Methodology
How we count the numbers we publish
Every metric APB Strategy uses across the site is defined here: the rule for inclusion, the denominator, and the framing. If a number on another page reads like marketing copy, the entry below should tell you exactly what was measured.
150+
Executive placements
Definition
A completed retained or contingent search where the candidate APB endorsed was offered, accepted, and commenced employment with the client. Excludes contract placements, interim hires, and candidates referred without endorsement.
Denominator
Total successful placements across both desks (Facilities Services and Freight & Logistics).
Scope & framing
Cumulative since APB's founding in December 2021. Counted at placement start-date. Published as a rounded floor — the current count exceeds 150.
92%
Repeat client rate
Definition
The percentage of clients APB has completed a first search for who subsequently briefed APB on a second engagement.
Denominator
Clients with at least one completed placement, excluding searches APB declined or withdrew from.
Scope & framing
A client is counted once regardless of how many subsequent briefs they raise. A second brief that doesn't proceed to placement still counts as a repeat — it reflects retained trust, not just placement luck.
5,000+
Sales & leadership executives interviewed
Definition
Senior commercial operators across Facilities Services and Freight & Logistics whom APB has conducted a structured screening conversation with — covering experience relevance, remuneration alignment, network strength, recognition drivers, working rhythms, and motivation to move.
Denominator
Lifetime cumulative interviewed pool, both active candidates and passive market-mapped operators. Counted once per person regardless of how many searches they've appeared in.
Scope & framing
Cumulative since APB's founding in December 2021. The figure is a measure of database depth, not search activity.
24 hours
Brief to first endorsement
Definition
Elapsed time from signed brief to first candidate endorsement delivered to the client. Endorsement means a confidential profile with the candidate available for interview — not a CV deck or a longlist.
Denominator
Retained searches across both desks.
Scope & framing
Reflects recent operating activity. Published as a median rather than a mean — the median is more honest in a small-sample search business and isn't skewed by occasional same-day endorsements on pre-mapped briefs or multi-day endorsements where fresh discovery was required.
28 days
Average time to hire
Definition
Elapsed time from signed brief to signed offer (candidate accepted). Excludes notice-period serving and start-date scheduling.
Denominator
Retained and contingent searches that resulted in a placement.
Scope & framing
Reflects recent operating activity. Senior commercial leadership retained searches typically run above this average (6–8 weeks); mid-level BDM and Sales Manager contingent searches typically run below it. The 28-day figure is the blended median across both.
~90%
Offer-to-acceptance rate
Definition
Of formal offers extended to APB-endorsed candidates by APB clients, the percentage accepted by the candidate.
Denominator
Formal offers extended across both desks. Excludes verbal offers that did not proceed to formal documentation.
Scope & framing
The high rate reflects process discipline, not luck. APB confirms exactly what a candidate will accept before any offer is drafted (Stage 6 of the search process, documented under How We Work). Offers that wouldn't close aren't extended.
~52
Off-market opportunities (current)
Definition
Live retained and contingent search briefs that APB is currently working — confidentially, with no public advertisement at any stage.
Denominator
Active brief count at the snapshot date.
Scope & framing
Point-in-time figure, refreshed as briefs come on and off the desk. The number typically sits between 40 and 65 depending on seasonality and search-stage mix.
Integrity
Conservative by default
We publish rounded figures — typically rounded down for cumulative counts, nearest whole percentage point for rates, nearest day for time-windows. Rounding is conservative: if the true count is 167, we publish 150+; if the true rate is 92.4%, we publish 92%. We'd rather under-state and be defensible than over-claim and get caught.
Figures are kept current — every entry on this page reflects APB's most recent operating state at the time of publication. When a number on another page would move materially against the figure here, this page is the source of truth.
If a buyer, candidate, or journalist wants the un-rounded current figure with the supporting calculation, we'll provide it on request. Contact contact@apbstrategy.com.au.
Brief us on a hire
If you'd like to see how the process behind these numbers actually runs, the seven-stage breakdown is on the How We Work page.
Coverage: all metrics drawn from APB Strategy's internal placement and search activity records across both desks. Audit availability: supporting calculation available on request via contact@apbstrategy.com.au.