Five questions to answer before you brief a recruiter

A job spec is not the same as a search brief. A spec describes a role. A brief explains what the business needs, what the market will respond to and where compromise is possible.

1. What does success look like after 90 days?

If you can describe what the right hire will have delivered in their first three months, the search becomes sharper. It also exposes whether the written role is accurate.

For example, "support commissioning on two live water sites" is more useful than "strong commissioning experience". The first phrase gives the search context and urgency.

2. Where will this person spend most of their week?

Site, office, hybrid, client visits, overnight stays and commissioning windows all matter. Engineers self-select quickly on working pattern.

Vagueness here causes late-stage withdrawals. Clarity here earns trust.

3. Is the salary or rate range real?

A range is only useful if the business is willing to hire at the top of it for the right person. If the number is aspirational, the shortlist will tell you quickly.

Good recruiters should challenge the range early and show what the market is likely to produce.

4. Who decides, and how fast?

MEICA candidates in demand rarely wait around. A process with unclear decision makers, delayed feedback or too many stages can lose strong people even when the role is attractive.

Decide the interview path before the search starts.

5. What is the real dealbreaker?

Every role has one. It might be WIMES experience, EPLAN, commissioning on live assets, an HV authorisation, a specific location or the ability to lead a team.

If everything is treated as essential, nothing is. Name the dealbreaker and the search can move with intent.