TSD The ShortlistLoop magazine
Reporting on the craft and economics of boutique search in the United States, from the intake call to the signed offer letter.
9reports published
Sep 3, 2026latest issue
Jimenez Julieneditor and author
All Nine reports, newest first
practical guide
The fee clauses that decide who gets paid when a placement goes sideways: ownership windows, guarantee terms, invoice triggers, backfills, and the language that keeps a boutique firm out of court.
comparison
Retainers, engaged searches with a partial deposit, and pure contingency all bill differently and carry different risk. Here is how the money actually moves in each one, and which roles justify which model.
mistakes to avoid
Most lost fees are not lost at the offer. They are lost the day a resume goes out without written acknowledgement, consent, or a clear source of introduction. Eight failure points and the paper trail that prevents each one.
regulation and compliance
More than a dozen states now require a pay range in the job ad, and some reach employers based well outside their borders. What has to appear, who is liable when the search firm posts, and what to ask the client.
case study
One retained search for a manufacturing controller, followed from the intake call through the calibration slate, the client debrief, references, and the signed offer, with the decision that moved each week.
trends and outlook
Interim and fractional placements bill by the hour or by the month instead of by the hire. How the markup, the classification question, the conversion clause, and weekly invoicing change a small firm's cash position.
checklist
The questions that separate a search you can fill from one that will burn eight weeks: budget authority, the real must haves, the interview loop, the comparison set, and who signs the offer.
numbers and benchmarks
Fee percentage times placements is not a business plan. Work through the billings a two person desk has to cover, how fee splits are structured, guarantee reserves, and the lag between a start date and a cleared invoice.
field report
A verbal yes is not a start date. What actually happens between acceptance and day one: counteroffers, background checks, notice periods, relocation logistics, and the resignation conversation that decides it.