An executive search candidate brief should make leadership scope, decision authority, organizational context, and unresolved questions visible. A senior title is useful context, but it is not a substitute for evidence about what the person actually owned.
Describe scope in separate dimensions
| Dimension | Evidence to capture |
|---|---|
| Organizational responsibility | Functions, reporting relationships, and mandate |
| Decision authority | Decisions made directly versus recommended |
| Change leadership | Specific change and the candidate's contribution |
| Business context | Conditions relevant to interpreting the example |
| Open questions | Responsibilities not yet established |
Use only information the candidate and process are authorized to share. Do not request confidential business material simply to make the brief more detailed.
Explain the role of the candidate in an outcome
Fictional example: revenue grew during a candidate's tenure, but the screen establishes responsibility for delivery operations rather than the commercial strategy. The brief can describe the operating work and context. It should not assign the entire business outcome to that person.
If a result is candidate-reported and not independently verified, preserve that status. Avoid using the company's public success as proof of an individual's causal contribution.
Keep the brief tied to the mandate
A client seeking to build a function may need different evidence from a client seeking to stabilize one. Organize the brief around the current mandate rather than writing a generic biography.
Where experience is adjacent rather than directly equivalent, explain the relevance and the remaining question. A useful brief gives the client a focused conversation to have; it does not need to erase every trade-off.
Review the opening and evidence together
Check that the executive summary does not make broader claims than the supporting sections. Words such as “transformed,” “owned,” and “built” should have a clear basis. Replace them when the evidence supports a narrower contribution.
Use project ownership questions to deepen the screen and the executive summary guide to write the opening. Recruit Recap's candidate submittal workflow can help structure selected meeting conversations into custom write-ups for review. It does not independently verify executive performance, confidentiality permissions, or a candidate's suitability for a leadership appointment.