The Black Book Approach to Recruitment by Felix Mitchell

I've lost count of the number of times I've heard "I've got someone perfect for this" within minutes of a brief landing...

The black book. The trusted network. The same names doing the rounds across different searches.

And look, I get it... There's comfort in the known.

These candidates have been vetted, they've been placed before, they come with a stamp of approval. For traditional search firms, it's efficient. For hiring managers, it feels lower risk.

Except it's not.

What you're actually getting is a filtered view of the market. You're seeing candidates who fit a pattern – the ones who've already been successful in environments that looked like yours, with CVs that tick conventional boxes.

You're not seeing the CFO who transformed operations at a mid-sized business you've never heard of.

Or the CTO who built something genuinely innovative outside the usual tech scopes.

Or the diverse leader who took a non-traditional path but delivers the results you actually need.

The real cost isn't just missed candidates, it's missed transformation. Because hiring from the black book tends to optimise for comfort over fit.

You get leaders who look like your last hire, who think like your last hire, who'll probably deliver what your last hire delivered. Which is fine if you want more of the same...Not so helpful if you're trying to build something different.

Our approach has always sat outside of this, and I think it's what makes us successful. Market mapping to understand who actually exists in the space, not just who's in someone's contacts.

Assessment that goes beyond credentials to look at mindset, adaptability, and genuine alignment with where you're going. And yes, human judgement throughout – because the best hiring decisions still come from insight and conversation, not algorithms.

The leader you need for your next chapter might not be in anyone's black book, they might be building something remarkable in a sector you haven't considered. Or leading a function you didn't think was relevant.

Your competitive advantage isn't hiring familiar names. It's finding the right person, even when they're not the obvious one.

Isn't it time we stopped seeing this 'little black book' approach as a positive?!

For a modern approach to recruitment, reach out to Felix directly or drop us a message.