Why Search Firm Turnover Matters
As an employer, when your team is talking with an executive search or recruiting firm before engaging for the first time, the conversation will typically focus on subjects like placements, industry expertise, process, and whether an engagement will be beneficial for both parties. While these are all important topics, there is one question that is rarely asked, but one that you should be asking every time.
What does your employee turnover look like?
It might feel like an odd question, but the answer, or lack thereof, will tell you more about the quality of the service and search partner you're about to receive than anything else on your checklist. The turnover of a search firm will signal two important things.
First, high turnover means lost institutional knowledge and continuity. The best recruiting relationships are just that. Relationships that have been built on trust. High turnover means that the recruiter who starts your search and knows your company, may not be there to see it through. Your active search will become a training exercise for a new hire who gets thrown in to fill the gaps. Continuity breaks down, key information shared during the intake and follow-up discussions doesn't survive the handoff, and your search loses momentum.
Second, and most importantly, it's a vital culture indicator that you shouldn't ignore. Let's be honest, a search firm with chronic turnover is failing at its own core competency: finding and retaining quality employees. That's worth considering before deciding who you want to trust to represent your employer brand in the market. If a firm cannot retain its own employees, it raises a fair question about how it will represent your company's culture to candidates, and how well it can evaluate a good fit for your open roles.
Candidates will feel it too. Recruiters who are stretched too thin, disengaged, or operating off too little information often move faster and looser, not thoughtfully and strategically. The result? That candidate experience reflects on your employer brand, whether you intended it to or not.
It doesn't need to be a confrontation. A few direct, low-friction questions are usually all you need.
How long has my assigned recruiter been with your firm?
What does average employee tenure look like at your firm?
If my point of contact leaves mid-search, what's the handoff process?
How many searches does a recruiter on your team manage?
The answers don't need to be perfect, but a firm with reasonable turnover and a clear continuity plan is in a very different position than one that dodges your question or has no answer at all. The way they respond tells you almost as much as the number itself.
Turnover isn't just a statistic. It's an operational risk you're inheriting when you sign an engagement letter. Asking about it up front isn't intrusive; it's due diligence. Most likely, you wouldn't hire a vendor without asking about their capacity and stability in other parts of your business, and recruiting shouldn't be any different.