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EXECUTIVE-SEARCH5 MIN READ

Separate Reference Evidence From Inference

Collect reference evidence as situation, behavior, impact, and result instead of reputation fragments.

The move: turn praise into evidence. Start with an episode Do not begin with, Would you hire this person again? That question invites a verdict before the facts. Start with an episode tied to the search risk: Tell me about a time this person had to make a hard operating trade-off with limited trust in the room. Capture the evidence loop Use situation, stakes, behavior, impact, and repeatability. Situation gives context. Stakes explain why the moment mattered. Behavior identifies what the candidate did, not what they are like. Impact shows the business or team result. Repeatability checks whether the behavior…

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