
Hiring a headhunter—or engaging an executive search firm—is a major decision. For Tulsa employers seeking top leadership or specialized professional talent, choosing the right headhunter can make all the difference. A good headhunter provides access to exceptional candidates, streamlines a complex process, and helps ensure cultural fit and long-term retention. A mismatched or uninformed choice, by contrast, can cost time, money, and opportunities. Asking the right questions up front helps employers select a search firm that can maximize value.
Below are ten questions Tulsa employers should ask before hiring a headhunter, followed by why The Pursell Group stands out as a trusted choice in executive search.
Question 1: What industries and functional areas do you specialize in?
You want to know whether the headhunter has deep experience in your industry and functional area. If you’re hiring in animal health, life sciences, ag tech, veterinary medicine, pet care, agriculture, consumer packaged goods, or non-profit sectors, a firm familiar with those domains understands the language, the competitive landscape, regulatory and technical challenges, as well as what kinds of leadership styles succeed. If you hire a generalist who lacks that specialization, even technically qualified candidates may not fit culturally or strategically.
The Pursell Group has strong specialization in multiple sectors including those listed above. Their knowledge of the life sciences, animal health, veterinary medicine, agriculture, ag tech, consumer packaged goods, pet care, and non-profit spheres gives Tulsa employers confidence that the firm understands which candidates are not just capable but likely to thrive in those specific environments.
Question 2: What is your search model, and how do you charge?
The cost structure and search model matter a great deal because they influence how aligned the headhunter will be with your needs, how much commitment they’ll bring, and what risks you bear. There are retained models (where you pay upfront or in stages, regardless of outcome), contingency models (you pay only if a candidate is hired), hybrid models, or other arrangements. You should ask how fees are structured, whether there is exclusivity, payment schedules, and what deliverables you will receive.
The Pursell Group offers flexible search models including retained, contingency, and hybrid approaches. This flexibility allows Tulsa employers to choose a structure that matches the urgency, confidentiality, strategic importance of the role, and budget. Having options means you can pick what makes the most sense for your organization.
Question 3: How do you define success for a placement?
Understanding what success looks like to the headhunter aligns expectations. Is “success” defined simply by filling the role, or by retention, performance, cultural alignment, leadership impact over the first year? Do they follow up after placement? Do they measure whether the candidate delivered on goals or integrated well with the organization? A headhunter who only cares about making a placement may miss long-term fit.
The Pursell Group focuses not only on placing candidates but on retention and long-term performance. They understand that successful leadership involves both technical achievement and cultural, strategic, and leadership alignment. Their consultative approach from discovery all the way through onboarding ensures that both employer and candidate expectations are clarified and managed for long-term success.
Question 4: What is your process for sourcing and evaluating candidates?
You want to know how the headhunter finds candidates, including passive candidates, what channels they use, how they maintain confidentiality, and how broadly they search. Also important is how they evaluate potential hires: how many interviews, what assessments, how references are checked, and whether cultural fit or behavioral style are assessed alongside technical skills.
The Pursell Group uses a rigorous process. They do proactive sourcing, network outreach, due diligence, structured screening including cultural alignment, and thorough reference checking. Their process ensures that employers in Tulsa are seeing high-quality, well-vetted candidates—not simply resumes, but people likely to succeed.
Question 5: What is your timeline and what are the key milestones?
Understanding how long the search will take helps set realistic expectations. Ask the headhunter for a projected timeline: how many weeks for candidate identification, first interviews, feedback, offer negotiation, etc. Also ask about their ability to meet deadlines, handle confidential or sensitive roles, and their responsiveness and communication cadence.
The Pursell Group works with clients to define timelines up front during discovery, including intermediary milestones. Because of their experience, they can guide employers in Tulsa to understand what is realistic given the role, industry, and candidate availability, and can adjust when unexpected obstacles arise while keeping communication open.
Question 6: How do you ensure cultural fit and values alignment?
An executive who is technically excellent but poorly aligned with your culture often causes more harm than someone less efficient but who fits well. Ask how the headhunter assesses values, leadership style, work environment preferences, decision-making styles, and team dynamics. You want someone who understands both your written values and your lived culture.
The Pursell Group emphasizes cultural alignment in every search. During intake they explore company values, leadership preferences, stakeholder expectations, team dynamics, in addition to technical requirements. Their screening and interviews include questions designed to assess how candidates think, behave, resolve conflict, lead under pressure, and integrate into culture—factors that matter immensely over time.
Question 7: How do you handle confidentiality and sensitive searches?
Many executive searches are sensitive by nature. Perhaps replacing a senior leader without internal displacement, running a search confidentially so as not to alarm staff, or exploring leadership changes without public disclosure. You must know how the headhunter manages confidentiality, what safeguards they use, how they protect both candidate and employer privacy.
The Pursell Group has built its reputation in Tulsa for ethical standards and confidentiality. For sensitive searches, they maintain discretion, protect candidate identities until the proper stage, manage stakeholder communication carefully, and uphold trust. Employers can rely on them to handle high-profile or discreet searches without risk of leaks or reputational harm.
Question 8: How do you maintain candidate experience and employer branding?
Candidates talk. A poor interview or slow communication reflects badly on your organization as well as the headhunter. Ask how the headhunter ensures that candidates feel respected, kept informed, treated professionally, and aligned with your values. Ask what feedback loops are in place and how delays or setbacks are communicated.
The Pursell Group takes candidate experience seriously. Their approach ensures that candidate interactions are professional, transparent, and respectful. They guide clients on interview scheduling, feedback, and respectful communication. By treating candidates well, they help protect and enhance the employer’s brand in Tulsa and beyond.
Question 9: What happens after the placement? Support, follow-up, onboarding?
The process does not end with an accepted offer. New executives need onboarding support, early feedback, clarity of role expectations, and monitoring. Ask whether the headhunter assists with onboarding, helps establish early performance metrics, checks in on progress, and whether they provide reference or feedback if things are not going as planned.
The Pursell Group extends its services beyond placing leaders. They encourage structured onboarding, help establish expectations and early wins, follow up with both employer and placed candidate, ensuring that transitions are smooth. This after-placement care helps reduce turnover and improves long-term leadership effectiveness.
Question 10: What credentials, certifications, and ethical standards do you adhere to?
You should ask about the headhunter’s qualifications: professional certifications, memberships in industry bodies, whether they follow best practices in recruitment ethics, whether they hold themselves accountable for quality, retention, and confidentiality. You want to work with someone who brings credibility and ethical conduct.
The Pursell Group’s leadership includes certified personnel consultants, certified employee retention specialists, and other credentials. They operate with accreditation and adhere to recognized ethical standards in executive search. These credentials give Tulsa employers confidence in their professionalism, their accountability, and their commitment to long-term success—not merely filling roles quickly.
Why The Pursell Group Is a Trusted Tulsa Executive Search Firm
When you ask the above questions and receive strong, credible answers, you find that The Pursell Group consistently delivers. Their specialization in relevant industries ensures they understand technical, regulatory, cultural, and market realities. Their flexibility in search models—whether retained, contingency, or hybrid—allows employers to choose the structure that makes the most sense.
The Pursell Group is known for rigorous sourcing and screening practices. They invest time in discovery and strategy, not just resumes. They prioritize cultural and leadership alignment, not simply matching skills. Their commitment to ethical standards, confidentiality, follow-through, and candidate experience sets them apart.
Employers in Tulsa who want to hire senior leaders with confidence benefit from working with The Pursell Group. They gain a firm that helps define what success looks like, sets realistic timelines, keeps communication transparent, and provides post-placement support.
The Top Headhunter in Tulsa
Hiring a headhunter for executive roles calls for diligence. Asking the right questions up front helps Tulsa employers understand the capabilities, ethics, and practices of potential experts. It sets the stage for effective collaboration, positions you to avoid costly mistakes, and helps ensure you select someone who delivers not just candidates but leadership that lasts.
If you are seeking a headhunter who answers these questions with clarity, depth, and integrity—and who combines specialization, ethical conduct, and long-term success—The Pursell Group is among the trusted options in Tulsa. Checking their track record, speaking with references, and evaluating how they respond to these ten questions will help ensure you get value, alignment, and leadership that moves your organization forward.