Search is most relevant when the position requires specialist or scarce knowledge and skills. For such appointments, advertising can leave too much to chance, whilst reliance on a personal network restricts choice unnecessarily to only those people known to the employer.

Search is not exclusively for board or senior management roles. The simple criterion for deciding whether search is practical is this: are the potential candidates in a function and/or at a senior enough level to be identifiable through research?

Advertised selection is most relevant when the skills sought are transferable from a number of backgrounds. Examples could include finance, HR or facilities management roles.

Advertising is a more efficient way of reaching a generalist audience than search, which relies on industry sector relevance and functional skills to target the right candidates.