Briefing Your Recruiter – Our Step-by-Step Guide

Hiring an excellent candidate is no accident. When you are working with a recruitment agency, knowing how to brief a recruiter well means nothing is left to chance and everyone involved is clear about your expectations.

By writing a clear brief, your accounting and finance or HR recruitment partner can help you find candidates who are not just a match on skills, but who will also gel with your team and enjoy working for your company.

Think of the recruiter’s brief as a compass for identifying the best candidate for the role. To help you create clear instructions that help your recruiter get great results for you, here’s our step-by-step guide on how to brief a recruiter.

What is a Recruitment Brief?

A recruitment brief is not to be confused with the job description – although that is part of it. The aim of a recruitment brief is to give your recruiter a clear understanding of the role, your organisation and the practicalities of the hiring process.

The brief gives the recruiter the context of the position and better equips them to represent your organisation during the recruitment process. When candidates ask questions about what it is like to work in your business, a well-briefed recruiter will be able to respond appropriately.

Remember, this doesn’t need to be a long and complex document – bullet points and short paragraphs are actually better!

1. Hiring Timeline

Start by establishing a clear timeline for filling the role. Consider your ideal start date for your new team member and work backwards from that time. Think about any potential obstacles that might cause delays, including holidays or the notice period the successful candidate will need to serve. It’s wise to build in a bit of extra time to account for any unexpected setbacks, which makes for a more realistic hiring process. And don’t forget interview dates – making sure the interviewers have allocated time to meet candidates can make all the difference in a competitive market. Once you have mapped out a timeline, outline this in the brief.

2. Engage with Key Stakeholders

Any external recruiter you work with should have access to a key contact within your organisation, especially the hiring manager who is an important stakeholder in the process. If you’re not the hiring manager, we suggest introducing your recruiter to them so they can openly communicate throughout the recruitment process and address any questions that will no doubt arise.

3. The Job Description

The job description is the bedrock of every recruiter brief. As the job description is a standalone document, we always suggest including it as an attachment to the brief. Ensure you provide your recruiter with the most up-to-date job description and that it is approved by your HR team (and any other stakeholders).

Job descriptions typically include the role’s title (e.g. Finance Manager or Assistant Accountant), duties and responsibilities, working hours, location, and the salary range and perks. Also included are the key skills, experience and qualifications required for success in the role.

4. Company Overview and Why the Role Exists

Here you may include a breakdown of key information that places the role and your organisation in context.

Company Background – Include a short description of your organisation, including its history, mission and values.

Organisation Goals – Outline the company key goals and priorities, to further contextualise the role. As a guide, this could be a major project on the horizon, an exciting new product or service line, or even an internal transformation.

Industry and Market Position – You could also mention your organisation’s position within its industry, including competitors or similar organisations.

The Reason for the Role – Is the position newly created to meet the goals outlined above? Or has the vacancy arisen from a recent departure? Candidates usually ask questions about this, so be sure to address these points in the recruiter brief.

5. Workplace Culture and Values

Candidates today are much more interested in the human side of a workplace, so it’s important to accurately describe your workplace culture when writing a recruiter brief.

Think about the working environment of your organisation – is it a high-energy corporate setting where people dress to impress and work long days? Or is it more of a laid-back flexible environment, where teamwork and balance take centre stage? Do your staff bond over team lunches, look forward to casual Fridays, and celebrate birthdays together? Think about what sets you apart, or even what you love about the business!

6. Benefits and Unique Selling Points

A large part of recruitment is highlighting what makes the position and organisation appealing to potential candidates. What makes your business an attractive place to work? Highlight any benefits that are strong selling points for the role, such as flexible working arrangements, above-market salary, travel opportunities, or any other benefits. As we mentioned above, your workplace culture could also be a point of difference relative to your competitors.

7. Team Structure and Reporting Lines

It’s important to highlight who the role reports to and any team responsibility the role holds, to clarify the chain of command and collaboration within the team. It also helps to provide insight into the level of support the position will have (e.g., from peers or direct reports) and the departments or teams where there’ll be regular collaboration.

8. Outline Performance Expectations

When describing performance expectations in a recruiter brief, it’s important to be specific about the key outcomes and objectives for the role. Clearly define what success looks like, including measurable goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). This helps your recruitment partner identify candidates with the right skills who are also aligned with your expectations for achieving results.

9. Career Development Pathways

Many candidates also now want to see what the future might hold. Whilst we know you don’t always have a crystal ball (but wish you did!), you could also highlight the career development opportunities available to the successful candidate. These could include details about the skills that the candidate will develop in the position, pathways to promotion and any other avenues for professional growth, such as study support and training. If you have any examples of where others have gone after success in this position, it can also be a powerful tool to showcase development potential. 

10. Meet With Your Recruiter to Discuss the Brief

Devoting time to a recruiter brief is always a sensible investment to get the best hiring outcome. However, you don’t need to go it alone. Meeting in person allows recruiters like us to gain a unique insight into the role, your business and the outcome you’re looking for. Our team of recruitment specialists are always ready to strengthen the process by meeting you for a coffee, which can often be a time saver in the long-run!

We work with companies across the South of England from our offices in Southampton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Basingstoke and Guildford, so we’re not far away! We can help you clarify elements of your brief to prevent any ambiguity, ensuring a smooth and efficient recruitment process that ultimately matches you with the perfect candidate.

We also meet all the candidates we represent, ideally in person at one of our offices, or via video call if necessary. This helps us match candidates to your environment, especially when we’ve had the chance to visit your office and see the space firsthand. 

In addition to candidate matching, we can provide salary guidance, benchmarking, and market advice. Check out our latest salary survey for more information. We also offer temporary support, ensuring we cover all your hiring needs. 

Meeting with your recruiter helps us develop a deeper understanding of your organisation’s needs and provides you with practical insight into the hiring prospects for the position.  

Get Help from Accounting and HR Recruitment Experts

Creating an effective brief that helps you find your perfect match ensures your business gets the most out of working with a recruitment agency. Following this checklist gives recruiters like us a clear direction on how to find the very best talent for your role, and ensures your business is represented authentically.

So whether you’re looking for experienced accountants, finance experts, or savvy HR professionals, we’re here to match you with the ideal person for your team. Get in touch with us today, and let us take the strain out of your hiring process.