About SolSearch
The search firm that
stayed small on purpose.
Patrick Burnell started SolSearch because he was tired of the volume game. Thirty resumes, hope three stick, collect a fee. He'd seen it done that way for years and knew there was a better way to do it.
So he built something smaller. One person, a tight roster of clients, and a simple rule: only take on work he can genuinely deliver on. That means saying no sometimes. He's fine with that.
His network is strongest on the East Coast, built through seven years of real conversations with energy professionals developing solar, BESS, and data center power projects. He knows who's exceptional. He knows who's quietly open to the right opportunity. That kind of knowledge doesn't come from a database.
If you're a candidate, Patrick won't waste your time. He gets to know you properly — what you've outgrown, what you're working towards, what a role would genuinely have to offer to be worth your while. Nothing goes anywhere without your say-so. And if he can't see a real fit, he'll tell you straight.
If you're hiring, every person Patrick puts in front of you has already had the real conversation. Motivations, timing, what it would take to get them to move. By the time you're in the room with someone, the hard questions have already been answered. No surprises.
He runs every search himself. No handoffs mid-process. If something feels off, he says so — even when that's not what you want to hear. He'd rather lose a fee than make a hire he can't stand behind.
That's the whole thing, really.
