Executive Search / Headhunting in Vietnam
Executive search (headhunting) places senior technology leaders — CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and directors — through a discreet, retained process backed by de…
Executive Search / Headhunting from TechHub gives you vetted talent and a documented operating process run from Hanoi, Vietnam. You get a shortlist within 48 hours, people in place in about a week, all-in pricing from $12/hour, local compliance handled and a free replacement during the trial period.
What is Executive Search / Headhunting?
Executive search is a structured, confidential process rather than a candidate database lookup. Senior technology leaders are rarely applying for roles, so the work is market mapping, discreet approach and rigorous assessment — and the process below is what separates retained search from advertising a job.
The Executive Search / Headhunting workflow, phase by phase
This is the operating process we run on every engagement — what happens in each phase, when it happens, and what you receive at the end of it.
1. Briefing and calibration
Week 1What happens
- Deep briefing with the board or hiring executive
- Definition of the mandate: scope, mandate, first-year outcomes
- Agreement on culture, leadership style and non-negotiables
- Confidentiality boundaries agreed, including internal awareness
You receive
- Role mandate document
- Success profile
- Confidentiality plan
2. Market mapping
Weeks 1–3What happens
- Systematic mapping of the relevant talent market
- Target company list built and validated with you
- Compensation benchmarking against current market data
- Calibration profiles shared to refine the target
You receive
- Market map
- Target list
- Compensation benchmark
3. Approach and assessment
Weeks 3–6What happens
- Discreet direct approach to mapped individuals
- Structured leadership interviews against the success profile
- Technical depth assessed by senior engineers where relevant
- Motivation, notice period and compensation expectations verified
You receive
- Assessed shortlist
- Written assessment per candidate
4. Client interviews
Weeks 6–8What happens
- Interview process designed and scheduled with your panel
- Candidate care maintained throughout to protect your brand
- Structured feedback collected after each stage
- Referencing initiated on finalists
You receive
- Interview record
- Reference reports
5. Offer and onboarding
Weeks 8–10What happens
- Offer structured with market data and candidate motivations
- Counter-offer risk managed actively through the notice period
- Regular contact maintained between signing and start date
- Post-start check-ins at 30, 60 and 90 days
You receive
- Signed offer
- Onboarding check-ins
- Guarantee period cover
Who is accountable, and what do you see?
Retained search is governed by a written mandate and a fixed reporting rhythm: a weekly progress call covering the map, approaches made, responses and pipeline movement. You see the market coverage rather than only the shortlist, which is what allows you to judge whether the search is thorough or merely lucky.
Risk control
The two risks are a failed hire and a leak. Hire risk is reduced by structured assessment against a written success profile, independent referencing and a guarantee period with replacement cover. Confidentiality is protected by agreeing in advance who knows about the search, approaching candidates without naming you until they are qualified, and using NDAs where the situation is sensitive.
What does Executive Search / Headhunting actually cover?
Market mapping
who exists, where
Passive candidate reach
not job-board people
Leadership assessment
beyond the CV
Discretion
confidential search
Salary benchmarking
offers that land
Guarantee period
replacement cover
Typical outcomes
- CTO, VP Engineering and Head of roles
- Confidential replacement searches
- Market mapping before you commit
- Offer negotiation and counter-offer handling
When is Executive Search / Headhunting the wrong choice?
We would rather lose an engagement than take one that will not work, so it is worth being explicit. Executive Search / Headhunting is not the right model if you need someone physically present in your office every day, if the work cannot be described well enough for anyone outside your building to act on it, or if the real problem is an unclear product direction rather than a shortage of capacity. Adding people to an unclear roadmap makes the confusion more expensive, not less.
It is also the wrong choice when the engagement is too small to justify the setup — a few days of work is better handled by a contractor than by a managed engagement. If any of that describes your situation, we will tell you on the first call and point you to the model that does fit, including models we do not sell.
What should you ask any Executive Search / Headhunting provider?
Most providers in this market present similar claims, so the useful questions are the ones that expose the operating model behind the pitch. These are the five we would want a client to ask us.
- Who is the legal employer, and where does liability sit? Ask to see the contract structure, not a summary.
- What exactly is in the rate? Payroll taxes, statutory insurance, workspace, management and replacement cover should be named.
- What happens in the first 30 days? A provider without a written onboarding plan is improvising.
- What are your retention numbers? Turnover in the delivery team becomes your problem within a quarter.
- How does the engagement end? Notice periods, handover, documentation and asset transfer should be agreed before you start, not negotiated under pressure.
We answer all five in writing during the proposal stage, and the exit terms sit in the contract from day one.
How much does it cost?
Rates are all-in: sourcing, five-step vetting, employment contracts, payroll, personal income tax, statutory insurance, workspace and delivery management are already included. There is no separate recruitment fee and no hidden employer-cost surprise at the end of the month.
What moves the number is seniority, how scarce the skill set is locally, and engagement length — longer commitments and multi-role teams price better than a single short contract. You receive a written quote against your specific role profile before committing to anything.
How do you get started?
- Day 0 — send the briefRole, seniority, stack and timeline. A 20-minute call is usually enough.
- 48 hours — shortlistProfiles with real project context and confirmed availability, not keyword-matched CVs.
- ~7 days — startYou interview and select; we handle contracts, payroll, compliance and onboarding.
Executive Search / Headhunting: in-house, freelancer or TechHub?
| Criteria | In-house hiring | Freelancer | TechHub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vetting | You run it | Self-declared | Top 3%, five-step screen |
| Time to start | 2–3 months | Days, quality varies | ~7 days, vetted |
| If it goes wrong | Costly to unwind | You start again | Free replacement in trial |
| Payroll & compliance | Your overhead | Your risk | Handled in Vietnam |
| IP assignment | Yours | Often unclear | Contractual, yours |
| Continuity | Depends on retention | None | Managed, with backfill |
Executive Search / Headhunting — questions buyers ask
How much does Executive Search / Headhunting cost?
How fast can we start?
Why use retained search instead of advertising?
Who owns the code and intellectual property?
What if the person is not the right fit?
Can we scale up or down later?
Where is the team based?
Other options under IT Headhunting & Recruitment
Need this in place this month?
Send the role profile and we will come back with a shortlist in 48 hours. No commitment, reply within 24 hours, NDA on request.