How Executive Recruiters Maintain Secrecy

When a company is looking to replace an existing member of its executive team, recruiters must work under a veil of secrecy, because if the about-to-be-fired executive learns of the search, several bad things can happen. This piece describes a variety of techniques–from obvious ones, such as not mentioning the name of the firm during initial phone calls, to less obvious ones, such as the use of nondisclosure agreements and off-site interviews booked under fake names–recruiters use to maintain secrecy. Understanding these tactics and the reasons they are necessary can help candidates who are put in the position of maintaining such secrecy.