Small, specialized recruitment consultancies are currently on the rise - and for good reason. While large search firms are losing market share and are sometimes struggling to adapt to the new requirements in recruiting, smaller boutiques are scoring points with exactly what companies need today: speed, flexibility, genuine specialization and personal support.

Many clients are simply fed up with standardized processes, changing contacts and "off-the-shelf" recruiting. They want someone who understands their industry, speaks their language and is really close to both the client and the candidate. This is exactly what smaller consultancies do much better: they are more focused, work more directly and react faster. Decisions are not first channeled through five internal hierarchical levels, but are made and implemented directly.

What's more, the large consultancies often work on a database-driven basis or only manage their candidate pool. Boutiques go out into the market, specifically approach the right people, invest time in genuine direct search - and then deliver exactly the right profiles. This makes a noticeable difference in the quality and speed of recruitment.

This is also noticeable on the candidate side: communication is often more honest, transparent and individual. There is feedback, good support throughout the process and no typical standard emails. In the end, both sides benefit - the client and the candidate.

Of course, large search firms also have their strengths. But the trend is clearly moving towards specialized, focused consulting. Particularly in areas such as digital, finance or M&A, where specialists are in short supply and good decisions need to be made quickly, many companies now prefer to rely on smaller partners who really deliver - instead of big names with even bigger PowerPoint presentations.

Anyone who takes recruiting seriously today no longer makes decisions based on logo alone, but on performance. And that's where the small, well-positioned boutiques are clearly ahead at the moment.

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