Frequently asked questions

What you see on our site and in our weekly newsletter is only part of our portfolio. A large share of our assignments are confidential roles that aren't published.

Through this website you can register and share your profile. But most candidates are found by us. Our consultants are active in their network daily and continuously monitor the market. Once you're known to us, we think of you as soon as a matching role comes up, even if it's a confidential role that isn't published.

We start with a personal introductory conversation to get to know your background, ambitions, and motivations. As soon as there's an interesting vacancy, we introduce you to the client. We guide you through the whole process, from interview preparation to negotiations.

It depends on the complexity of the position, but count on eight to twelve weeks on average. We keep you updated throughout the process.

Certainly. From our offices in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Frankfurt, and Madrid, we serve the entire European market. We work for international organizations and approach candidates in multiple countries.

Certainly. Leave your details via our contact form, and we'll get in touch as soon as there's an interesting vacancy.

Nothing. Our services are fully paid for by the client. As a candidate, you never pay anything.

We work for a wide range of organizations: from international corporates and fast-growing scale-ups to private equity portfolio companies, family businesses, and leading SMEs. We guide all these organizations in their search for a new CEO, CFO, CMO, CPO, CDO, CHRO, CTO, and other senior management roles.

Our vacancies range from professional level (€75,000–€125,000) to executive level (€125,000–€250,000) and C-level (€250,000 and up).

We focus on experienced professionals and executives, generally with a salary level of one hundred thousand euros and up — people who've already proven themselves and are ready for their next step.

We work broadly, from consumer goods, retail, and e-commerce to tech, healthcare, industry, financial services, and consulting (exit). See here the full overview of sectors and functional domains we're active in.

You stay in touch with a dedicated consultant specialized in your sector or function. This consultant is your fixed point of contact from the first conversation through to completion of the process.

Most people we approach aren't actively looking, but are open to an interesting next step. An exploratory conversation commits you to nothing.

Yes. But in most cases we advise communicating the vacancy openly instead. Openness lets you control the narrative: it shows the organization is forward-thinking, attracts candidates who deliberately choose your company, and strengthens your employer brand. A public vacancy generates more reach, more candidates, and therefore a stronger shortlist. We run seventy percent of our portfolio publicly, which demonstrably delivers better results.

Absolutely. We actively advise on diversity and can fine-tune our targeting, both in who we approach and in how we write and distribute vacancy texts.

Yes. Alongside our own evaluation, we work with Hogan assessments, a scientifically validated method that predicts leadership success. This surfaces risk factors early, reduces bias, and increases the chance of a good cultural fit. For more information, contact Marlies Hoogvliet.

That's exactly where we excel. Thanks to our large network combined with our tech-driven approach, we also reach people who aren't openly job-hunting.

Yes, that's the only way we can guarantee the full commitment a search at this level deserves.

Yes. About thirty percent of our assignments are confidential, sometimes under NDA, during board changes or reorganizations. Thanks to our tech-enabled approach, we still quickly reach a large group of qualified candidates in those cases too.

Traditional headhunting has always been the foundation of our work. Decades of research and personal conversations built a candidate database with unmatched depth. On top of that, our in-house data engineering team developed our own AI platform combining data-driven candidate matching, conversational AI, and LLM-driven storytelling. This lets us run searches at scale with real-time reach, resulting in more candidates and better matches. The consultant guiding your assignment combines both: a strong personal network and the power of proprietary technology, delivering a well-argued shortlist.

We start with an intake conversation to properly understand the assignment, the organization, and the ideal profile. We then select the strongest candidates and present a shortlist. We guide the interviews and support the final decision and offer, and stay in close contact with both candidates and you as the client.

An assignment typically takes eight to twelve weeks, depending on the complexity of the role and candidate availability.

Depending on the complexity of the role, we typically deliver a qualified shortlist within a few weeks. We prefer not to work with long longlists, since speed is crucial in this scarce labor market. That said, speed should never come at the expense of quality, which remains the priority.

You know where things stand at every stage: which candidates are in view, how the selection is progressing, and why we make certain choices. A dedicated consultant keeps your organization updated weekly and is always available for questions in between.

Not at all. From our offices in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Frankfurt, and Madrid, and our European network, we cover nearly the entire European market, including a range of international clients.

Our fee is based on a percentage of the appointed candidate's annual salary.

We guarantee our placements. If it doesn't work out within an agreed period, we restart the search at no extra cost.

We're the largest executive search firm in the Netherlands and operate tech-enabled: our approach combines an active network of tens of thousands of professionals with our own AI matching engine and targeted content marketing. This lets us reach qualified candidates faster, including people who aren't openly job-hunting. We have dedicated consultants per sector en functie, and a strong track record of placements at a wide range of organizations.

We work on C-level and senior management positions: from CEO and CFO to CMO, CHRO, CTO, and other executive roles, both permanent and interim.

We work for international corporates, fast-growing scale-ups, private equity portfolio companies, family businesses, and leading SMEs. What they have in common: they're looking for the best candidate, not the most available one. In recent years we've found that candidate for clients across many sectors, including ASML, Bain & Company, Stanley, Roland Berger, ING, Holland & Barrett, Exact, KLM, ProRail, The Greenery, Lidl, EQOM, Kearney, de Bijenkorf, Kramp, Make-A-Wish, Verisure, PriceWise en Brabantia. 

We work broadly: from consumer goods, retail, and e-commerce to tech, healthcare, industry, financial services, and professional services. See the full overview here.

You work with a dedicated consultant specialized in your sector or function. That consultant guides the assignment from start to finish and is the fixed point of contact for both client and candidates.

Yes. Besides the FastForward traineeship, we work with experienced consultants and researchers who join at a senior level. Check our open vacancies or get in touch directly.

It's a plus, but not a requirement. We mainly look for people with the right mindset and ambition. You learn the trade on the job.

Contact Catherine Visch or Annelijn Nijhuis.

After twenty months you're ready for the next step: growing into a Senior Associate at Top of Minds, or moving on to one of our prominent clients.

After an initial introductory conversation, there's a substantive round where we dig deeper into your analytical ability, motivation, and ambitions. We move fast: from first contact to offer usually takes a few weeks.

The FastForward traineeship is our training program for university graduates who want to grow into an all-round business professional in twenty months. Trainees are fully integrated into one of our teams from day one, such as commerce, HR, tech, consulting, finance, or operations. After ten months you rotate to a different team. Every two months you follow external training focused on a specific development theme, from presenting to handling difficult conversations. As a trainee you can also temporarily work from our offices in Madrid or Frankfurt.

We're always open to sharp, ambitious people who enjoy working at a high pace with a wide range of organizations and professionals. Eager to learn, entrepreneurial, and ready to fully pitch in from day one.

University-level work and thinking ability, sharp observation skills, and good at reading people. Strong relationally, with a CV that reflects ambition and drive. Above all: the desire to develop yourself quickly and the mindset to actually follow through on that.

We're the largest executive search firm in the Netherlands and work daily with the most compelling organizations in the market. You learn fast, build a network that stays with you for the rest of your career, and work in an environment that's both professional and informal.