Inverse Headhunting for executives
Your next position does not start with a job advertisement.
NAKAMA takes on your systematic search across the hidden job market.
We sharpen your positioning, map your target market and identify suitable companies and the relevant decision-makers. NAKAMA makes the first contact for you, on an anonymised basis. Your identity and full documents are only disclosed once there is concrete interest and you have given your explicit consent.
A personal, fixed-fee engagement for C-level executives and experienced leaders with a target total compensation of around 150,000 euros or more.
Not coaching. Not success-based placement. A clear brief: to open up your target market, position you convincingly and initiate relevant conversations with decision-makers.
Why the next position rarely starts with a job advertisement
A significant share of leadership positions is never publicly advertised. New roles emerge through growth, transformation, investments, succession planning or changes in the leadership team, often long before a formal search process begins.
Traditional headhunters only partly solve this problem for you. They work on behalf of a company and approach you when your profile fits a specific brief.
Your personal network can open doors. Yet it rarely maps your relevant target market completely and does not automatically reach the decision-makers who determine your next position.
Inverse Headhunting reverses the direction of the search: you do not wait to be found. You decide in which market and at which companies you want to become visible.
What does Inverse Headhunting mean?
In classic Executive Search, a company commissions a search firm to fill a specific position.
With Inverse Headhunting, the executive commissions NAKAMA to identify suitable companies and career options and to open up the hidden job market systematically.
In the first approach, NAKAMA acts as the consultancy engaged by you. We describe your executive profile, your business contribution and the responsibility you are looking for, without revealing your identity.
If a company shows genuine interest, or a current or foreseeable need exists, we inform you about the response. You then decide whether your name and full documents may be passed on.
NAKAMA opens the conversation. You decide when to put your name to it.
Classic headhunting
- the company is the client
- the search is for an already defined position
- the headhunter represents the interests of the company
- candidates are approached when their profile fits the brief
Inverse Headhunting
- the executive is the client
- the search is for suitable companies and career options
- NAKAMA works in the interests of the executive
- relevant decision-makers are approached individually and anonymised at first
The company does not search for you. NAKAMA searches on your behalf for the right entrepreneurial environment.
Who is Inverse Headhunting right for?
Inverse Headhunting is aimed at C-level executives and experienced leaders with a target total compensation of around 150,000 euros or more who do not want to leave their next career step to chance.
An engagement can make sense if you
- want to make a discreet move out of an existing position,
- are looking for new responsibility after a separation,
- are not reaching the right options through job advertisements and your existing network,
- want your target market opened up systematically,
- need access to owners, managing directors, supervisory boards, advisory boards or investors,
- are looking for an experienced partner to take on the operational work behind your search.
The engagement is not right for every starting position. Before working together, we use your CV, your objectives and the current market situation to assess whether we can realistically achieve something for you.
If goal, profile and market do not fit together, we tell you so before you commission us.
What NAKAMA takes on for you
Positioning
We clarify the business contribution, the tasks and the situations you stand for in the market.
The result is a robust target profile with clear statements on your executive USP, ideal role constellation, company environment, ownership structure, region and compensation range.
Executive profile
We develop the documents that convince at decision-maker level.
These include a re-weighted executive CV, a consistent LinkedIn profile, your personal executive story and, where required, bilingual documents or a draft employment reference.
Target market analysis
We map the relevant market systematically and identify companies where your experience can make a concrete business contribution.
The selection is not based on published job advertisements but on your target profile, the company situation and possible conversation triggers.
Anonymised approach to decision-makers
Based on your positioning, we develop an anonymised executive summary profile and an individual approach for each prioritised company.
NAKAMA contacts the relevant decision-makers as the consultancy engaged by you. Your name, your current employer and clearly identifying details are not disclosed at this stage.
The aim of the first approach is to establish whether there is a current or foreseeable need and whether there is genuine interest in a confidential conversation.
Clarifying interest and releasing contact
The responses of the approached companies initially come to NAKAMA. We assess the reactions, document the current status and discuss interesting opportunities with you.
Only after your explicit consent do we pass on your identity and full documents and establish personal contact.
Preparation for interviews and negotiations
We prepare you for interviews, stakeholder conversations and negotiations.
Before relevant conversations you receive a company dossier. Afterwards we reflect on the conversation, your positioning and the strategy ahead. When offers arrive, we support you with assessment, compensation and contract negotiation.
Two routes into your target market
Systematic approach to selected companies
Based on your target profile, we develop a longlist of relevant companies and condense it into a prioritised shortlist.
For each prioritised company we examine possible points of connection, identify the responsible decision-makers and develop an individual approach.
The first contact is always made anonymously by NAKAMA. Your name and full documents are only passed on once there is recognisable interest and you have given your consent.
Access through the NAKAMA network
From 25+ years in Executive Search, NAKAMA has long-standing relationships with companies, hiring decision-makers, private equity and venture capital investors and their portfolio companies.
Even with contacts from the NAKAMA network, your profile is not disclosed without your prior consent. Where a personal introduction seems worthwhile, we first agree the company, the contact person and the approach with you.
Access through the network complements the systematic company approach. It does not replace it and cannot be planned or guaranteed at will.
How your engagement runs
Beforehand
Initial consultation and pre-engagement review
In a free initial consultation of around 45 minutes, we clarify your objectives, your starting position and the realistic market fit of your profile.
The basis is your current CV.
Week 1
Positioning day
Before the session you receive a detailed questionnaire. The positioning day takes around six hours and is held remotely or, by arrangement, in person.
We work through:
- your motivation for change and, where relevant, your separation story
- your executive USP and business contribution
- the ideal role and company constellation
- target industries, company sizes and ownership structures
- regional criteria and exclusions
- compensation range and reasoning
The result is a written target profile as the binding basis of the engagement.
Week 2-3
Executive profile and target market
We develop your executive CV, sharpen your digital presence and create a structured longlist of relevant companies.
Positioning, documents and target market are aligned so that a consistent executive presence emerges.
Week 4-5
Summary profile, target contacts and approach
The longlist is prioritised and condensed into a shortlist. We identify the relevant decision-makers and develop a concrete conversation trigger and an individual approach for each selected company.
In parallel, we create an anonymised executive summary profile. It makes your business contribution and the responsibility you are seeking clear without revealing your identity.
International addressees receive professionally developed English-language documents, not a retrospective standard translation.
Week 6-8
Anonymised first approach
After your approval, NAKAMA begins the anonymised approach to selected decision-makers.
We establish whether your profile meets genuine interest, whether a suitable need exists or whether a confidential conversation is worthwhile. Your identity is only disclosed once you explicitly agree to contact with the company in question.
Ongoing
Throughout the rest of the engagement
NAKAMA supports you with
- preparation for interviews and stakeholder conversations
- research on companies, management and ownership structures
- evaluation of ongoing conversations
- adjustments to the strategy ahead
- assessment of contract offers
- compensation and contract negotiations
- deciding between several career options
A clear brief. Operational delivery. No false promises.
Inverse Headhunting is an individually managed, fixed-fee engagement.
NAKAMA takes operational responsibility for target market analysis, documents, decision-maker identification, individual approaches, response management and interview preparation.
The fee remunerates these agreed services, not the conclusion of an employment contract.
A new position or a specific number of interviews cannot be guaranteed. No credible provider can make binding promises about decision processes, changes within companies or the market’s response.
We do not guarantee a position. We guarantee a clearly structured, individually developed and consistently managed process.
If you prefer to drive your own career transition with strategic guidance along the way, Executive Career Coaching is the better fit.
What you gain from this engagement
- A positioning that holds. You gain clarity about the business contribution you make, the situations in which you are particularly relevant and how to convey this convincingly to decision-makers.
- Transparency about your target market. You receive a structured map of relevant companies, possible conversation triggers and the responsible decision-makers, instead of relying on chance advertisements.
- Targeted access to decision-makers. Your documents are not distributed at random. The approach is individual, controlled and made at the level where new leadership responsibility is actually decided.
- Access to the hidden job market. A significant share of leadership positions is never publicly advertised. Through the anonymised direct approach and the NAKAMA network you reach options that never become visible through job advertisements, often before a formal search process begins.
- A better basis for your decision. Not every position on offer is a good position. We look at the role, the environment, the ownership structure, expectations and development perspective, so that your next role does not become a costly wrong move.
Why NAKAMA?
- The Executive Search perspective. 25+ years in Executive Search and more than 20,000 interviews shape our view of positioning, selection processes and market requirements. We know how search briefs come about, who awards them and by which criteria decisions are made, long before a position becomes publicly visible.
- Understanding of companies and investors. NAKAMA works for companies, growth-oriented organisations, investors and portfolio companies. We therefore know not only the candidate side but also the situations in which new leadership positions emerge.
- A personally managed engagement. Positioning, target market, documents and approach are not passed between changing project teams. Throughout the collaboration you receive a consistent assessment and a clearly accountable way of working.
- Bilingual outreach on request. For international target companies, we develop your executive profile and your outreach in German and English. Not as a literal translation, but tailored to the respective addressee and company context.
- AI used with judgement. AI supports research, market mapping, company analysis and dossier preparation. Positioning, personal assessment and career decisions remain human tasks.
A clear brief. A protected approach.
With Inverse Headhunting, you are the client. NAKAMA works on your behalf and in your interests.
For any specific appointment, we never charge both parties a fee.
If a potential overlap with an ongoing company engagement arises during the collaboration, we disclose it and agree the way forward with you before any approach is made.
Your career transition is treated confidentially. The first approach is always based on an anonymised executive summary profile.
Your name, current employer and full documents are only passed on to a company or decision-maker after your explicit consent.
In very narrow markets, despite careful anonymisation, it cannot be completely ruled out that individual contacts draw conclusions about your identity from the experience described. We discuss this risk with you before any approach.
What we need from you
A successful engagement needs your active involvement. This includes:
- completing the preparatory questionnaire in full,
- taking part in the positioning day,
- preparing your responsibilities, achievements and key figures in a structured way,
- timely approval of documents and target companies,
- transparent feedback on conversations and reactions,
- openness to an honest assessment of your positioning and market opportunities.
The more complete your information and the faster your feedback, the more precisely we can open up your target market and initiate relevant conversations.
Duration
The engagement runs for twelve months and ends early as soon as you enter into a new employment relationship.
Leadership moves at this level take time. Several months can pass between a first approach, several rounds of conversations and a contract decision.
If the first round does not lead to a new employment relationship, a second round is included at no additional fee, at the earliest twelve weeks after the first approach begins. We review positioning and search criteria, extend the research and develop a further approach.
Scope, terms and fee are agreed transparently and bindingly before the engagement begins.
Not part of the engagement
Not included are:
- uncontrolled distribution of your profile to search firms,
- business portraits or video production,
- legal advice on employment contracts, liability or D&O,
- tax advice on compensation or the deductibility of the fee.
Where needed, we recommend specialised contacts from our network.
Frequently asked questions
What is Inverse Headhunting?
Inverse Headhunting is a search process commissioned by the executive. Instead of searching for candidates on behalf of a company, NAKAMA identifies suitable target companies, relevant decision-makers and career options in the visible and hidden job market on behalf of the executive.
Who is Inverse Headhunting suitable for?
The engagement is aimed at C-level executives and experienced leaders with a target total compensation of around 150,000 euros or more whose experience, objectives and market fit make a systematic direct approach worthwhile.
How is it different from a classic headhunter?
A classic headhunter is commissioned by a company and searches for a specific position. With Inverse Headhunting, you are the client. The search starts from your profile, your objectives and the companies that fit them.
How is it different from Executive Career Coaching?
In Executive Career Coaching, you develop your strategy yourself with professional guidance. With Inverse Headhunting, NAKAMA takes on substantial operational parts of the process for you, from research and documents to outreach and coordination.
How does the anonymised first approach work?
NAKAMA initially contacts selected decision-makers with an anonymised executive summary profile. It describes experience, business contribution and the responsibility sought, but contains neither your name nor your current employer. Only once a company shows genuine interest and you explicitly release the contact are your identity and full documents disclosed.
Will search firms be contacted with my profile?
No. The engagement deliberately relies on the direct, controlled approach to selected company decision-makers and on suitable contacts from the NAKAMA network. Your profile is not distributed widely to search firms. Search firms are only contacted at your explicit request.
Can the engagement be run discreetly from a current position?
Yes. Target companies and addressees are agreed with you. Approaches are only made after your consent and without any public communication of your intention to move.
Does NAKAMA guarantee a new position?
No. NAKAMA guarantees neither an employment contract nor a specific number of conversations or offers. What is owed is the agreed professional service, not a particular market outcome.
How long does the engagement run?
The engagement runs for up to twelve months and ends as soon as you enter into a new employment relationship.
How is the fee structured?
Inverse Headhunting is an individually managed, fixed-fee engagement. Scope, duration, payment terms and fee are agreed transparently and bindingly before the collaboration begins.
Whether this engagement fits your goal is something we clarify before the start.
The free initial consultation takes around 45 minutes and is based on your current CV. We discuss your starting position, your objectives and your realistic fit in the market. If we are not convinced that NAKAMA can make a meaningful contribution for you, we tell you so openly.