How to brief a staffing firm so the first shortlist is the right one

Most staffing requests look the same. A job title, a list of fifteen technologies, a number of years, and the word urgent. From that we could send a stack of resumes within the hour. They would match every keyword and half of them would be wrong, because nothing in the request says what the person is for.

A better brief takes twenty minutes on the phone. These are the five things we ask.

What will this person have delivered in 90 days?

Not their responsibilities. The outcome. The tenant is migrated. The reporting backlog is cleared. The new team lead is running the standup without help. This single answer tells a recruiter more than the whole job description, because it reveals whether you need someone who builds, someone who fixes, or someone who keeps things running. Those are three different people with the same title.

Which two skills are not negotiable?

Two. If the list has ten, it has none, because no candidate has all ten and we are left guessing which ones you meant. Tell us the two that would make you end an interview early if they were missing. The rest we treat as preferences and will tell you where each candidate stands on them.

Who do they work for, and with?

A senior architect who will report to a hands on director behaves differently from one who will be left alone for a quarter. Team size, time zones, whether the manager is technical, how decisions get made. Good candidates ask about all of it, and they judge the role by how quickly they get a straight answer.

What can you really pay?

We understand why people hold this back. It does not help. If the range is below the market, we will say so on the first call and you can decide whether to change the range or the requirements. Finding out after three weeks of interviews wastes everybody's time, and it costs you the candidate you liked.

How fast can you decide?

This one loses more good hires than money does. Strong people are usually in two or three conversations at once. If your process is four rounds across a month, plan to lose your first choice. Before the search starts, block the interview times, name the person with the final say, and agree what would make it a yes.

What you should expect back

A short list. Three people, sometimes two, each with a note on why they fit the outcome and where they do not fit the wish list. If a firm sends you fifteen resumes, it has passed the screening on to you, which is the job you were paying to avoid.

You should also expect to be told when the brief is unrealistic. That is an awkward conversation and it is worth more than any number of resumes.

Where X-Axis fits

We staff contract and permanent technology roles in the United States and Canada. Every shortlist is screened by someone who has done the work. How our staffing works.