Ep. 158: Consulting Salaries, Promotions, and Partner Pitfalls with Richard Longstreet

Struggling to crack senior hiring in your consultancy? You’re not alone, and this episode’s guest has seen it all. Richard Longstreet is the founder of Tarka Talent, a recruitment consultancy focused on management consulting, and he’s helped firms of all shapes and sizes find (and sometimes fix) their senior hiring strategies. In this episode, Richard joins Nick Synnott to share his refreshingly honest take on what actually makes a successful senior hire, why partner-level recruitment so often fails, and how boutique firms can set themselves up for success. From salary trends to career progression, partner expectations to promotion timelines, Richard lifts the lid on the latest insights from Tarka Talent’s industry-leading salary survey and explains how firms can take a smarter approach to recruitment in a challenging market. If you’re hiring, thinking of hiring, or just wondering why your last senior hire didn’t quite land, this one’s for you. We cover: ✅ Why partner-level recruitment has a 40% success rate, and what to do about it ✅ How boutiques can attract senior talent without overpromising ✅ Salary trends, bonus data, and promotion patterns from Tarka’s annual report ✅ What separates great senior hires from those who never quite deliver ✅ Alternatives to hiring when capacity is tight Enjoy the show!