A title and a salary band are not a brief. The roles that last are the ones where the book, the support and the principal all match what you can actually sustain.
Ask what the week looks like
Before you fall for a lot count or a brand name, ask how many meetings sit in a normal month, who takes the after-hours calls, and whether the assistant is shared across four managers. The answers tell you more than the advertisement.
Salary without context is noise
$120,000 on a 90-lot book with no admin is a different job from $110,000 on a 45-lot book with a dedicated assistant. We publish ranges in the salary guide so you can test a number against the work behind it.
Meet the person you will actually report to
Culture in this sector is rarely the values poster. It is whether the principal still takes a difficult owner, or whether every escalation lands on you at 6pm. If they will not let you meet that person before an offer, treat that as information.
If you want a confidential read on a brief you have already been sent, send it through. We would rather talk you out of the wrong move than into a placement that does not hold.
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