How to buy recruitment properly
The question is not whether agencies are good or bad. That is pub-level strategy. The useful question is what work is being done, what risk is being reduced, and whether the fee matches the evidence.
Buying checklist
- What work happens before shortlist?
- Who screens candidates?
- Is the screen structured?
- Are claims verified or only candidate-declared?
- What evidence is included?
- What caveats are disclosed?
- What happens if the role changes?
- What happens if checks fail?
- What candidate data is collected and reused?
Better models
Agency, in-house, fractional, embedded, capped retained, specialist agency and verification support can all be sensible in the right context. The trick is matching the model to the actual work.
Red flags
Be wary of non-exclusive CV races, vague screening, no evidence trail, no caveats, no candidate data boundaries and fees that cannot be explained in terms of work performed.