By Zoie Teytelbaum, Managing Director – HR & Talent Acquisition
When I first connect with a client about a new search, one of the first things I want to understand is their timeline. It sounds simple, but that answer shapes nearly every part of the hiring process that follows.
- Are we still in the early stages, defining what the role should actually look like?
- Has headcount been approved, and are we ready to move quickly?
- Has something changed unexpectedly, creating an immediate hiring need?
- Are there any non-negotiables you’re looking for in a candidate?
Each of these signals something different. Not just in terms of urgency, but in how aligned we are on scope, decision-making, and expectations. At its core, understanding these needs upfront sets the tone for a structured and intentional search.
And ultimately, the goal is simple: save time, reduce friction, and create clarity from day one.
What We Align On Upfront
Hiring is an important decision that can often be extremely time sensitive. Even a straightforward search involves coordinating multiple stakeholders: leadership, hiring managers, HR partners, and team members, all while balancing interviews, feedback cycles, and everyone’s daily responsibilities.
Interview processes alone can span three to four weeks, not including any necessary recalibration. That’s why the upfront conversation matters so much.
Before a search begins, we align on:
- The scope of the role and where it fits within the organization
- The ideal candidate profile, including non-negotiables vs. nice-to-haves
- Compensation structure and market expectations
- Timeline realities and any external pressures impacting urgency
- Any variables that could shift the direction mid-search
This is where searches are either set up for success or set up for reactiveness. When these fundamentals are unclear, the process slows, shifts, and stalls. When they’re defined early, everything moves with more purpose and more confidence.
Why Alignment Matters More Than Speed
There’s often pressure to move quickly once a role opens. But speed without alignment rarely leads to the right outcome.
The most common breakdown we see isn’t a sourcing problem. It’s a foundation problem — a misalignment that surfaces mid-process, after a candidate has already moved through multiple interviews, only for a key stakeholder to realize the role needs to evolve.
At Landing Point, we’ve built our process to prevent those issues through the time we invest upfront. Asking harder questions before the search starts is what reduces delays, eliminates rework, and leads to more decisive hiring at the finish line.
The Candidate Experience Matters
A successful search isn’t defined only by the hiring team’s experience—it’s equally defined by the candidate’s.
We hold ourselves accountable to the same standards on the candidate side that we do on the client side. That means clear expectations, timely feedback, and a process that respects everyone’s time. In a competitive market, that difference is often what determines whether your top choice accepts the offer.
What Working With Us Actually Looks Like
Once a search is underway, clients can expect consistent, structured communication. Not just status updates, but real-time market intelligence.
We typically connect weekly, and those conversations aren’t just check-ins. Early candidate feedback regularly surfaces useful signals:
- Market compensation expectations may differ from internal assumptions
- Certain “must-haves” may be less critical than originally thought
- Priorities may shift once the search is in motion
When that happens, our value is in how quickly and thoughtfully we adjust without losing momentum or letting strong candidates go cold.
What separates Landing Point from a transactional search firm is this: we’re not just identifying talent. We’re interpreting what the market is telling you in real time and helping you make better decisions because of it. Clients who’ve worked with us on multiple searches often tell us that the process itself, not just the placement, is why they continue to trust us with these big decisions.
About Zoie Teytelbaum
Zoie Teytelbaum is a Managing Director at Landing Point, leading HR & Talent Acquisition executive search across the Tri-State area and Florida. With a background in sales and a sharp focus on operational and human capital leadership, she oversees searches for chief administrative officers, heads of human resources, and senior executive assistants within asset management, private equity, hedge fund, and family office platforms.
Zoie regularly advises clients on hiring trends, compensation benchmarking, and candidate experience strategy, often mentoring fund leaders who are launching or scaling new teams. As someone integral to the growth of Landing Point, she also spearheads initiatives to elevate internal collaboration and technology adoption. A Florida native and University of Florida graduate, Zoie loves stand-up comedy, exploring coastal cities, and discovering new restaurants with her husband.