Candidates
Some Career Moves Begin With a Conversation Few People Will Have
Exclusive retained appointments across global commodity trading, brokerage and financial markets.
The right opportunity may never reach a job board. It may begin with a confidential leadership appointment, a trading business building a new capability or an employer seeking particular expertise through a carefully managed search.
Imperium Commodity Search is retained exclusively by clients to identify and engage the people relevant to those appointments. We understand the brief, the business behind it and what a prospective move would need to offer before approaching you.
We also welcome introductions. Whether you are considering your next step or simply open to an exceptional opportunity, an introduction gives us the chance to understand your experience, ambitions and what would make a conversation worthwhile.
Our opportunities follow the mandates entrusted to us, so there may not be an immediate match. When there is, we can have a focused discussion about a specific appointment. Your details are shared with a prospective employer only once we have discussed and agreed the introduction with you.
Not every appointment is advertised. A confidential introduction is welcome whether or not a current vacancy matches your experience.
A Clear Mandate. A Considered Approach
What working with an exclusively retained commodity search firm means for you.
When we contact you about an appointment, we are working on an agreed instruction from the employer. Our client has committed to a search, and our role is to understand the relevant market, identify suitable professionals and establish whether there is a meaningful fit.
That gives the conversation substance. We can discuss why the appointment is being made, what the business needs and the experience it values. Where information is confidential, we explain what can be shared at each stage so you can make an informed decision about progressing.
We also take time to understand your position. Responsibilities, leadership, trading platform, resources, remuneration and longer-term prospects can all determine whether an opportunity deserves serious consideration. A move needs to make sense beyond the job title.
You can explore that conversation without committing to an application. If there is mutual interest, we agree the introduction with you and remain involved throughout the process.
Trusted With Sensitive Searches. Equipped for Confidential Team Moves
The discretion we bring to client mandates also shapes how we handle approaches from trading desks, brokerage teams and selected colleagues considering a move.
Sometimes the next career decision involves more than one person. An established desk may be considering a different platform, a team leader may want to explore opportunities with trusted colleagues, or a small group may feel their ambitions have outgrown their current environment.
These conversations require particular care. Individual circumstances, working relationships and commercial considerations need to be understood before anyone approaches the market.
Confidentiality is central to our work with employers on sensitive appointments, targeted searches and team recruitment. That experience also makes Imperium well placed to handle approaches from professionals considering a collective move. We understand the importance of controlling disclosure, establishing who wishes to participate and exploring the proposition before agreeing any introductions.
You do not need a complete team or a decided destination to begin a conversation. We can discuss the capability you bring, what a suitable platform would need to offer and whether there is a credible basis for exploring further.
Your career carries your reputation. Be certain whose hands you place it in.
Working With Recruiters: Our Advice to Candidates
How to assess an approach, protect your information and stay in control of your career conversations.
Working with a recruitment agency or search firm can give you access to valuable opportunities. It also means trusting someone with information about your career, current employment and future plans. Choosing who represents you deserves care.
Through our work across commodity trading, brokerage and financial markets, we hear from candidates who are unsure why a recruiter needs certain information, where their CV has been sent or whether an opportunity was genuine in the first place. Many have never had the recruitment process explained to them.
We believe candidates should understand how these conversations work and what professional conduct looks like. The guidance below is here to help you assess any recruiter’s approach, recognise questionable practices and set clear boundaries, whether you work with Imperium or another firm.
Before You Share Your CV
Is there a specific opportunity?
Ask whether the recruiter is instructed by an employer, discussing a potential future requirement or introducing their firm. For a vacancy, ask about the responsibilities, location, reporting line and hiring process. If details are confidential, ask when more can be shared.
Where will my information go?
Agree the intended employer and opportunity before authorising an introduction. Clarify whether your CV, a summary or an anonymised profile will be shared. In specialist commodity markets, even a profile without your name can make you recognisable.
Why do you need that information?
Experience, motivations, remuneration expectations and availability can help establish fit. Customer lists, confidential trading information and the names of people interviewing you elsewhere require a different explanation. You can ask why something is needed or decline to disclose it.
Have I already been represented?
Keep a record of the employers and roles you have agreed to be introduced to. Tell the recruiter if you have already applied or are in discussions with that business. This helps avoid duplicate submissions and confusion about who is representing you.
When a Career Conversation Becomes a Sales Lead
How to recognise lead pulling, why it can damage your existing applications and where to draw the line.
“Lead pulling” is the practice of obtaining potential recruitment business from information a candidate shares. A conversation presented as help with your career can become an exercise in identifying which employers are hiring, who makes the decisions and how to contact them.
The most troubling version involves a vacancy that does not exist, used to encourage candidates to disclose details of genuine opportunities they are pursuing elsewhere.
The consequences can reach beyond an uncomfortable conversation. If a recruiter uses those details to approach an employer, pitch their services or introduce competing candidates, they can interfere with a process you have already invested time in. Information shared in good faith may be used in ways you never intended or agreed to.
Candidate advice · Lead-pulling warning signs
Signs the Conversation May Be About Something Else
Information about your interviews can become a sales lead. If a recruiter uses it to pitch an employer or introduce competing candidates, it could jeopardise an opportunity you have already worked hard to secure.
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Your other interviews become the main subject
The recruiter spends more time investigating your existing applications than explaining the opportunity they contacted you about.
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They press for names and contact details
Questions move from your availability and interview timing to the exact employer, hiring manager, interviewer or internal recruiter.
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Their own vacancy remains vague
They want detailed information from you but cannot give a coherent explanation of the role, requirements or next steps.
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They offer to intervene in an existing application
They suggest contacting an employer where you have already applied or interviewed, without a clear reason or your express agreement.
Pause before sharing names. You can explain your availability and interview timing without naming other employers or their hiring contacts. Ask why the information is needed before deciding whether to disclose it.
A reason to ask questions, rather than proof of misconduct
A recruiter may reasonably ask about other processes to understand timing, competing offers or whether you have already applied to their client. You can usually explain those circumstances without identifying other employers or sharing contact names.
The standards we work to
Imperium’s Position Is Unequivocal
No fabricated opportunities
We never invent vacancies to obtain CVs or recruitment leads.
No lead pulling
We never use your disclosure of another interview process as a route to pitch that employer or introduce competing candidates.
No speculative circulation
We never circulate your CV speculatively or make an introduction without your agreement.
If we are speaking with you without a specific vacancy in mind, we will say so.
You can discuss your career without giving someone permission to sell into the opportunities you are already pursuing.
Your Questions, Answered
Do I need to be actively looking to contact Imperium?
No. We welcome introductions from professionals who are settled in their current role but open to a particular opportunity. Understanding your experience and ambitions helps us recognise when a relevant mandate arises.
Are all your opportunities advertised?
No. Some appointments are handled confidentially through direct approaches. Our publicly advertised vacancies represent part of our work, so you are welcome to introduce yourself even if nothing currently listed matches your experience.
Will you find me a job if I register?
We work on specific retained instructions from employers. Introducing yourself allows us to consider your experience against those mandates, but it does not begin a dedicated job search on your behalf or guarantee an opportunity.
Will you send my CV to employers without asking me?
No. We discuss and agree the proposed introduction with you before sharing your CV or identifying information with a prospective employer. We do not circulate speculative profiles.
Can I speak with you about moving with colleagues?
Yes. We welcome confidential discussions with team leaders, established desks and selected colleagues considering a different platform. An initial conversation does not authorise us to approach employers or represent other members of your team.
What support do you provide during a search?
We help you understand the brief, prepare for interviews and assess the proposed opportunity. Where discussions progress, we remain involved through remuneration negotiations, offer acceptance, resignation, notice and joining, helping both parties address questions and potential obstacles.
Do candidates pay Imperium a fee?
No. Our search fees are paid by the employer that retains us. Candidates do not pay to be considered for an appointment.
What should I include when introducing myself?
A current CV is useful, together with a short explanation of your market, location and what you would consider next. You can also tell us how and when it is appropriate to contact you. Please avoid including confidential customer information or proprietary business material.
Make Yourself Known. Keep Your Options Open.
Whether you are considering your next appointment, exploring a move with colleagues or simply open to the right opportunity, we welcome a confidential introduction.
Tell us about your experience and what would make a move worthwhile. We may have a relevant mandate now, or a reason to reconnect when the right brief reaches us.
Your introduction stays with Imperium. We agree any proposed employer introduction with you before sharing your details.
