In short
Talfino is the wrong firm if you are hiring in volume, hiring below senior leadership level, need someone starting sooner than Indian notice periods allow, hiring outside finance and technology, buying purely on lowest fee, or need a firm with a global office network.
Search firms rarely say what they do not do, which makes everything they claim harder to believe. Here is where we are the wrong choice, so you can rule us out in two minutes rather than two meetings.
We are the wrong firm if…
You are hiring in volume
Twenty engineers, thirty analysts, a support function. That is a genuine discipline and we are not good at it. You want a staffing partner or an RPO built for throughput. Our Embedded RPO covers ongoing leadership hiring, not volume recruitment.
The role sits below senior leadership
We cover roles where getting it wrong is expensive and slow to undo — typically CFO, CTO, Finance Director, Controller, VP Engineering and equivalent. Below that, a good generalist recruiter will be faster and cheaper, and you should use one.
You need someone this month
A first calibration shortlist takes 48 hours. A signed offer for a CFO typically takes five to nine weeks, and Indian notice periods add another 60 to 90 days on top. If you need cover sooner than that, ask us about interim leadership rather than starting a permanent search that will disappoint you.
The role is outside finance and technology
We do not cover sales, marketing, HR, legal or operations leadership. We would rather refer you to someone who does that properly than take a mandate we would run at seventy percent.
You want the cheapest possible fee
Our contingency rates are competitive but not the lowest in the market, and you can find firms charging less. If fee is the deciding factor rather than the outcome, you will find a better price elsewhere, and that is a legitimate way to buy for some roles.
You need a firm with a global office network
For a board-level appointment at a multinational where the process itself must carry institutional weight, a global major is a reasonable choice and we are not competing for that work. We are a boutique. That is a real trade-off, not a marketing position.
We are already full
We cap active mandates so a senior partner can own each one properly. When we are at capacity we say so and tell you when we open up, rather than taking your brief and under-serving it.
We are probably a good fit if…
- You are a US or global company building an India team and need leadership that satisfies both your auditors and Indian statutory requirements. This is our flagship practice.
- You are hiring a CFO or CTO where the wrong appointment is expensive and you want one senior person accountable from brief to close.
- The search needs to stay quiet — replacing a sitting executive, or searching ahead of a raise you have not announced.
- You have been let down by a generalist firm that sent CVs rather than candidates, and you want to understand what is actually happening in the market before hiring again.
- You want to be told when your brief is wrong. This is the one clients say they want and then sometimes do not enjoy. We will still tell you.
What we will tell you on a first call
Bring the role and we will tell you what it realistically costs, how long it will take, and whether it is a search worth running at all — whether or not you hire us. If your budget is short for the market, we will say so. If the role should be split in two, or filled internally, or does not need to exist, we will say that too.
We are also happy to tell you when someone else is the better choice. It costs us a fee and saves you a quarter.
Does Talfino do volume or bulk hiring?
No. We cover senior leadership hires in finance and technology where getting it wrong is expensive. For volume recruitment you want a staffing partner or a throughput-focused RPO, and we will say so rather than take the mandate.
What roles does Talfino not cover?
Sales, marketing, HR, legal and operations leadership, and roles below senior leadership level generally. We cover CFO, CTO, Finance Director, Controller, VP Engineering, GCC leadership and equivalent seats.
How fast can you fill a role?
A first calibration shortlist within 48 hours of a full brief, and typically five to nine weeks from brief to signed offer for a CFO or CTO. Indian notice periods add 60 to 90 days on top. If you need cover sooner, interim leadership is the better route.
What if you are already at capacity?
We cap active mandates so a senior partner can own each one properly. When we are full we say so and tell you when we open up, rather than accepting a brief we would under-serve.
Would you tell us not to run a search?
Yes, and we do. If the budget is short for the market, the role should be split, or it could be filled internally, we will say so on the first call. It costs us a fee and saves you a quarter.