Headhunting tech hires
who actually deliver.
Most expensive hiring mistakes do not start with sourcing. They start earlier, when the role is fuzzy, the process is slow, and the team is reading the wrong signals.
I help NZ teams pressure-test important hires before they burn time, money, and trust on the wrong brief, the wrong process, or the wrong person.
Most bad hires are not just talent misses.
A lot of hiring pain gets blamed on the market. But most of the time, the problem starts earlier than that.
The brief sounds senior, but the environment is still reactive.
So the person lands in cleanup, firefighting, and internal noise instead of the outcome you thought you were buying.
The role means different things to different people.
One stakeholder wants delivery. Another wants leadership. Another wants rescue. The hire walks into confusion before they even start.
Good candidates disappear because the path is not ready.
The market gets blamed, but often it is a clarity problem, a speed problem, or a decision-quality problem.
What is this open role really costing you?
Use the Cost of Delay Calculator to estimate what this vacancy is costing across the role itself, the drag on the team, and the wider business impact around it.
What this looks like when it works
The goal is not to send more CVs. The goal is to make the right hire in the right environment, with the right expectations around the role.
Blackwall needed to strengthen its network security capability with a senior hire who could handle real-world complexity, not just look good on paper.
We focused on role clarity first, then searched for someone who matched the technical need, team context, and delivery reality.
The result was a stronger-fit hire built around the actual work the business needed done.
Diagnosis first. Search second.
Most recruiters start with sourcing. I start by getting clear on the role, the environment, the expectations, and what success actually needs to look like in your business.
Recent outcomes
A few examples of what strong-fit hiring looks like in practice.
Who this is for
This works best when the hire matters and the cost of getting it wrong is real.
This is for you if:
This is not for you if:
Start with the role diagnosis first.
You bring the role. I’ll help you pressure-test the brief, the signal, and the likely risks around the hire. You’ll leave with two useful next moves you can use straight away, whether we work together or not.
Still unsure?
If you are wondering things like why use an external recruiter, what makes the process different, what the guarantee actually means, or how fast is realistic in this market, I’ve answered those on the FAQ page.
Read the FAQsYour next hire does not need more guesswork.
Start with the calculator if you want to quantify the cost. Book the free diagnostic if you want to pressure-test the hire with a real person. Either way, the goal is the same: better decisions before the expensive part starts.