the shortlist is validated. It is a peer to retained search, not a replacement for it. Both run on the same standard. The difference is when the buyer makes the larger commercial commitment. [Discuss a Search Mandate](/contact?intent=mandate-brief&source=interview-fee-model) [How we run a senior search](/methodology) ## What Proof-First Search actually is Proof-First Search is the firm's full executive-search methodology applied to a real mandate, with the validation point moved to after the shortlist is delivered. Within seven to ten working days of brief alignment on suitable mandates, the buyer receives a shortlist of real, interview-ready candidates: full profiles, current employers, compensation expectations, motivations, mobility, and our interview reports. If the shortlist meets the standard agreed at brief sign-off, the interview fee is invoiced. If a candidate is hired, that interview fee is credited against the placement fee. The total commercial cost of a successful search does not increase; the timing of the major commitment changes. The model only works because the early phases of the search do not start from zero. Continuous market mapping across our priority sectors and hubs gives us a live view of who exists, who is reachable, and what the market will accept before the brief arrives. The interview fee is downstream of that operating discipline, not a pricing trick. ## What Proof-First Search is not The framing matters because the model is easy to misread. - **Not a discount model.** The total fee on a successful placement is the same as a comparable retained engagement. The risk-sharing happens before placement, not in the final number. - **Not contingency search.** Contingency firms divide attention across many live mandates. Proof-First is exclusive, research-driven, and fully committed to one brief at a time, with the same off-limits discipline as retained. - **Not a blind sample.** We do not send anonymised CVs as a preview. Anonymised CVs are weak proxies for evidence. [What we do before sending a shortlist](/editorials/why-we-dont-send-blind-cvs) sets out the reasoning. - **Not the right route for every mandate.** Confidential C-suite, board, and succession searches usually require a [retained search](/retained-search) structure from the start. We say so on the brief call. ## How Proof-First Search runs The mechanics are the same as a retained engagement. The validation point is what differs. ### 1. Brief alignment and mandate authorisation We agree the role profile, the compensation envelope, the geography, the cultural context, and the decision timeline. The buyer authorises us to approach candidates on its behalf. The candidate-scorecard standard for shortlist validation is locked at sign-off so there is no moving target later. ### 2. Parallel market mapping activation We draw on our continuous talent intelligence and extend the map across the relevant countries, sectors, and adjacent employer sets. That preparation is what makes a seven-to-ten-day shortlist a realistic commitment rather than a marketing claim. The argument behind why this is a quality input is in [the engagement-bandwidth article](/articles/qualitative-edge-speed-talent-mapping). ### 3. Direct headhunting and three-level screening We approach candidates who genuinely fit the brief and are realistically available now. Each shortlisted profile is screened for technical fit, leadership and culture signal, compensation and mobility reality, and motivation. ### 4. Shortlist delivery in 7 to 10 working days The buyer receives a shortlist of named, interview-ready candidates with full profiles, current employers, compensation expectations, motivations, mobility, and our interview reports. The senior consultant who took the brief presents it directly. ### 5. Buyer validation If the shortlist meets the standard agreed at sign-off, the interview fee is invoiced. If it does not, no invoice is issued. The mapping, outreach, and interview work remain at our cost. ### 6. Placement and fee absorption On a successful hire, the interview fee is credited against the placement fee. Total cost remains comparable to a retained engagement. The commercial difference is when the larger commitment is made. ## Where Proof-First fits and where retained fits The two models are peers serving different mandate profiles. Both run on the same search standard. **Proof-First fits** new partnerships, time-sensitive senior management and specialist leadership mandates, sponsor-backed contexts where the deal team wants evidence before the larger commitment, and venture-or-growth-equity-backed buyers whose milestone-driven cash deployment makes a deferred-cost engagement structure operationally useful. [Alternatives to retained search for pre-revenue startups](/alternatives-to-retained-search-for-pre-revenue-startups) covers that buyer category in depth. **Retained fits** confidential, mission-critical, C-suite, board, and succession mandates where exclusivity, off-limits protection, and deeper advisory involvement matter from day one. It is also the right structure for ongoing leadership programmes where the firm operates as an embedded partner across multiple senior hires. **Talent mapping** is a third route for buyers who are not yet ready to brief a search. We build market intelligence ahead of the eventual mandate, so the search starts from a real view of who exists rather than from a job description. ## What the buyer sees, end to end The deliverables across the search are the same whether the engagement is run as Proof-First or retained. The buyer sees the work, not just the output. - **Brief intake** with the senior consultant who will run the search end to end, not a junior researcher - **Calibration candidates** before the formal search opens, so the brief sharpens against the real market - **Weekly visibility** into the search funnel, including market reactions and candidates declined or paused - **A validated shortlist** with full interview reports, compensation realities, and explicit notes on cultural and operational fit - **Reference checks** taken with candidate consent at shortlist or final-round stage - **Placement support** through offer negotiation, counter-offer management, and the first ninety days of integration ## Three forms of proof the model delivers ### Proof of capability The shortlist proves the firm can reach the level the brief requires. Real names, real companies, real conversations, real interview output. ### Proof of fit The shortlist composition proves the firm understood the role, the operating context, the market, and the practical compensation reality. ### Proof of velocity The delivery window proves the firm's market mapping is live and operational rather than theoretical. A firm without continuously mapped markets cannot consistently meet this commitment. ## What this changes commercially Traditional engagement models reward the firm for securing the mandate. Proof-First moves the major commercial trigger to the moment the shortlist is validated by the buyer. The firm recovers cost only if the shortlist is judged useful, and the full fee only if a candidate is hired. The result is a more procurement-friendly, board-friendly, outcome-aligned structure for senior hiring. The doctrine behind it is operational: a firm that does the search work properly before the brief arrives can afford to invoice on the strength of the deliverable, not on the strength of the mandate signature. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is Proof-First Search? Proof-First Search is KiTalent's commercial route for senior executive search where the buyer wants to validate real delivery before the larger fee commitment. Within seven to ten working days on suitable mandates, the buyer receives a validated shortlist of real, interview-ready candidates. The interview fee is invoiced only if the shortlist is validated. If a candidate is hired, the interview fee is credited against the placement fee. ### Does Proof-First mean no retainer? There is no upfront retainer for the search. The first invoice comes after the shortlist is validated. It does not remove exclusivity, research depth, candidate assessment, or the senior-consultant accountability that the retained model carries. ### How does Proof-First differ from retained search? Proof-First and retained run on the same search standard: continuous market mapping, parallel direct outreach, structured assessment, weekly visibility, named-partner accountability. The difference is the timing of the major commercial commitment. Retained is still the right route when confidentiality, succession, board exposure, or deeper advisory involvement require a classic retained structure from the start. ### How does Proof-First differ from contingency search? Contingency firms typically divide attention across many live mandates and reduce research depth. Proof-First is exclusive, research-driven, and fully committed to one brief at a time, with off-limits protection and the operating discipline of retained search. ### What does the buyer pay if the shortlist is not validated? Nothing. If the shortlist does not meet the standard agreed at brief sign-off, no invoice is issued. The mapping, outreach, and interview work remain at the firm's cost. ### Is Proof-First a discount? No. The total fee on a successful placement is comparable to a retained engagement. The risk-sharing happens before placement, not in the final number. ### When is Proof-First the right fit? It fits senior management and specialist leadership mandates where the market can be mapped, the hiring authority is clear, and the buyer wants to see shortlist evidence before making the larger commercial commitment. For C-suite and board mandates with high confidentiality or succession-planning requirements, retained is usually the better structure. ### When is the interview fee invoiced? When the buyer validates the shortlist, typically around Day 10. Not before. ### How is the interview fee treated on placement? It is credited against the placement fee. A successful search does not become more expensive overall. ### Do you accept purchase orders? Yes. We align invoice references, billing details, and procurement workflows during mandate authorisation. ## Brief us on a search. Tell us the role, the operating context, the decision timeline, and what makes the search difficult. We will recommend Proof-First, retained, or talent mapping based on the mandate, not on the model. [Discuss a Search Mandate](/contact?intent=mandate-brief&source=interview-fee-model) [How we run a senior search](/methodology)