I'm trying to understand the principles of "Information Asymmetry and Salary Negotiation".  Has anyone read any new research on this topic which can prove one way or another whether the 'first person to name a number' loses?  I don't believe that entirely, although in some situations I do.  My client was upset that I told a candidate the top of the salary range, although the candidate was $100K per year above the salary range, but still interested in the job, even after I tried to…

I think Executive Search is a field of study with somewhat contradictory parts to it -- for instance, that there is an emphasis on thoroughness, diligence, exhaustiveness, finding ALL possible solutions, etc.; but, there is also a high emphasis on intuitionistic processes, like deciding which candidate to call, guessing who might be most interested, anticipating what objections a client might have to a specific candidate, etc.

So, I see it as both an Art and a Science.  Nonetheless,…