Employer buying guide

Choose a recruitment partner with a clear comparison.

Start with the hiring requirement and compare evidence against it. An agency suitable for high-volume customer support hiring may need a different team and approach for a specialist SAP or cybersecurity search. Use the same brief and questions for each supplier so the proposals are comparable.

Prepare one brief for every supplier.

Include the responsibilities, essential skills, role count, location, work model, compensation budget, interview capacity and target joining date. Explain which requirements are fixed and which can change. Ask suppliers to identify assumptions and dependencies rather than fill gaps with promises.

Relevant delivery evidence

Ask for comparable roles, work locations, hiring volumes and reporting periods. Distinguish screened profiles, offers and actual joins. Company-reported results should be identified as such; client names and references need permission.

Screening and assessment

Agree essential criteria, recruiter screening notes, interview owners, practical assessments and reference-check responsibilities. A large database or certificate list does not prove fit for the work.

Delivery plan and reporting

Ask how the shortlist will be reviewed, how feedback changes the search, and who owns offers and joining follow-up. Request a reporting cadence and stage definitions rather than an unconditional hiring promise.

Commercial terms

Compare the fee basis, invoice trigger, payment period, replacement conditions, taxes and exclusions in writing. Two percentages are not comparable if the scope and payment triggers differ.

Candidate experience and data

Ask who can access candidate information, how consent and retention are handled, and how candidates receive updates. Do not request confidential client or candidate records as a shortcut to diligence.

Service model

Permanent recruitment, contract staffing and RPO allocate different responsibilities. Confirm who employs staff, owns payroll, supplies systems and manages the recruiting team.

A simple decision record

Requirement and must-have evaluation criteria.
Evidence supplied, its date and what remains unverified.
Proposed delivery scope, dependencies and reporting.
Commercial terms and differences between proposals.
Assessment owner, decision date and agreed next step.

Score only what you can substantiate. A published ranking, a sales claim or the number of search results is not a substitute for evaluating the proposed team and scope. This guide does not rank WSNE against individual competitors or claim that one supplier is always better.

Read WSNE’s company-reported recruitment highlights · RPO versus staffing

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Editorial review: 18 October 2026.