Pick a recruiter who specialises in your level and sector, give them more detail than your CV holds, and be upfront about pay, notice and any other processes you are in. Expect written consent before every submission, honest feedback either way, and a reason to stay in touch when a role does not work out, because the next one can appear quickly.
Which recruiters are worth your time
Three kinds of recruiter will contact a senior finance professional. In-house talent teams hire for their own company only. Generalist agencies fill a wide range of roles, often on contingency, so they are paid only if their candidate is hired. Specialist search recruiters work one function or one level, usually on a retained or exclusive brief, and approach people who are not actively looking.
For a head of finance, FC or CFO move into a startup, a specialist is usually the right first call. My own patch is narrow on purpose: I place the first head of finance or FC, and the first CFO, into Australian venture-backed tech, fintech and deep tech companies. Ask any recruiter what their patch is, and expect a specific answer.
The harder test is how they treat people. In my view the recruitment industry has a pretty bad rep and some of it is fair enough. There are also a lot of great people in it doing brilliant work and trying to do the right thing by their clients and candidates. The difference shows up in a few specific behaviours, and you can check for every one of them on the first call.
| A transactional recruiter | A recruiter worth working with | |
|---|---|---|
| Before sending your CV | Sends it first and asks later, or never names the company | Names the company, shares the job description and gets your written consent |
| Pay and fit | Tells you what keeps you in the process | Tells you early if the base is capped or the brief has moved away from you |
| During the process | Goes quiet for weeks while the company decides | Updates you and tells you where you sit |
| When you miss out | No call back, or a one-line rejection | Specific feedback and advice for next time |
| After the role | Moves on to the next placement | Keeps in touch and thinks of you when the next seat opens |
How a retained and a contingent search differ, and why it changes how a recruiter treats you.
Your first conversation: how to position yourself
A recruiter can only sell what you tell them. Your CV is the starting point, and the useful material is often in your head: the systems you implemented, the raise you supported, the close you cut from weeks to days. Bring the numbers and the context on the first call, then tidy the documents. When I talked a candidate through their CV and LinkedIn on a call in April 2026, my honest view was that once both were cleaned up, they were much more likely to find a role quickly, possibly even on their own.
Then say what you actually want: stage, sector, the size of the finance function, office or remote, and the companies you would most like to work for. A specific answer gives a recruiter something to go and work on. I covered how to make a finance director CV that carries that detail separately.
Be upfront both ways: pay, notice and other processes
Tell the recruiter your current package, what you want, your notice period and which other processes you are in. In return you should hear the things that are awkward to say. On a call in January 2026 I told a candidate early that the role had drawn a lot of interest and the shortlist was strong, because being upfront manages expectations. On a search in May 2026 I told a candidate early that I did not expect any flexibility on the base salary, because the company was putting its money into the long-term incentive.
Sometimes the honest message is that the brief has moved away from you. On a search in February 2026 the client had a very set picture of the background they wanted and I had already found people who matched it, so I told a candidate from a different background that I did not want to waste their time.
Short stints, a gap or a reason for leaving that needs explaining belong in the first conversation too, so the recruiter can frame them before a founder reads your CV cold. I wrote about how founders read job tenure and how to explain it.
Working with more than one recruiter, and consent
You can work with several recruiters at once. What you cannot do is let the same role receive your CV twice, because it confuses the company and can start a dispute over who introduced you. The protection is consent. In a December 2024 post, written at my previous firm, I called submitting a profile without the candidate's consent the kind of thing that gives recruiters a bad name. My process at Story in 2026 is the same rule: after a first call I send an executive brief covering the business, the day to day, what the first twelve months might look like and who the role reports to, and I only put someone forward once they reply in writing. A simple reply email is enough.
So ask every recruiter you work with how they handle it, and keep your own list of which company has seen your CV and through whom. If a recruiter will not name the company before sending you, say no.
Can a recruiter approach companies for you?
Yes, and at senior level this is often the most useful thing a recruiter does. Ask for a dream list approach: you name the high-growth companies you would most like to join, and the recruiter presents your experience, wins and achievements to them without identifying you or your current employer. When I do this, I tell the candidate up front that no personal details leave my hands without their consent.
The second route is timing. Plenty of startups are not thinking about a finance hire today but may be within months. On a call in June 2026 I offered a candidate both options: go to town on the companies they named, and start conversations with businesses I knew might be hiring in three to six months. How CFO jobs in Australia actually get filled is worth knowing before you start.
What should happen after your CV goes in
After a recruiter submits you, the company screens your profile, then runs interviews that may include a case study or a modelling task, and the recruiter debriefs both sides after each stage. The part that most often goes wrong for candidates is the last step: hearing back. Before each stage, ask for as much detail and context as the recruiter has on the company, the founder and the role. My approach is to give candidates all of it, so they walk in informed and can prepare properly.
I learned why it matters from the other side of the desk. When I was trying to get into recruitment in late 2016, I met a global business six times over two to three weeks, then never heard back. All I needed was clarity on where I stood and a bit of feedback to steer me in the right direction. On a podcast in August 2026 I said I get disappointed by some recruiters who do not communicate back to candidates, because I know really good people who have been out of work for six months or more.
So set the expectation on the first call: you want specific feedback, good or bad, as soon as there is any. In 2024 I wrote that I am not a massive fan of keeping a close second choice "warm" while an offer plays out, and would rather tell them where they sit, including where they were the preferred candidate and where they fell down. With a strong candidate-recruiter relationship it is quite easy to turn it around if the first offer falls through. The way I try to give feedback is the way I would want it: clear and specific on what went wrong, advice on how to position better next time, and the respect of being told the truth.
The questions to ask in a finance interview that tell you most about a startup.
When a role does not work out: stay on the radar
Keep the relationship going after a role falls through, because startup finance roles can appear quickly. On a call in April 2026 I told a candidate that I had nothing exactly right for them at that moment, that it could change quickly, and that I could not guarantee finding them a role because it is just me. On a call in August 2026, while a role was still being decided, I told the candidate that if it did not work out it was still worth staying on the radar, because the same company might hire for a different role down the track.
Staying on the radar is low effort: reply when a recruiter checks in, send a short note when your situation changes, and keep the relationship going when you are happy where you are. In a September 2025 post, at my previous firm, I wrote that I regularly catch up with people I had placed to see how they were tracking. Your wider network does the same job, which I covered in networking for senior finance professionals.
If you are a head of finance, FC or CFO looking at a first finance seat in an Australian startup, you can talk to me as a candidate whether or not you are actively looking.
What it takes to step in as the first finance hire in a startup.
Common questions
Should I work with more than one recruiter at a time?
Yes, as long as no single role receives your CV twice. Ask each recruiter to name the company and get your written consent before every submission, and keep your own list of which companies have seen your CV and through whom. For a senior move, one or two specialists in your level and sector usually beat a long list of generalists.
Do I have to pay a recruiter to find me a job?
In permanent recruitment the hiring company pays the recruiter's fee, so the company is the client. At Story Recruitment the fee is 18% of the hire's total remuneration (salary plus super), paid by the company. A good recruiter will still give a candidate honest advice on their CV, positioning and the market as part of the relationship.
Should I tell a recruiter my current salary?
Tell them your current package and what you want, including base, super, bonus and equity. A recruiter can only negotiate well and filter out roles that will never fit if they know the numbers. In return, ask them to be upfront about the range, including whether the base is capped and the company is putting more into a long-term incentive.
What should I expect from a good recruiter?
The company name and job description before your CV is sent, a request for your written consent, honest context on the shortlist and the pay range, updates during the process, and specific feedback when it ends, whether you got the role or not. If a role does not work out, a good recruiter keeps in touch, because the next suitable role can appear quickly.
Can a recruiter approach companies on my behalf?
Yes. A specialist recruiter can take an anonymised summary of your experience and achievements to a list of companies you name, without identifying you or your current employer, and can open conversations with businesses likely to hire in the next three to six months. Nothing personal should be shared without your consent.
These guides set out how we see it, drawn from the searches we run and the finance leaders we work with. They are general information about the market, not financial, accounting or legal advice, and they are no substitute for advice on your own circumstances.