Why we work on a Retained Basis in Executive Search

Our Managing Partner Oliver Geb names few reasons why we at Steinbach & Partner prefer a retained search over a contingency arrangement. For our clients, a handful matter most: 

Quality and speed over quantity 

A demanding position deserves more than a handful of CVs landing in your inbox. It starts with proper market analysis, mapping out the right target companies, and reaching out to potential candidates directly and thoughtfully. Our aim was never to show you who happens to be available in our network. It's to find the one who's actually right. 

We take responsibility for the whole search — start to finish 

Research, market mapping, direct approach, interviews, assessment, project management — all of this happens long before the first candidate ever lands on your desk. A retained mandate gives us the room to invest properly in every step, especially when the ideal person isn't obvious at first glance or isn't even looking. 

A good search lives from real partnership 

A mandate means we can work closely together, build a shared strategy, and have an honest, ongoing conversation throughout the process. We talk a lot with our clients — and we mean that literally. 

We're also allowed to ask the uncomfortable questions 

Sometimes the real challenge isn't the candidate market at all. Maybe the profile is a touch too narrow. Maybe the role has been shaped in a way the market simply doesn't reflect. Or perhaps compensation, location, or scope don't quite line up with what the target group expects. As a trusted partner, we should be able to raise both the pleasant and the less pleasant truths, openly and kindly. 

A lasting match, built on cultural fit 

The candidate, the client, and we as consultants all share the same goal: a match that truly lasts in personality, expertise, and company culture alike. 

And we're genuinely delighted that our clients seem to see it the same way: for another year running, Steinbach & Partner has been named among the Top 10 executive search firms for German SMEs ("Beste Mittelstandsdienstleister", WirtschaftsWoche, March 2026)

And we couldn't be prouder to have earned this recognition so many years in a row.