Executive Search or Recruitment Agency in Hong Kong?

Start with the hiring mandate. A provider calling itself an executive-search firm, recruitment agency or talent consultancy may offer a different scope from another provider using the same label. An executive search in Hong Kong needs a written role, target market, work product and decision process before you can compare providers.

Use the Hong Kong recruitment directory to form a longlist. Confirm the business entity, licence evidence and proposed service from separate sources. Directory inclusion does not prove a service, licence or hiring result.

Define the hiring mandate

Write one page that each provider receives. Name the employer entity, role, location, reporting line and employment arrangement. Describe the business problem and the decision the provider should help you make.

Separate the target candidate profile from the provider’s work. A profile might name experience, language or location requirements. The work row should state whether you want market mapping, candidate identification, screening, introductions, interview coordination, reference support or another defined output. Ask the provider to mark each item included or excluded.

Set evidence fields for the response:

Mandate field	Answer to collect
Employer and role	Legal employer, title, reporting line and work location
Search boundary	Candidate profile, exclusions and target sources
Provider work	Named tasks, deliverables and decision points
Candidate presentation	Information supplied and employer review stage
Communication	Named contact, update format and escalation route
Completion	Final deliverables, records returned and open items

Keep any sensitive search instructions in the direct engagement record. A directory category or public provider page cannot answer the confidential parts of your mandate.

Separate service labels from the licensed entity

The Labour Department’s licensed-agency search includes Office Staff / Executive Search as one placement-type filter. The search also offers other placement types. Treat the selected filter as a search input, not as proof that a returned agency offers a specific executive-search method.

The Labour Department says employment agencies need a licence or Certificate of Exemption before undertaking job-placement business. Ask the provider which legal or business entity will perform the placement work, then search that name. If the proposal uses a different brand, ask the provider to connect the brand to the entity in writing.

Keep three fields apart:

Field	Evidence
Marketing label	Provider wording and access date
Placement entity	Entity named in the proposal or service agreement
Licence check	Official search, input, returned result and check date

Leave the placement entity unresolved when the names do not connect. A marketing label cannot fill that gap.

Verify licence evidence

Search the entity name from the proposal in the Labour Department portal. Record the exact input, placement filter, returned name, address and check date. Keep a copy of the result with the proposal.

Use the separate employment-agency licence guide for the full check. The Labour Department states that the licensed-agency list helps the public ascertain licence validity and locate licensed agencies. It limits use of that information to the stated purposes.

Do not turn the result into a service or quality claim. A valid result does not state the search method, sector focus, candidate access, staffing, timetable or commercial terms. Collect those answers from the provider’s dated proposal and written responses.

Run a fresh check when the engagement entity changes. Keep the earlier result with the earlier proposal so the record shows which entity you assessed at each stage.

Compare service scope

Ask each provider to return the same scope sheet. Let the provider describe its terms. Do not impose a fee structure or assume that a label carries one.

Scope field	Written answer to request
Work included	Tasks, deliverables and stages
Work excluded	Tasks the employer or another adviser retains
Search team	Named engagement contact and role
Candidate handling	Screening, presentation and communication steps
Commercial terms	Payer, basis, trigger, invoice point and taxes stated by the provider
Change terms	Method for approving a changed role or scope
Remedy terms	Provider’s written cancellation, refund or replacement wording
Data handoff	Records returned, retained or deleted at the end

The Labour Department advises employers to clarify service coverage and itemized fees before payment and put agreed terms in a service agreement signed by both parties. Its examples do not establish one commercial structure for executive search or recruitment work. Record each provider’s own terms.

Mark missing answers Unknown. Ask for a revised scope rather than filling a gap from another provider’s proposal or a general article. Compare fields that the provider answered in writing.

Write the engagement questions

Send these questions with the mandate:

Which entity will perform the job-placement work?
Which official licence result matches that entity?
Which tasks and deliverables form the proposed service?
Which candidate group, geography and role boundary does the proposal cover?
Which work remains with the employer?
Who will lead the engagement and report progress?
Which commercial event triggers each charge stated in the proposal?
Which written terms govern a scope change, cancellation or remedy?
Which candidate and employer records will the provider collect and return?
Which assumptions remain open before signing?

The Labour Department tells employers to confirm the coverage and agreed terms in writing. Attach the returned answers to the service agreement. If the provider changes an answer, retain the dated revision and identify the field that changed.

Compare the responses in mandate order: entity, official result, service, deliverables, commercial terms, change process and unresolved questions. Do not assign points for missing evidence. Ask whether the unresolved field prevents the employer from controlling the engagement.

Common questions

Is executive search a separate licence category in the official portal?

The Labour Department search presents Office Staff / Executive Search as a placement-type filter inside its licensed employment-agency search. Use the filter to narrow a query. Ask the provider to state its service method and scope in writing.

Does a valid employment-agency licence prove executive-search capability?

No. The Labour Department says its list helps the public confirm licence validity and locate licensed agencies. A provider proposal or written response should support service scope, team, sector and deliverable claims.

Should every executive-search proposal use the same fee structure?

Compare each provider’s written terms. Ask for the payer, fee basis, trigger, invoice point and remedy terms. The Labour Department advises employers to clarify itemized fees and service coverage before payment.

Which business name should I search?

Search the entity named as providing the placement work in the proposal or service agreement. The official search accepts agency names and other criteria. Ask the provider to explain any difference between its brand and the returned entity.

Which engagement terms should I put in writing?

Record the service coverage, deliverables, exclusions, engagement contact, commercial terms, scope-change process, remedy wording and data handoff. The Labour Department recommends a service agreement signed by both parties.