Distilled from 200+ workshops, not from a whiteboard.

What HIHB is

HIHB stands for High-Impact Hiring Blueprint. A two-hour workshop that takes place before the search begins. With all critical stakeholders in one room. Output: a complete briefing with evaluator definition, stakeholder map, persona, 90-day plan, and interview guide. Structured around the 5C method: Contingency, Consistency, Calibration, Coordination, Clarification.

HIHB does not replace executive search, job ads, or AI recruiting. HIHB is the briefing that stands before those tools. The search itself can then run internally or externally, classic or algorithmic. It turns into a structured process, not a hope. We design the position before anyone else searches for it.

Where HIHB comes from

The method was not born in a conference room. It has grown over more than seven years against real critical hires. Each of the 200+ moderated workshops has contributed an observation; each recurring pattern was fed back into the method. What is now documented as the 5C method is the distillate of executive briefings, board discussions, hiring manager realities, and HR expertise.

The method has been shaped by Michael von Hirschfeld, co-managing director of HireWorks GmbH. He has moderated the HIHB workshops and owned the methodology since 2018. Before HireWorks, he was managing director at JobID, a start-up for skill-based recruiting matching.

What we believe

HIHB is not neutral. We hold three convictions:

1. Briefing beats recruiting.

Across 200+ mandates the same diagnosis has emerged: failed critical hires can be traced back to gaps in the briefing in roughly 90% of cases, not to the search itself. Taking that seriously means investing in the preparation before the role is posted.

2. Critical hires deserve board-level attention.

A bad critical hire costs 1.5x to 3x the annual salary - directly and in opportunity cost. That is not an HR routine. It is a strategic decision. It belongs on the executive table.

3. Consensus beats compromise.

Most briefings emerge from majority opinions that were never explicitly synchronised. HIHB forces explicit clarity on what the person is measured against, who evaluates them, and which breakpoints they must survive. The result is consensus, not compromise.

Who stands behind HIHB

HIHB is a service of HireWorks GmbH, an executive search firm based in Eyendorf near Hamburg. HireWorks has been operating since 2005, HIHB as a method since 2018.

The methodology is owned by Michael von Hirschfeld as co-managing director and HIHB workshop moderator. On mandates, HireWorks works directly with HR leads, recruiting teams, and hiring managers on the client side.

If you want to know more about the person behind the method: More about Michael von Hirschfeld.

What HIHB is not

Also important: HIHB is not strategy consulting. We do not build org models, we do not run performance diagnoses, we do not deliver leadership training. HIHB is a precise tool for a precise question: how do we sharpen the briefing before a critical hire?. If that is what you need, we are the right partner. If you need something else, we are not.