# Formative Search Partners Reviews **Vendor:** Formative Search Partners **Category:** [Recruiting Agencies](https://www.g2.com/categories/recruitment-agencies) **Average Rating:** 4.9/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 19 ## About Formative Search Partners Formative Search Partners (fka CloserIQ) is a leading executive search firm that specializes in Go-to-Market. We help startups navigate key inflection points in GTM with intentional leadership transitions. For over a decade, we have been entrusted to lead C-Level, VP, and Head of Sales, Marketing and Customer Success searches for innovative startups and scale-ups. We provide a highly structured and bespoke methodology that guides founders towards the right leader at every stage of growth. Our flexible search model aligns our incentives with our clients in a unique way. ## Formative Search Partners Reviews ### 1. So glad CloserIQ found me! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Jen H. | Strategic Account Leader, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 09, 2023 **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** Brittney Dunn was so helpful through the entire process. She brought roles to me that met the criteria I shared, guided me through the interview process and helped me negotiate my offer. I'm so grateful to have worked with CloserIQ and found a role that's a great fit for me. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** Nothing! It was a perfect experience, wouldn't change a thing. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** Finding a new job ### 2. An amazing resource if you're on the hunt for a new job **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 22, 2022 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** Finding a new position/job **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** I had the chance to work with Alexis Johnson Mason from the CloserIQ team and it was a great experience. The screening call was used to confirm my expectations, needs, desires, etc. as I was hunting for a new position. Alexis listened to all my needs and proceeded to put so many opportunities in front of me that fit those needs. Interviewing is a daunting process, but she made it feel a little less so. Once I was in the interview pipeline with a partner company, she made sure to be there every step of the way, providing helpful insight and guidance. I was able to meet some pretty incredible teams through CloserIQ and it's all thanks to Alexis. Although I didn't end up with one of their partner companies, I would definitely come back to CloserIQ should I ever need their services again in the future. Thank you, Alexis! **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** N/A. I have nothing negative to say about my experience with CloserIQ. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** N/A ### 3. Navigating through a job search **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Human Resources | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 18, 2022 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** Closer IQ helped me acheive a positive outcome from my job search. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** Interview preparation was beneficial. Thoughtful employees that help candidates navigate the interview process. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** There were no drawbacks of working with CloserIQ. **Recommendations to others considering Formative Search Partners:** CloserIQ helps candidates find jobs at exciting startups in the tech industry. Given the pool of companies that CloserIQ has access to, if I were looking to enter the tech industry, CloserIQ would give you an edge to do this. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** CloserIQ helps connect candidates in their job search and employees hiring top talent find the right match. ### 4. Great partner for scaling your sales hiring **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** David A. | Sr. Director, Demand Generation, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 08, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** CloserIQ has helped me hire over 20+ sales reps over the course of our relationship. As a recruiting partner, they pay a great deal of attention to creating an extraordinary experience for all parties involved in the hiring process. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** The team really takes the time to understand what you're looking for and does not push candidates on you just to make a hire. They truly care about their customers and provide a great experience for everyone involved. I also love using the software - it's a very modern and easy way to visualize your recruiting funnel. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** There's really not much to dislike - they are a fantastic partner. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** The main problem that CloserIQ solves for is building a pipeline of high-quality sales candidates, fast. Often times, internal recruiters have too many open positions to fully dedicate their time to sales. CloserIQ is not only a great partner if you don't have internal recruiting, but also supplements their efforts tremendously. ### 5. CloserIQ has been amazing! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Yoon P. | SVP, Talent, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 15, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** CloserIQ has helped us with our engineering and sales roles. Over the past couple months, they have worked collaboratively with my talent acquisition partners, hiring managers and their candidates in an efficient, customer focused way. They have stood out from all of the other agencies by producing candidates that are better aligned through their skill sets, experiences, attitudes, alignment with our mission and values and desire in making our culture better. We have had great throughout with Closer and even when there was not a successful placement, we have not been far off between company and candidate. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** They want to partner and they know how to succeed by ensuring that they understand what the hiring manager is looking for. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** They are becoming popular, known player in the space and I do not want anything to change on our end. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** We are rapidly scaling, i.e. 2x in 6 months, and 3x in 18 months. You just cannot do that with a bunch of agencies and internal recruiters. You need quality agencies like CloserIQ to get not only the velocity but high quality talent otherwise you only create problems down the road. ### 6. Great partner and support! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Austin N. | Recruiter and Recruiting Operations Lead, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 09, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** Hiring for SDR roles in New York City (SaaS) product. When I first joined Falcon.io, I was tasked with finding agency partners to work with. CloserIQ quickly became a trusted advisor for us to secure and find top talent in NYC! **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** They're collaborative, responsive, and maintain a high bar! The support I received from my advisor, the tracking software they provided to see the status of our candidates, and the quality of the placements. I worked closely with the team and had a great cadence on adding to our pipeline. They really do partner with you! Their software connected nicely with our ATS system, which is another plus! **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** With any agency the talent can sometimes be unreliable but I understand that (no shows to interviews, etc). I feel like CloserIQ along with my team were good at spotting those candidates from the beginning. **Recommendations to others considering Formative Search Partners:** Try them out, it doesn't hurt to give them a chance! **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** They supported the hiring managers and myself to help grow our inside sales team (SDR). They helped us find top sales talent to book meetings and grow within our company. ### 7. CloserIQ was extremely professional, efficient and thoughtful in helping me find a great AE **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Eddie R. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 18, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** I've worked with a lot of recruiters in the past that would spray and pray their candidates and then just kept feeding me the wrong people despite my repeated attempts to explain the nuance of my business and the unique needs of the role. CloserIQ was very careful to first listen to me and then properly communicate my requirements to their recruiting team to find me the right candidates and work with me to filter through them to interview the best ones and ultimately hire someone that was everything I had asked them for. They also built a lot of trust by being honest and transparent and not constantly pitching me but earning the status of trusted advisors. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** Listening to my needs Understanding my business Process orientation Attention to detail **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** Nothing really. They did a great job and aside from working for free there weren't any meaningful opportunities to make it a better experience. **Recommendations to others considering Formative Search Partners:** Highly recommend working with them **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** I wanted to hire an Account Executive that was at just the right experience level to not need constant handholding but not want a salary well beyond my budget, with industry experience, great writing and attention to detail and a desire to work for an early stage startup. Not an easy combination to find. ### 8. Awesome experience working with Joe and the CloserIQ team **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Halley G. | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 17, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** We worked with CloserIQ to help fill a handful of BDR roles. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** The team was highly communicative. When we asked them to pivot or gave them feedback, they were quick to adjust and make changes. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** There were times where we wouldn't get any candidates at all, which was discouraging. We also noticed that they would target certain companies and show multiple candidates from that company. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** We had a need to grow out our BDR team and it was great to have them as a resource to buildout a candidate pipeline. ### 9. Great talent partner end to end, and an amazing, knowledgeable, and thoughtful team! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Venture Capital & Private Equity | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 04, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** I’ve worked with CloserIQ across the board: as a candidate looking for a role, a hiring manager looking to fill out a team, and and as a partner in the ecosystem too collaborating on events and workshops. They’re dynamic and pack a punch on all of the above. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** The people are the best, but on top of that, they have amazing data, benchmarks and content to back that up, in a modern, tech-friendly approach. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** No dislikes at all - I’m glad to see they’re now recruiting beyond sales, which is where they started and what they excelled at early on. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** Hiring, compensation planning, org structure planning and more. They’re quick, efficient, knowledgeable and fun to work with on what can sometimes be a stressful or intimidating process. ### 10. CloserIQ helped us achieve our hiring goals with ease **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 09, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** Hire 3 Account Executives and 1 Account Manager in a short period of time **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** CloserIQ partnered with us to help understand the market, come up with a competitive comp structure, job description, and then pitched the role at our startup to very qualified candidates. By the time I was presented a short list of candidates, they were pre-vetted, met all qualifications, and were excited to interview for a role with my startup. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** My primary contact at CloserIQ has been promoted, so I no longer get to work with her. Her replacement has some big shoes to fill! To CloserIQ's credit, the transition was done very well. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** CloserIQ helped us staff up our AM and AE teams. We found amazing candidates and hired them quickly. ### 11. An agency providing a human and data-driven approach **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 06, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** CloserIQ assisted with the build-out of all of our business hiring while I was at Yotpo, including all tiers of sales, customer success and some marketing. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** They thoughtfully approached each role we worked on, asking a number of follow-up questions and adjusting the search as time went on. Additionally, the team has an internal system that allows them to more quickly identify relevant talent in their database: something I certainly didn't have access to when I worked in agency. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** At times, it felt as if we were receiving a HIGH BULK of candidates than HIGH CALIBER candidates. They adjusted accordingly when we provided this feedback. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** They saved us time we would have otherwise spent on sourcing. ### 12. Have worked with, and built a relationship with the CloserIQ team over the past few years. A+ team. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Financial Services | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 18, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** The CloserIQ team has always been a reliable source. Whether I was looking for a job, looking to hire people to my team, or simply needed advice, the CloserIQ team was readily available and happy to help. I'd recommend them to anyone. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** They have hired fantastic people. They look to help our however they can in any situation. They are forward thinking and have a strong pulse on the market. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** Not much. I highly recommend this group. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** I have reached out to CloserIQ to talk about my career. They have been good listeners and are willing to help. They are always one step ahead of the game. ### 13. Great Service **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Robert L. | Founding Member, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 16, 2020 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** Scaling our sales org **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** Great customer service and strong understanding of the market. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** Not a lot of downsides. They should open up more services! **Recommendations to others considering Formative Search Partners:** Make sure you get to know the firm well. They believe in long term relationships **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** Getting our team to the right size to build. ### 14. Incredible partners to an in-house startup recruiter **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Talia C. | Head of Special Projects, Marketing and Advertising, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 02, 2019 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** CloserIQ helped me hire a senior SDR in less than two weeks. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** The CloserIQ experience has been on point and impressive, specifically in regards to how hands on the account team has been. They are very well versed in both the sales hiring process and the specific traits needed in order to identify successful sellers. The platform is extremely straight forward. The best part is how intricately they listened to what a was looking for - everything from level of experience to the vertical I wanted to source from was hit. The quality of their network also appears to be extremely high with strong tech backgrounds and the inclination to work for startups. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** I would like to be able to search amongst their talent portfolio on a self service basis. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** The ability to quickly source "hand raising" talent after sending hundreds of LinkedIN DMs to passive candidates with high quality profiles. ### 15. Exceptional **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Alexandra (Lexi) K. | Volunteer, Marketing and Advertising, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 22, 2019 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** They helped me with finding a job in sales **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** The thing I liked the best was the recruiter I used named Julia Cozzette because she paved a path for me in my career. I was not sure what I really wanted and Julia was able to answer all my questions which helped realized that I wanted in a job. I also felt like I was her only client in that she responded to me very quickly and always had time for. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** I truly did not dislike anything about Closer IQ **Recommendations to others considering Formative Search Partners:** You must use them if you are looking for a job in sales or marketing **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** The problems I was solving were being unclear about my career path and I have realized my potential ### 16. Will be the first company I reach out to when I'm looking for a new job **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 11, 2019 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** I was looking for an AE or SDR role at a NYC tech startup. One that was post series B, but still had a startup vibe to it. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** I like how the CloserIQ team really listened to what I was looking for, and sent me a great list of companies that were a good fit **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** It's been a while, but I honestly can't remember any **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** Being able to bypass the annoying process of dealing with applying directly. CloserIQ has great relationships with their clients, and going through them to interview gives me a head start against other candidates ### 17. Easy to navigate **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** July 18, 2019 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** CloserIQ helps job seekers navigate the market for sales positions **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** They ask specific questions geared to helping you find what you're looking for rather than you wading through a mess of listings. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** Waiting for a response from their team is not ideal; I would rather have the option to browse what they have to offer. Also, most businesses are hiring in SF & NY which is not ideal, as I am in Austin. **What problems is Formative Search Partners solving and how is that benefiting you?** Trying to sift through the numerous listings on traditional job sites is tedious and a mess. CloserIQ cuts that all out. ### 18. Best Sales Recruiting Firm in NYC/Boston **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Ryan M. | Director of Sales, Hospital & Health Care, Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** August 09, 2018 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** CloserIQ has become an integral partner in our hiring process. We utilize great firms who put great candidates in front us. CloserIQ provides a different experience altogether. They're insightful, coordinated and proactive. They calibrate quickly and they worked closely and intently to understand our business and recruiting goals in New York City and Boston. They've been instrumental in building out our channel and inside sales teams in multiple markets. They are simply best-in-class when it comes to recruiting the A+ sales talent. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** The team at Closer IQ are professionals. They're proactive, responsive and insightful. They listen to feedback and they calibrate immediately. They're not stuck to a process. They work with you. They are a partner to your business. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** I only wish they were in more geographies. ### 19. Amazing Group of Capable Technologist and Recruiters **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Javier R. | Vice President of Sales, Internet, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 15, 2018 **Describe the project or task Formative Search Partners helped with:** Closeriq has been our outside recruiting organization for various roles including SDR, AE, and CSM. **What do you like best about Formative Search Partners?** The care and attention the team provides in addition to their tremendous knowledge of the space. **What do you dislike about Formative Search Partners?** Nothing really. Great service and team. **Recommendations to others considering Formative Search Partners:** I would highly recommend the Closeriq team for any sales hires within your growing org. - [View Formative Search Partners pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/formative-search-partners/reviews?section=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-05-30+01%3A50%3A35+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=15fef0ff-1cb9-45df-b18c-0e8c090c26d2&secure%5Btoken%5D=cc6d5895eaa61bfe8cb728ac65725b2d18e3ef975cbdc886e2977e5e35b81a2a&format=llm_user) ## Formative Search Partners Features **Planning** - Needs Assessment - Resource Allocation - Stayed within Budget - Statement of Work - Best Practices **Delivery** - Technical Expertise - Met Deadlines - Meeting Management - Project Updates - Scope Management - Roll-out **Team Quality** - Change Management Skills - Executive Presence - Vertical Expertise - Technology Partnerships ## Top Formative Search Partners Alternatives - [SecureVision](https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviews) - 4.8/5.0 (496 reviews) - [Hirewell](https://www.g2.com/products/hirewell/reviews) - 5.0/5.0 (325 reviews) - [memoryBlue](https://www.g2.com/products/memoryblue/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (307 reviews)