Recruitment Process — A Guide

1. Define the role

Before you brief us, it’s worth asking: is there a chance to restructure, or to promote from within? Once you’re clear on the role, a detailed job description helps on two fronts — it gives candidates a clear picture of what they’re applying for, and it helps us generate stronger interest when we approach people directly.

2. Set a realistic timeline

Advertising a role yourself typically extends the time it takes to appoint someone by around 40–50%, compared with working alongside a specialist recruiter. Agree timescales upfront — your availability for interviews and your target start date — so we can manage candidate expectations and keep the best people engaged throughout.

3. Plan your interview approach

Decide how many stages you’ll run, who needs to be in the room, and whether you’ll take a competency-based approach, a more conversational one, or both — before interviews start, not partway through.

4. Remember it’s a two-way process
An interview isn’t just about assessing a candidate — it’s about selling the opportunity. The strongest candidates usually have more than one option on the table, so the experience you give them can be the deciding factor.

5. Check references properly
One or two recent references, ideally from a direct manager rather than a peer, are usually enough. If someone else is taking the reference on your behalf, follow up to confirm the detail — and don’t hesitate to ask a question or two of your own.

6. Manage the counter-offer risk
Once an offer is accepted, move with urgency. Stay in touch through the notice period, and get any internal sign-off (board, senior management, HR) organised early, so red tape doesn’t undo a good outcome late in the process.

7. Set the new hire up to succeed
Regular check-ins through the first 2–3 months make a real difference to retention. A new job is one of the biggest changes someone can make — a bit of extra support in the early weeks goes a long way.