Market Research

Know the Market Before You Need to Move

To move fast and make better people decisions, you need to know the market. You need to know who's performing, what it takes to attract them, and how the best are compensated.

Understanding your market's talent pool is key.

If your competition can attract better talent, you will fight an uphill battle.

Our Market Research gives you the intelligence to act decisively when it matters:

• A map of the talent pool for a critical role or function

• Compensation benchmarks so you know if your offer is competitive before you start

• Insight into who's creating value and where they're coming from

• What it takes to win in attracting executives for your specific situation

This is the same research methodology we use in Phase 2 of Executive Search, available as a standalone engagement or as the first step in a hiring process.

What's Included

Culture & Hiring Assessment

We assess your current culture, mission, hiring strengths and gaps, and how your incentives align with the objectives. This creates clarity on your company's capacity to attract the right talent.

Custom Market Map

We map the entire ecosystem for your target role:

• Public and private competitors

• Funds and portfolio companies with relevant talent

• Adjacent categories and recent acquisitions

• Operators driving value creation

We identify A+ talent, analyze their backgrounds, and assess what it would take to attract them.

Talent Intelligence Report

 We grant your company access to data for better-informed people decisions:

• Compensation benchmarks – base, bonus, equity structures compared to the market

• Best talent sources – which companies, funds, and categories produce the strongest operators

• Competitive positioning – what your offer needs to compete for top talent

• Attraction strategy – value propositions that resonate with the executives you want

How It Works

We customize the research criteria at the start to define the target talent pool. Then we work closely together with weekly progress meetings to share insights and refine the map.

If you decide to move forward with a hire, we can convert the Market Research project into an Executive Search process.

When Market Research Can Help

Pre-Acquisition Due Diligence
- Understand the talent landscape before the deal closes. Know if the team can execute your plan or if you'll need new leadership.

Portfolio-Level Talent Strategy
- Map talent across multiple functions or portfolio companies to identify gaps and opportunities.

Proactive Succession Planning
- Understand your options before an executive departure creates urgency.

Competitive Talent Intelligence
- Track the best sources for talent and improve your hiring strategy.

Get in Touch

If you're interested in learning how we can help with your hiring needs, let's talk.

contact@polarasearch.com