Why Choosing the Wrong Search Firm Compounds the Problem
Most organizations that engage an executive search firm do so because they have already spent weeks or months trying to fill a construction or facilities leadership role on their own. By the time they decide to bring in a search partner, the vacancy cost is real and the pressure to move quickly is high. That urgency makes it easy to choose the wrong firm, which resets the clock and often makes things worse.
A search firm that lacks deep expertise in construction and facilities will run a slower search, produce a weaker candidate slate, and miss the nuances of what the role actually requires. Recognizing the difference between a firm that genuinely knows this market and one that is applying a generic process to a specialized domain is the first thing a hiring leader needs to be able to do.
This checklist gives you the questions to ask and the signals to look for before you sign an engagement letter.
Section One: Domain Expertise
Can they name the specific candidate pool for your role?
A search firm with genuine expertise in construction and facilities executive search should be able to tell you, in the first conversation, where the candidates for your role are currently working and why they are not responding to job postings. If the answer is vague, that is a signal the firm is planning to post the role and wait rather than conduct active outreach.
Ask specifically: “Which organizations are you planning to target when sourcing candidates for this role?” The answer should include named peer institutions, competing employers, and specific functional areas where candidates with the right profile are concentrated. A general answer like “we will search our database and networks” means they do not know.
Have they placed in your sector before?
Ask for specific placements, not just client logos. “We work with universities and health systems” is not the same as “we placed a Director of Facilities Operations at a Big Ten university eighteen months ago.” Ask for examples of completed searches at comparable organizations, at a comparable level, within the past two years.
Firms that have done this work before will answer readily. Firms that have not will describe their general capabilities without being able to name specific placements.
Do they understand the compensation landscape?
A search firm that cannot tell you what a VP of Facilities at a comparable institution is earning right now is not equipped to help you set a competitive offer. Before you engage, ask for a compensation benchmark for the specific role you are trying to fill. If they cannot provide one, or if the number they give you is more than two years old, they are not sourcing from the current market.
Section Two: Process and Timeline
What does their search process look like, week by week?
Ask for a written timeline or process document. A legitimate search firm should be able to describe exactly what happens from kickoff through offer: when sourcing begins, when the first candidate presentations happen, how many rounds of assessment are included, and what the communication cadence looks like. If the process is vague or described in generalities, that is a process that does not exist yet.
A well-run construction and facilities executive search should produce an initial candidate presentation within two to three weeks of kickoff and move to finalist interviews within six to eight weeks. Searches that take five or six months before producing a first slate are either mismanaged or being run by a firm that is juggling too many concurrent searches.
How many searches are they running right now?
Large generalist search firms and some boutique firms take on more searches than their teams can actively work. The result is searches that move slowly because the assigned consultant is stretched across a dozen active engagements. Ask directly: “How many searches is the consultant assigned to my search currently managing?” More than eight to ten active searches per consultant is a flag.
Who specifically will be doing the work?
At large firms, a senior partner will often lead the pitch and then hand the work to a junior associate. Ask who will be conducting the candidate outreach, who will be doing the preliminary screening interviews, and who will be presenting candidates to you. The answer to all three should be the same person, or at most a tightly coordinated two-person team.
Section Three: Fee Structure and Fit
What is the fee structure, and what does it include?
Retained search firms charge a retainer paid in installments, typically one-third at kickoff, one-third at candidate presentation, and one-third at offer acceptance. The total fee is usually 25 to 33 percent of the placed candidate’s first-year compensation. Contingency firms charge only if a placement is made but typically provide less dedicated service. Large SHREK-tier firms (Spencer Stuart, Heidrick and Struggles, Russell Reynolds, Egon Zehnder, Korn Ferry) often have minimum retainer thresholds that put them out of reach for Director-level searches.
Ask for a clear breakdown of what is included: sourcing, screening, reference checks, assessment, offer negotiation support. Ask what happens if the placed candidate leaves within the first year. A guarantee period of six to twelve months with a free replacement search is standard for reputable firms.
Do they work at the level you need?
Some firms only work at the C-Suite level and will not engage on Director or Senior Manager searches. Others claim to work at all levels but in practice only put senior resources on VP and above. If you need a Director of Construction or a Director of Facilities Operations, confirm that the firm regularly fills roles at that level and that those searches receive the same search process as VP searches, not a stripped-down version.
Can they provide references from comparable searches?
Ask for two or three client references from searches at comparable organizations, at a comparable level, within the past 18 months. Then call them. Ask specifically: how long did the search take, how many candidates were presented, did the placed candidate work out, and would you use the firm again. References that are difficult to obtain or that are exclusively from C-Suite searches when you need a Director-level search are worth noting.
The Real8 Difference
Real8 Group is a specialized executive search firm focused exclusively on construction, real estate, engineering, and facilities operations. We work at the Director level through VP and C-Suite, without the large minimum retainers that limit who can engage the major generalist firms. We typically present a qualified candidate slate within two to three weeks of kickoff.
We operate in the markets where construction and facilities talent is concentrated: PA, OH, NY Metro, NJ, New England, Mid-Atlantic, FL, Chicago/Midwest, TX, and Southern California. We can answer every question on this checklist directly, with specific examples.
If you are evaluating search firms for a construction or facilities leadership role, review how Real8 structures its search process, learn how we source specialized candidates, or contact us to have a direct conversation. You can also meet the Real8 team.
Real8 Group is a specialized executive search firm serving the real estate, construction, engineering, and facilities operations sectors across the U.S.
