How the desk works · September 16, 2025
What a retained energy search actually includes

Week one is the brief
We write the role back to the hiring manager in plain language: basin, level, must-have field time, and the people who are out of scope. If that note is wrong, the search stops before anyone is called.
Then a short list
Three to five people, each with a reason and a risk. References are themes, not a recycled score. An offer discussion includes what the candidate will refuse.
Nothing on this page is a guarantee of fill time. A small Houston desk would rather decline a search than invent a metric.