Answers
The Quantum Club, explained.
Clear, direct answers on executive search, headhunting, and elite hiring: what a search costs, retained vs contingency, how to get headhunted, and how The Quantum Club's invitation-only, No Cure No Pay model works.
The Club, explained
5 answersWhat an invitation-only talent club is, and how the model works.
The Quantum Club vs LinkedIn: what's the difference?
LinkedIn is an open professional network anyone can join, where roles are posted publicly and outreach is self-service. The Quantum Club is an invitation-only members club where roles are never posted and introductions are made by a strategist. They solve different problems: LinkedIn is for reach and discovery, a club is for access and discretion.
Read the answerThe Quantum Club vs Soho House: what's the difference?
Soho House is a members club built around space and community — houses, rooms, and a cultural scene to belong to. The Quantum Club is a members club built around career and hiring outcomes: who you are introduced to, and what that leads to. Both are invitation-only. They are not competitors, because they are not selling the same thing.
Read the answerWhat is an invitation-only talent club?
An invitation-only talent club is a private, vetted network where exceptional professionals are admitted by invitation, not open sign-up, and matched to off-market roles, opportunities, and people. The Quantum Club is one such club: Amsterdam-born, operating worldwide, and two-sided, serving both elite talent and the companies that hire them.
Read the answerMembers club vs executive search: what's the difference?
Executive search is a paid service that runs a one-off search to fill a senior role. A members club is a standing, two-sided network of vetted people that opportunities flow through continuously. The Quantum Club combines both: the rigour of retained search with the persistent, off-market access of an invitation-only club.
Read the answerIs The Quantum Club legit?
Yes. The Quantum Club is a registered Dutch company, KvK 96000635, based at Pieter Cornelisz. Hooftstraat 41-2, 1071 BM Amsterdam, founded in 2024 by Darryl Mehilal. It is an invitation-only executive members club and elite talent partner whose clients and placements are on public record, and it never charges talent anything.
Read the answerFor companies who hire
9 answersExecutive search, fees, and No Cure, No Pay: how hiring through the Club works.
How does No Cure, No Pay hiring work?
No Cure, No Pay means a company pays a recruitment fee only when a hire is successfully placed: there is no retainer and no charge for the search itself. At The Quantum Club it also comes with a guarantee set out in your agreement: if a hire leaves within the agreed period, we run a replacement search at no cost or credit the fee against your next placement.
Read the answerHow much does an executive search firm cost?
Executive search is usually priced as a percentage of the hire's first-year compensation. Contingency firms typically charge around 15–25% and are paid only on a hire; retained firms often charge 25–33%, billed in instalments whether or not they deliver. The Quantum Club uses a success-only model: a 25% fee on first-year salary, owed only when a hire signs, with no retainer.
Read the answerRetained vs contingency search: what's the difference?
Retained search is paid up front in instalments to run one exclusive search, whether or not it succeeds. Contingency search is paid only on a hire, but the firm usually works many roles at once and shares the field with others. The trade-off is focus versus risk. A success-only model aims to give you both.
Read the answerWhat does an executive search firm actually do?
An executive search firm finds, assesses, and secures senior talent that companies can't easily reach themselves: usually people who aren't job-hunting. It maps the market for a role, approaches the best candidates directly and discreetly, evaluates fit, and manages the process through to a signed, retained hire.
Read the answerHow long does executive search take?
A senior executive search typically takes two to four months from brief to signed offer, though confidential or highly specialised roles can run longer. Timelines depend on the scarcity of the talent, the clarity of the brief, and how fast decisions are made. A pre-vetted network can compress the early stages significantly.
Read the answerHeadhunter vs recruiter: what's the difference?
A recruiter typically fills roles from people who are applying or visibly on the market, often across many openings at once. A headhunter targets specific, senior individuals who aren't looking, approaching them directly and discreetly. Both hire, but headhunting is about reaching the people a job post never will.
Read the answerHow do you choose an executive search firm?
Choose an executive search firm on access, alignment, and accountability: the network to reach passive talent your team can't, an incentive model that rewards outcomes over activity, and a guarantee that keeps the risk with the firm. Sector fit and genuine confidentiality matter more than brand size.
Read the answerHow does a confidential executive search work?
A confidential (or 'stealth') search fills a senior role without publicly revealing the company, the position, or that a search is happening at all. It's used to replace an incumbent discreetly, protect strategy, or hire under NDA. Candidates are approached privately, and details are shared only as trust is established.
Read the answerWhat does a bad executive hire cost?
A bad executive hire costs far more than the salary: lost momentum, damaged teams, and missed opportunity often run to several times the person's annual pay. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates the cost of a bad hire at around 30% of first-year earnings, and at senior level the true figure is usually higher.
Read the answerFor exceptional talent
4 answersGetting headhunted, staying discreet, and how the best roles actually reach you.
How do you get headhunted?
You get headhunted by becoming easy to find and worth finding: a clear, specific track record of outcomes, a visible professional footprint, and relationships with the people who run searches. Headhunters look for proof of impact in a specific domain, then reach out quietly, long before a role is ever public.
Read the answerHow do headhunters find candidates?
Headhunters find candidates mainly through their own networks and research, not job applications. They map an industry, ask trusted people who the best operators are, and approach those people directly, usually while they're happily employed. Public listings play little part in senior search.
Read the answerWhat is a passive candidate?
A passive candidate is a professional who isn't actively job-hunting but would consider the right opportunity. They're typically employed, performing well, and not visible on job boards, which is exactly why employers prize them. Reaching passive candidates is the core skill of executive search.
Read the answerShould you respond to a headhunter?
Almost always, yes, even if you're happy where you are. Responding costs nothing, keeps you informed of your market value, and builds a relationship you may want later. You can explore a role in confidence without committing to leave. The key is choosing headhunters who respect discretion.
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