Candidate sourcing & screening

What to brief a recruiter so the shortlist matches the job

Brief a recruiter well and get a shortlist that fits. Learn what to write down, which questions they should ask, and how to spot when it's working.

A recruiter is only as useful as the signal you give them. They can't read between the lines of a vague job description or guess what 'team player' really means in your context. The trade-off is stark: spend an hour now clarifying what matters, or spend weeks wading through CVs that miss the mark. The shortlist quality hinges not on recruiter magic but on how precisely you've handed over the brief.

Most mismatches happen before the search begins. A recruiter might have access to hundreds of candidates, but they're filtering through the lens of what you've told them. If your brief is fuzzy, their interpretation of 'ideal candidate' will be too. That's not incompetence—it's the cost of ambiguity. The good recruiters don't pretend they know your business better than you do. They ask harder questions before they start.

What to write down, not just say

A brief sent over WhatsApp or mentioned in a call lives in the recruiter's notes, interpreted through their own priorities. Write it down. Not a five-page manifesto—a page, maybe two, that covers the role, the deal-breakers, and why the previous hire (if there was one) didn't work out.

Start with the role: what will this person actually do on day one? Not the vision or the long-term growth potential, but the concrete tasks. 'Manage our Shopify store and respond to customer emails' lands differently than 'head of e-commerce strategy.' Be specific about what 'success' looks like in the first three months.

Next, list the non-negotiables. Are they licence essentials—a heavy goods vehicle licence, a property practitioner's oath, a nursing registration? Be clear. A recruiter can hunt for these. But they can't retroactively acquire them, and neither can a candidate. If you need someone who can work in Python and someone else who understands compliance, say so. Don't list 'nice-to-haves' as if they're essential; recruiter time is finite, and conflating the two shrinks the pool unnecessarily.

Then tell them about the misses. 'Our last accountant had the skills but was unreachable by 9 a.m.' or 'The previous operations manager couldn't grip the WhatsApp chaos.' This isn't character assassination. It's context. A recruiter who knows what failed can screen for it—or at least ask the candidate about how they'd handle that specific challenge.

The questions they should ask back

If a recruiter takes your brief and starts searching without follow-up questions, they're not being efficient. They're being lazy. Good ones ask about team size, the person's manager, salary clarity, start date, whether remote is possible, and what the role reports to. They dig into conflict—will this hire walk into a political landmine? They ask why the vacancy exists. Backfill? Growth? Someone left? All three create different urgency and candidate profiles.

They might ask about your hiring pace, too. Can you interview within 48 hours of seeing a CV, or do you need two weeks? This shapes how recruiters present candidates—a strong person will have options, and slow feedback kills deals.

Listen to these questions. If they're asked, it means the recruiter is trying to solve for precision, not just volume. If they're absent, you've probably got someone who'll send a spray of resumes and call it service.

The metrics that prove it's working

Track what happens next. Did the first three candidates fit the role description you gave? If one person is close and two are wildly off, the brief is either unclear or the recruiter isn't reading it. Either way, loop back. Ask why they sent each person. If the answer is 'they had the experience,' they're not filtering for your specifics. If it's 'they fit your criteria but lack X, so I sent them as a backup option,' they're thinking.

The shortlist isn't an accident. It flows from what you've told the recruiter and how seriously they've engaged with it. Spend the upfront time on clarity, demand the clarifying questions, and judge the result. A clean brief and a recruiter who uses it well will save you weeks of false starts. When you're ready to find someone on Strove, start with a recruiter who proves they listen before they search.

Common questions

Should I write a formal job description or is a casual brief enough?: Write something down—even a page covering the role's day-one tasks, non-negotiables, and what didn't work last time. It's not about formality; it's about clarity. A recruiter needs something concrete to filter against, not a loose conversation.
What if the recruiter asks questions I haven't thought about?: That's a good sign. If they're asking about your hiring pace, team dynamics, or salary flexibility, they're trying to understand the full context so they don't waste time on poor fits. Detailed answers now prevent weeks of misalignment later.
How do I know if my brief was too vague?: Look at the first round of CVs. If only one out of three candidates actually match what you described, your brief probably needs sharpening or the recruiter isn't reading it carefully. Either way, loop back and tighten it.
Is it okay to ask a recruiter why they sent each candidate?: Absolutely. A recruiter who can explain their reasoning—'she has the SQL background and managed a similar team'—is filtering thoughtfully. One who says 'she had experience' is probably not reading your specifics.

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More on Candidate sourcing & screening

What to write down, not just say

The questions they should ask back

The metrics that prove it's working

Common questions

Should I write a formal job description or is a casual brief enough?

Write something down—even a page covering the role's day-one tasks, non-negotiables, and what didn't work last time. It's not about formality; it's about clarity. A recruiter needs something concrete to filter against, not a loose conversation.

What if the recruiter asks questions I haven't thought about?

That's a good sign. If they're asking about your hiring pace, team dynamics, or salary flexibility, they're trying to understand the full context so they don't waste time on poor fits. Detailed answers now prevent weeks of misalignment later.

How do I know if my brief was too vague?

Look at the first round of CVs. If only one out of three candidates actually match what you described, your brief probably needs sharpening or the recruiter isn't reading it carefully. Either way, loop back and tighten it.

Is it okay to ask a recruiter why they sent each candidate?

Absolutely. A recruiter who can explain their reasoning—'she has the SQL background and managed a similar team'—is filtering thoughtfully. One who says 'she had experience' is probably not reading your specifics.