So you've got a job you need filled, and you've chosen to work with a recruiter. Beautiful! There's more to it than just telling them you want an accountant/administrator/CEO/lawyer thought, so we wanted to share some tips and key points with you on how to properly brief a recruiter.

‍Do you have a start date?

‍What's your ideal start date? Is it negotiable? Is it realistic? Have you considered that your ideal candidate might still be working and therefore need time for a notice period?

‍Do you have approval to hire someone / use a recruiter?

‍This one is big. We couldn't tell you the amount of times a recruiter has found the perfect candidate for a job only to be told “Sorry I don't actually have approval to hire someone at this stage.”If you don't have approval, be honest and explain the situation to the recruiter.

‍Are you using other recruitment companies for the same role?

‍It's not a bad thing if you are, but recruiters need to know. There's nothing worse than calling the “perfect candidate” for a role only to find out they've already been contacted by someone else for the same position.

‍Is there a position description? Is it accurate?

‍Advertising for a role is the best time to check over a position description and make sure it's still accurate and up to date. It's also important to make sure you give that new position description to the recruiter! They can't find you the perfect person if they don't know what that looks like

…Is your salary offering fair?

‍If you're offering below market rate for a role, you're going to struggle to find the right person. You may have someone with “almost” the right skills and experience, but you're not going to find the ideal unless you're competitive with salary offering. Be clear about that with the recruiter, because they'll be able to manage expectations accordingly with potential candidates.

‍What makes you and your organisation unique?

‍Recruiters have to sell the role and your company — so tell them why someone would want to work for you. Whether it's the culture, the perks, or the experience - it all helps!