FAQ

For employers

What is APT, and how is it different from a standard executive search firm?

APT is a cognitive-edge executive search boutique operating in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The difference is structural: standard executive search evaluates candidates. APT evaluates both the candidate and the organisation they are entering.

Every APT mandate involves two assessments. The CognitiveEdge Assessment maps the cognitive operating profile of candidates across five performance dimensions. APT Place assesses the hiring organisation across five corresponding environmental dimensions. Placement decisions are based on the match between the two — not on the candidate profile alone.

The reason this matters: most senior hire failures are not caused by a weak candidate. They are caused by a strong candidate placed into an environment that is structurally misaligned with how they perform. APT exists to prevent that outcome.

Which roles does APT place?

APT places senior transformation professionals in DACH — specifically CHROs, CDOs, CTOs, Heads of Transformation, and equivalent roles where the primary mandate involves leading significant organisational change.

These roles share a common characteristic: performance is highly context-dependent. A strong CHRO in one organisational environment may fail in another, not through any change in capability, but because the cognitive demands of the two environments differ significantly. APT's methodology is designed for this category of role specifically. It is not applied to functional roles where performance is primarily a function of technical expertise and experience.

If you are uncertain whether your role falls within APT's scope, contact us before submitting a mandate enquiry.

What does the APT Place assessment involve, and do we have to complete it?

APT Place is a 33-indicator employer readiness assessment completed by the hiring organisation before a search mandate proceeds. It measures Structural Clarity, Autonomy Architecture, Feedback Quality, Cognitive Environment Fit, and Transformation Readiness across a 96-point scale.

Completion of APT Place is a condition of mandate. It is not optional. The reason is straightforward: without an assessed environmental profile, APT cannot make a placement recommendation with integrity. Matching a candidate to an organisation we have not assessed is the standard model. It is not our model.

The assessment is completed online at place.apt-match.com via a unique link issued by APT. It takes approximately 45 minutes for the designated respondent. Results are delivered as a scored readiness report with dimension-level commentary. In some cases, APT will recommend structural changes before the search proceeds. In a small number of cases, APT will recommend that the mandate is deferred.

What does a mandate with APT cost?

APT operates on a retained search model. The fee is 25–30% of first-year total compensation for the placed leader, payable in three stages: on mandate confirmation, on shortlist delivery, and on placement.

APT Place is charged as a surcharge on the retained fee. The exact structure is confirmed at mandate stage. We do not operate on contingency. We do not share shortlists with multiple clients simultaneously. Each mandate is exclusive.

If budget is the primary constraint on your search decision, we are probably not the right partner for this particular hire. If placement quality and reduced first-year attrition risk are the primary constraints, the conversation is worth having.

What does APT deliver at the end of a mandate?

At the end of an APT mandate, the client receives: a shortlist of assessed candidates with full CognitiveEdge profiles and dimension-level commentary, an APT Place readiness report for the hiring organisation, a Cognitive Environment Fit analysis mapping each shortlisted candidate to the organisation's environmental profile, and a placement recommendation with rationale.

The shortlist is typically three to four candidates. APT does not deliver volume; it delivers match quality. Each candidate on the shortlist has been assessed, interviewed, and scored. The Cognitive Environment Fit analysis explains, specifically, why each candidate is or is not aligned to the role's environmental demands — including where alignment is partial and what the implications are.

Post-placement, APT offers optional 30, 60, and 90-day retention check-ins to monitor integration and surface early indicators of environment-fit stress.

How long does an APT mandate take?

A standard APT mandate from confirmation to shortlist delivery takes eight to twelve weeks. This is longer than some contingency search timelines and comparable to retained search at peer firms.

The difference is that the timeline includes completion of APT Place by the hiring organisation, which typically adds one to two weeks at the front of the mandate. Clients who treat APT Place as a formality and delay completion extend their own timelines. Clients who complete it promptly and engage with the results move faster because the brief is sharper.

For roles with urgent timelines, contact APT before submitting a mandate enquiry. We will advise honestly on whether our methodology can be applied responsibly within your constraints.

Can we use APT's assessment on candidates we have already identified?

Yes. APT can administer the CognitiveEdge Assessment to candidates you have sourced independently and provide a scored profile and Cognitive Environment Fit analysis against your APT Place results.

This is offered as an assessment-only service, separate from the full retained mandate. It is subject to candidate consent and completion of APT Place by the hiring organisation. Pricing is confirmed on enquiry at pricing@apt-match.com.

Is APT a registered company?

APT — Adaptive Performance Talent is a brand of wait, what. Contracts, invoices, and all legal documentation are issued under wait, what..

For candidates

What is the CognitiveEdge Assessment, and what does it measure?

The CognitiveEdge Assessment maps your cognitive operating profile across five dimensions: Absorption & Drive, Ambiguity Tolerance, Decision Calibration, Inductive Reasoning, and Resilience & Recovery. It is not a personality test, a values instrument, or a cultural fit tool.

Each dimension measures a specific aspect of how you process information, make decisions, and perform under pressure. The output is a five-dimension profile — presented as a spider chart — that describes your cognitive operating system as a leader. That profile is then matched to the specific cognitive demands of roles and organisations APT is working with.

The assessment takes 28 minutes. It is completed online at app.apt-match.com. There are no trick questions, no correct answers, and no preparation that would meaningfully alter your results. Answer as you actually operate, not as you believe an ideal leader should.

Can I fail the CognitiveEdge Assessment?

No. The assessment produces a profile, not a pass or fail outcome. There is no profile that disqualifies a candidate from consideration for all roles. There are profiles that are better or less well suited to specific roles in specific organisations — which is the point of the assessment.

A high score on Ambiguity Tolerance is an asset in a chaotic transformation environment. The same score in a highly structured organisation with low tolerance for improvisation may indicate a mismatch. Neither outcome is better. Both are informative. The assessment's purpose is precision in placement, not selection by rank.

Who sees my results?

Your CognitiveEdge results are your own. APT uses them to match you to relevant roles and organisations. No results are shared with any employer without your explicit, informed consent — given at the point of sharing, not buried in initial terms.

APT does not sell, share, or use your results for any purpose other than the specific search mandate you are engaged in. Your profile is stored securely and processed in accordance with GDPR. You retain the right to access, correct, and request deletion of your data at any time by contacting gdpr@apt-match.com.

What happens after I complete the assessment?

After completing the CognitiveEdge Assessment, you receive access to your full profile — the spider chart output with dimension scores and brief explanatory commentary for each dimension. You keep this regardless of whether you proceed with any specific mandate.

If your profile is relevant to an active mandate, an APT consultant will contact you to discuss the role and whether to proceed. If your profile is not currently matched to an active mandate, it remains in APT's candidate pool for future roles. APT will not contact you repeatedly or place you under pressure. We work with a small number of high-quality candidates and a small number of high-quality mandates. The conversations are substantive or they do not happen.

What are the five dimensions, and which one matters most?

The five dimensions are Absorption & Drive, Ambiguity Tolerance, Decision Calibration, Inductive Reasoning, and Resilience & Recovery. No single dimension matters most — the profile is assessed as a whole, and its relevance is always relative to a specific role and environment.

Absorption & Drive measures sustained focus and intrinsic motivation. Ambiguity Tolerance measures decision quality under incomplete information. Decision Calibration measures whether your confidence tracks your actual knowledge. Inductive Reasoning measures pattern recognition and cross-domain thinking. Resilience & Recovery measures how quickly and completely you return to effective functioning after setback or sustained pressure. Full definitions are available in the APT Glossary at apt-match.com/glossary.

How is APT different from other executive search firms I may have worked with?

Most executive search processes assess you. APT also assesses the organisation you are entering. This changes the nature of the placement conversation significantly.

When APT presents you to a client, the conversation is not “here is a strong candidate.” It is “here is a strong candidate whose cognitive operating profile aligns specifically to the demands of your environment, and here is the evidence for that alignment.” That changes how clients engage with your profile — and it changes your risk of entering an environment that will not activate what you bring.

If you have experienced a senior role that felt like the wrong fit despite strong credentials and genuine effort, the mismatch was likely environmental. APT's methodology is designed to prevent that outcome on both sides.

Is my data protected under GDPR?

Yes. APT — Adaptive Performance Talent is a brand of wait, what. AG, registered in Zurich, Switzerland. All personal data collected through the CognitiveEdge Assessment is processed in accordance with GDPR and stored on secure, EU-based infrastructure.

You have the right to access your data, request corrections, and request deletion at any time. To exercise any of these rights, contact gdpr@apt-match.com. APT does not use your data for any purpose beyond the specific search mandate you have consented to engage in. Assessment data is never sold, licensed, or shared with third parties.

How do I start?

Candidates enter the APT process in one of two ways: via invitation from an APT consultant in connection with a specific mandate, or via the candidate registration form at app.apt-match.com.

If you have been contacted by APT about a specific role, your assessment link will be provided directly. If you are registering independently, you will complete a brief profile and receive your CognitiveEdge Assessment link by return. APT reviews all registrations. If your profile is not currently relevant to an active mandate, you will receive an honest response to that effect rather than silence.