When a search firm is the right call
Most senior roles in Vietnam are not filled by people who are actively looking. The country manager you want is three years into a mandate at a competitor, is performing well, and has never uploaded a CV to a job board. Advertising will not reach that person. Nor will your internal recruiter, who has a full requisition load and no mandate to spend six weeks mapping a market.
Executive search exists for that gap. It is a research and persuasion exercise before it is a recruitment exercise: you build a picture of who is doing the job well across the market, you approach them privately, and you give them a reason to have a conversation they were not looking for.
That is the work we do. If your requirement is a mid-level role with a healthy applicant pool, say so and we will tell you honestly that you do not need us.
How a search runs
1. Calibration
We start with the business problem, not the job description. What has to be true in eighteen months for this hire to have been worth it? What has already been tried? Where is the role likely to fail - the board, the matrix, the P&L, the team they inherit? We then agree a target profile, a salary range grounded in what comparable people actually earn, and a list of companies we will and will not approach.
2. Market mapping
We build a named list of people doing an equivalent job in comparable organisations in Vietnam and, where relevant, the wider region. You see that map. It is often the first time a client has a clear picture of how deep the talent pool really is for the role as written - and sometimes it is the point at which the role gets rewritten. Read more about how talent mapping works.
3. Approach and assessment
We approach candidates directly and confidentially. Those who engage are assessed against the calibration brief: track record on the specific problem you are hiring for, evidence of results rather than responsibilities, motivation for moving, compensation reality, and fit with how decisions actually get made in your organisation.
4. Shortlist
You receive a shortlist within ten business days of the brief being agreed, with written assessments rather than reformatted CVs. Where a candidate has a visible gap, we write the gap down. A shortlist that reads as though every person is perfect is a shortlist that has not been assessed.
5. Process management
We run the interview logistics, keep candidates warm through what is often a six to eight week decision cycle, carry out reference and background checks, and manage the offer and resignation period. Counter-offers are normal in Vietnam at this level. Planning for them is part of the job.
On timing. Ten business days to shortlist is a commitment we hold ourselves to. Time to start date is a different number and depends on your interview schedule and the candidate's notice period, which for director-level roles in Vietnam is commonly 30 to 45 days. Any firm that promises you a fixed total timeline has not thought about notice periods.
Who we work with
If you are establishing a presence in Vietnam for the first time, the sequencing is different and we have written it up separately: building your first leadership team in Vietnam.
Roles we handle
Our work concentrates on the leadership layer: country and general management, finance, commercial, operations, manufacturing and human resources. A fuller picture, by function, is on the roles we recruit page. For sector-specific context, see manufacturing and logistics and supply chain.
Commercial terms in brief
We work on a success basis. There is no retainer and no engagement fee, so the cost of starting a search with us is nothing but the time you spend in the calibration meeting. Fees are a percentage of the appointed candidate's first-year total cash compensation and are invoiced when the candidate starts. Executive placements carry a 60-day replacement guarantee.
The full structure, including what the guarantee covers and what it does not, is set out on the fees and engagement model page. If you are weighing success-based against retained search, this comparison sets out both honestly.
Where we work
Our office is in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, and the majority of our mandates sit in the southern economic region - the city itself plus the industrial corridors in Binh Duong, Dong Nai and Long An. We also run searches for roles elsewhere in Vietnam. See executive search in Ho Chi Minh City for the local market picture.
Common questions
How many candidates will I see?
Typically three to five on the first shortlist. The number matters less than the spread: we aim to show you genuinely different bets rather than four versions of the same profile, so that the choice tells you something about what you actually want.
Can you run a search confidentially while the incumbent is still in post?
Yes, and a meaningful share of our work is exactly that. Candidates are briefed on the business and the role without the client being named until there is mutual interest and an agreed point of disclosure.
Do you work with companies that have no legal entity in Vietnam yet?
Yes. The first hire often happens in parallel with incorporation. We will tell you plainly where the sequencing creates risk for the candidate, because senior people ask about it.
What happens if the person leaves early?
Executive placements carry a 60-day replacement guarantee. The conditions are set out in the engagement terms and on the fees page.
Do you do reference and background checks?
Yes, as part of the mandate rather than as a paid extra. References are taken from people who managed the candidate, not from names chosen for their willingness to be positive.