Frequently Asked Questions

Longlisted.ai is a founder-led, AI-powered talent research service. We combine the speed of AI with expert human verification to deliver high-quality talent intelligence, fast.

Longlisted.ai is founded and led by Ed Mortimer. His personal, hands-on approach is a core part of our brand identity, ensuring every client engagement has a personal touch backed by a genuine passion for the outcome.

• Human Insight at the Core

  AI is powerful, but human judgement is irreplaceable. We use technology to scale what works, not replace what matters.

• Radical Transparency & Trust

  We show our work, sources and all. From fixed flat fees to clear breakdowns of what our AI does and where humans step in, we open the bonnet so you know exactly how it works.

• Speed Without Sacrificing Quality

  We move fast, but never rush. Every output is reviewed by a human, and if it's not right, it doesn't go out.

• Ethics Over Ego

  We favour our values over short-term revenue. We dramatically subsidise searches for charities, turn down work with unethical organisations, and actively work to remove bias from our process.

• Simplicity is Power

  We obsess over clean design, digestible dashboards, and frictionless delivery. Polished enough for the boardroom, clear enough for anyone to use.

• Curiosity is a Superpower

  We go one click deeper to spot the candidates others miss. That's where the value is, not in the obvious, but in the overlooked.

No. A large element of our work is mission-led. This is why we subsidise fees for charities and nonprofits. We also reserve the right to reject a brief if we do not support the organisation.

The key differences are speed, cost, and coverage.

Cost: Traditional executive search firms charge 20–30% of a candidate's salary. This not only incentivises the recruiter to push for a higher candidate salary, but means you never know what you will end up paying. That's why we operate on a transparent flat-fee basis.

Speed: You need a new executive yesterday. You'll receive a detailed, board-ready talent map as quickly as 72 hours. In the digital age, the only reason to prolong the work is to bloat your fees. You should not be waiting weeks for top quality research.

Coverage: Search firms rely on closed networks and manual research. We combine AI with human judgement to surface every relevant candidate across the internet, giving you a far more comprehensive view of the market.

A simple LinkedIn search provides raw, unverified data, often falling short of uncovering the true total addressable market. We go far beyond that. In many industries, professionals don't use LinkedIn, and even when they do, you're only seeing what they want you to see. To uncover the true total addressable market, you need to dig much deeper. Our hybrid AI-powered, human-verified model means we don't just provide a list of names, we deliver actionable intelligence and curated quality. Every list is curated and vetted by an expert human reviewer for quality and role fit, something a basic search cannot do.

Longlisted is for in-house teams, VC/PE talent leads, and search firms who need fast, accurate talent maps without the cost or delays of traditional search. If you're hiring for hard-to-fill roles and want full market visibility in days, not weeks, we're built for you.

Yes, particularly for clients like VC/PE firms or executive search agencies. We offer annual subscription packages that provide a bank of research projects for predictable, high-volume needs.

Absolutely. We are designed for discerning headhunters, in-house recruiters, and strategic hiring managers. We can act as a strategic partner to augment your team's capacity.

A talent map from Longlisted.ai is a meticulously curated longlist of verified, high-potential candidates for a specific role. It's delivered as a done-for-you interactive PDF containing a list of top candidates, strategic intelligence on salary and diversity, and a downloadable dataset. The goal is to provide clarity and confidence for your hiring decisions.

You fill out a short brief via a structured Typeform or a consultative call. Our AI and human researchers then collaborate to identify the total talent market. We deliver a verified list with insights, salary estimates, diversity stats, and more.

All you need is a clear idea of the qualities you want us to map. The more detail you share (location, salary range, key traits, benchmark candidates), the sharper and more accurate your map will be. If you don’t yet have the full picture, that’s fine too. Just tell us what you can, and we’ll craft the job description with you.

Candidates are sourced by both AI and humans. Automated tools scan the market at scale, while our researchers add targeted insight and judgement. We’re transparent about how each candidate was found, whether by AI, human, or a combination of both, and every map is reviewed by an expert headhunter to ensure accuracy and quality.

No. Our service is strictly research and intelligence. We do not contact candidates. Candidate outreach is a planned future add-on but is not part of the current offering.

It's rare, but if the candidate pool is too small or too weak, we'll be honest and tell you. We'll either expand the brief, revisit the criteria with you, or offer a refund if it's clear the search isn't viable.

Contact details are available by package:

• Market Snapshot

  includes LinkedIn profiles.

• Deep Dive

  adds verified work emails where available.

• Full Picture

  adds verified phone numbers where available.

It's 5 business days for a Market Snapshot and 3 business days for a Deep Dive or a Full Picture. Timelines assume a complete brief and timely feedback.

Market Snapshot none. Deep Dive one full revision. Full Picture unlimited reasonable revisions within 10 business days of initial delivery. Revisions must stay within the original brief.

The ideal role is a challenging, mission-critical, or senior/specialist position where the quality of the candidate pool is paramount and the risk of a bad hire is high. This includes complex, multi-faceted, or C-suite international briefs.

Our service is primarily designed for senior, specialist, or C-suite roles where the cost of a bad hire is significant. It is generally not cost-effective for junior positions.

Yes. If you don't have a full job description, we can start with a consultative call to help define the key parameters and build the brief together. We can draft the job description for you at no extra cost.

That's not a problem. A key part of our strategic intelligence deliverable is providing salary benchmarks for the role you are trying to fill, helping you to position your offer competitively.

We can incorporate your existing research, exclude names you already have, or use our process to validate your findings and identify candidates you may have missed. Just let us know.

Yes. The initial brief is where you specify all the parameters of the search, including must-have skills, experience, or other filters.

Yes, the search can be fully tailored to focus on specific sectors, job functions, or seniority levels as required by the brief.

Yes. We can include internal candidates in the overall market map to benchmark them against external talent, providing valuable competitive intelligence. Be sure to let us know in the intake form if there are specific individuals we need to include.

Yes. For recruitment agency partners, we can provide a white-labelled version of the deliverables.

While traditional hiring is often clouded by unconscious bias, our system is built to counter it. Unlike humans, our AI has no preconceived notions and with mandatory human oversight, we ensure both fairness and judgement. The result is a process that's not only faster, but more objective than anything a person could do alone.

We benchmark each role using real-world data from public filings, salary surveys, and role-specific insights. It's not guesswork. We build ranges based on tenure, geography, sector norms, and live comp data.

Yes. We are committed to GDPR best practices, including data minimisation and secure storage. We act as Controller for most processing. Where a client sends us a list to process on their instructions, we act as Processor under a Data Processing Agreement.

No. Each project is bespoke. The data and dashboard are created for a specific client brief and are not resold or repurposed. Our model is built on high-trust client relationships.

Yes, we can work with you to create an anonymised brief to protect confidentiality while still gathering the necessary market intelligence.

We handle all client data with care. Your brief is stored securely and not shared with any third parties. Our client agreements include confidentiality clauses, and for especially sensitive searches, we can anonymise company names even in the initial AI prompts.

Yes, the downloadable dataset is provided in an editable format like Google Sheets or Excel, allowing you to add your own notes and track your outreach.

Yes, the data is delivered in standard spreadsheet formats that are compatible with most Applicant Tracking Systems.

Yes. Longlisted offers subsidies of up to 70% for registered charities. Proof of registration (such as a charity number or official documentation) must be provided at the point of request.

Subsidies are intended to support mission-driven organisations with limited resources. Eligibility is determined at Longlisted’s sole discretion, meaning we reserve the right to decline or adjust the level of discount offered if we do not consider it aligned with the spirit of the subsidy (for example, large private schools or other well-resourced institutions). Many charities will qualify for the full 70%.

We operate a standard B2B invoicing model. Let us know where to send the invoice through our intake form. We request that invoices are paid within 14 days.

As a new business we are not yet VAT registered. No VAT is currently added to our prices.

Absolutely. Our service is an ideal way to build a strategic pipeline of high-potential candidates for future roles, giving you a competitive advantage when you are ready to hire.

Yes. By mapping the external market for key roles, you can benchmark internal talent and identify potential future leaders.

We provide the verified contact information and detailed bios to help you craft a personalised and compelling outreach message. We focus on giving you the intelligence. The outreach strategy is yours to own.

Yes. We design our dashboards and PDFs to be boardroom-ready. Clean, visual, and data-rich. We also offer the option of whitelabelling. We can adjust the design of the map so that you can present it as your own, or in any branding you would like. Just let us know during onboarding.

You do. Once delivered, the talent map and contact details are yours to keep, reuse, and repurpose. No extra fees, no lock-in. See our Terms for licence scope.

No. We don't do placement. Our job is to surface the strongest possible candidates fast. Whether you reach out or hire is up to you.

Orders can be cancelled for a full refund within 4 hours of confirmation. After that, work begins immediately and fees are non-refundable. If a search truly isn't viable, we will tell you and either adjust scope or refund.