what is a typical fee schedule for a board of directors search for a US based company?
My experience with executive search firms is that they generally charge 10% of the candidates first year salary. The percentage fee is (at least in my experience) consistent across the board. Larger companies, more high-profile companies have a longer, more difficult search, sometimes internationally. But the overall salary for those positions is higher, too, so the percentage rate doesn’t need to increase under those circumstances. Ironically, that rule holds for very small positions, as well! When I was a pension administrator, the recruitment fee for someone in my mid-5-figure admin job was also 10% of annual salary. Bonuses usually don’t count for purposes of this fee, although if the position is primarily bonus-based, you might have to agree to a higher percentage of salary fee to get the job done. That’s the price you pay for hiring someone on a salary-light-bonus-heavy compensation structure. Allow several months of time to find the ideal candidate. Quality leadership is more va
