The prospect of recruiting a new manager or executive can be daunting. Recruitment for top echelon positions can be time-consuming, expensive and often even contentious when decision-makers aren’t on the proverbial same page. The big question: when and how do you best outsource this critical task to an external search partner?

Many businesses have in-house executive search capabilities, which allow them to build upon their knowledge and nurture pipelines of talent for when new hiring needs arise. But in-sourcing can go awry when there’s no clear strategy or expectations are unrealistic.

Depending on your recruitment strategy, an outside firm may be a better choice in terms of relative costs, relative output, and ease and speed of search and focus. If you choose an external search firm, follow these 13 ground rules to get the most value from the relationship and ensure that results are optimal.