Then during my first year at Richmond, we launched a search for our dean of admission position, and we again hired Lahti. What impressed me at that time was their ability to listen to what we needed in terms of skill set, experience, personality, and style—because it’s about fit, just like it is for our students during the college admission process! They spent a lot of time on the campus getting to know the senior leadership team and the admission staff, and where we were as a university and where we wanted to go. They then delivered an extraordinary pool of candidates to us.

We subsequently conducted another search for a director of admission, and there was no question we would work with Terry again. In this case, we had some very clear skill sets we were looking for, and they went out and built a sizable and diverse pool of people who had exactly the experiences that we were seeking. And what’s more, they did a good job of selling the university to the candidates.

When you work with Lahti, they stay on schedule, they stay on budget, and there are no surprises. They are competent, reliable, thorough, good listeners, and realistic in terms of helping you articulate your needs. They are also realistic in relation to what’s in the pool. They’re dynamite and fabulous! There are lots of search firms out there, but Lahti’s strength is being “boutique” and highly specialized in admission and enrollment searches—they are able to really get to know potential candidates well.

1) their experience and track record in admissions searches

2) the fact that the practice was limited to admissions/financial aid suggested a much more in-depth understanding of the field, its issues, and potential candidates

3) obvious synergy between Terry and Sandy on the one hand, and our Drake team on the other

4) very strong references from previous clients

Working with Lahti Search Consultants was among the very best experiences that I’ve had. They did a superb job in helping our team understand exactly whom we needed and why, and in listening to our disparate voices to understand the right fit for Drake. They produced a strong applicant pool and provided expert guidance to the search committee on evaluating candidates, preparing the committee for telephone and off-site interviews, and managing the candidates.

Our expectations were extremely high, given Lahti’s track record and references, and they were fully met—even exceeded. Terry was extremely helpful when our top candidate, who was offered the position, declined. She aggressively reopened the process and produced more top candidates, reassured me that the sky hadn’t fallen, and ultimately gave us Tom Delahunt, who is the perfect fit for Drake and who has done an incredible job for us.

Terry and colleagues are very smart. Very perceptive. Sensitive. Persistent. Confidence-inspiring. They have great knowledge of the field, are the best at what they do, produce superb results (certainly in our case), and are a joy to work with.

Terry and Richard did an excellent job. Every part of the search was customized to meet our particular needs, while the broad experience brought by the firm helped us to shape the process in a most professional way. The beginning on-campus sessions, in which they learned about our particular character and needs, were particularly outstanding.

Lahti Search Consultants is professional, experienced, flexible, and committed to supporting our particular needs. For a liberal arts college doing a search in admissions, there is no better firm.

Terry is effective, thoughtful, and caring. She kept me in the loop throughout the entire process and made sure that all of my questions and concerns were addressed.

I have worked in various capacities with other search firms, and I was particularly pleased with the time that Terry took to get to know Harvey Mudd so that she could speak knowledgably about what kind of person would be more effective there. Terry manages to maintain a balance between keeping the needs of the institution at the forefront while still making candidates feel as if they are valued throughout the process.

The work Lahti Search Consultants did for us exceeded our expectations. They worked closely with our search committee to define the qualities and experience we were looking for in a candidate and worked tirelessly on an aggressive timetable to bring in an outstanding slate of candidates for us to consider. It was a pleasure working with them throughout the process.

Terry and her team are thoughtful, thorough, intuitive, and fun. They are such well-respected professionals and genuinely nice people that when they call, you answer. The relationships that they have cultivated over the years give them access to an incredibly wide range of talented potential candidates who will answer the phone when they call. That is more than half the battle in the search process in terms of building an applicant pool of the highest quality.

Smart, caring, networked, knowledgeable—that’s how I’d describe Lahti Search Consultants. Did I say smart?

Lahti Search Consultants does one thing, and they do it well. Whether you call it a niche or boutique firm doesn’t matter. Their singular focus means they can stay incredibly close to the market and maintain high quality, personal, extended relationships. As someone who has been “handled” by other firms during previous employment searches, I can tell you how nice it was to have a continuous, open, and candid dialogue with Terry and her staff throughout my candidacy. And it continues to this day. She still checks in on how things are going, three years later.

Although potentially awkward, I recommended Lahti Search Consultants to my previous institution after they recruited me away to my current position. I simply told the provost how much they knew about the college through their thorough research on my work. After due diligence, Lahti Search Consultants got the job and was able to hit the ground running.