Chapter 02. The Client Brief Before Search
How to Use This Chapter
Use this chapter before your first search. It is not about writing a polished vacancy description —
it is about translating the client's request into traits you can spot in a profile, verify on the
market, and explain to a candidate.
Remember in One Phrase
A good brief does not describe an ideal person in a vacuum. It captures the work, mandatory
traits, trade-offs, and decision speed.
| If Your Task Is | Go to Section | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Run an intake meeting | Client brief script | A set of questions before the search |
| Unpack a complex request | Complex client cases | A method for turning conflict into criteria |
| Confirm agreements in writing | Post-brief email template | Confirmation text for the team |
| Separate must-haves from noise | Requirements matrix | The basis for search and calibration |
Quick Chapter Map
1. Start with the business problem behind the role.
2. Split requirements into must-haves, nice-to-haves, signals, and noise.
3. Translate mandatory requirements into observable traits.
4. Set feedback SLAs and acceptable trade-offs.
Minimal Start
In 45 minutes, run a short brief with the client and fill in just five fields: business problem, 3
mandatory requirements, observable traits, 3 initial talent pools, and a feedback SLA. The full
copyable form is in Appendix D.1; the conversation script is in Appendix D.2.
Principle
Do not open the search tool until the role is translated into search traits. A weak brief creates
rework, vague rejections, poor candidate messages, and false conclusions about the market.
Example
Vague request: "Need a strong product manager from SaaS: senior, strategic, hands-on, data-driven."
Search-ready version: "Need a product manager who owned onboarding or activation in B2B
SaaS, worked with funnel analytics, collaborated closely with engineering and design, and ran
experiments to improve activation or retention. Profile signals: onboarding, user lifecycle,
product-led growth, self-service conversion, activation metrics."
Client Brief Script
1. What business problem should this hire solve within 6–12 months?
2. What will this person own, not merely participate in?
3. What outcomes will show the hire was successful?
4. Which three requirements are truly mandatory?
5. What can be taught after joining?
6. Which types of experience have worked well before? Which have not?
7. How would that appear in a profile?
8. What job titles might these people hold?
9. Which companies or environments train them well?
10. What trade-offs are acceptable if the market is narrow?
11. Which constraints on salary, location, flexibility, and level are fixed?
12. How quickly can you provide feedback?
Complex Client Cases and How to Resolve Them
The brief is not a formality — it is the first management checkpoint in sourcing. If agreements are
not recorded here, the problem will surface later: candidates rejected without reasons, shifting
requirements, and the recruiter blamed for a market nobody verified.
| Complex Case | What It Looks Like | Risk | What to Do |
|---|---|---|---|
| "We need a unicorn" | The client wants a rare combination: exact industry, well-known company, senior-level, hands-on, fast and cheap | The market becomes microscopic | Split requirements into mandatory and nice-to-have, show the market map, agree on one trade-off |
| "I'll know it when I see it" | No criteria; the client asks you to simply send profiles | Endless calibration without results | Ask for 3 strong and 3 weak profile examples; build an evaluation map |
| "Everything is mandatory" | Every item in the vacancy description is declared mandatory | Search is artificially narrowed | Ask: "What must the person do on day one, and what can be taught within 90 days?" |
| "We won't share the budget" | Salary is hidden even from the recruiter | Candidates drop out; the funnel is distorted | Record at least a range for internal market checks and set rules for candidate responses |
| "Feedback later" | The client reviews profiles once a week or less | Candidate loss and false conclusions about sourcing quality | Introduce an SLA: 24–48 hours for calibration profiles, 24 hours after interviews |
| "Requirements are changing" | A new criterion is added after every profile | Sourcing becomes guesswork | Keep a change log and re-confirm the brief after every significant change |
| Multiple stakeholders disagree | The hiring manager, tech lead, and HRD see the role differently | Conflicting quality bar | Run a short calibration meeting and choose one final decision owner |
| The client does not trust the market | "You are just searching poorly" | Conflict instead of partnership | Show the facts: sources, profile examples, response data, salary signals |
| Script for a difficult conversation |
1. What is mandatory for performing the job in the first 90 days.
2. What is desirable but can be offset by other experience.
3. What is a quality signal but should not block a candidate.
After this, I will check the market against 20–30 profiles and return with data:
how many relevant people were found, which requirements narrow the market, and which trade-off
would yield more candidates.
Subject: Search Brief Confirmation for [Role] Colleagues, confirming the agreements. Business problem behind the role: [1–2 sentences] Mandatory requirements: 1. [requirement + observable trait] 2. [requirement + observable trait] 3. [requirement + observable trait] Nice-to-have traits: - [trait] - [trait] Initial search hypotheses: 1. [talent pool] 2. [talent pool] 3. [talent pool] Trade-offs to test: - [location / job title / industry / level / stack] Feedback SLA: - calibration profiles: [deadline] - candidates after interviews: [deadline] If anything above is incorrect, please amend by [date/time]. I will then begin the first search iteration.
| Features for In-House Teams and Agencies | ||
| Situation | In-House Team | Hiring Agency |
| Access to the client | Usually possible to arrange regular calibration | Often limited to an account manager or HR contact |
| Budget and role value | Can dig deeper into the internal reality of the role | Need to request an honest selling brief and information-disclosure limits from the client |
| Changing requirements | Record the change log inside your ATS/CRM | Record changes in writing, otherwise the scope of service changes |
1. [talent pool]
2. [talent pool]
3. [talent pool]
Trade-offs to test:
• [location / job title / industry / level / stack]
Feedback SLA:
• calibration profiles: [deadline]
• candidates after interviews: [deadline]
If anything above is incorrect, please amend by [date/time]. I will then begin the first iteration
of the search.
Features for In-House Teams and Agencies
Situation In-House Team Hiring Agency
Access to the client Usually possible to arrange regular Often limited to an account manager or
calibration HR contact
Budget and role value Can dig deeper into the internal Need to request an honest selling brief
reality of the role and information-disclosure limits
Changing requirements Record the change log inside your Record changes in writing, otherwise
ATS/CRM the scope of service changes
| Situation | In-House Team | Hiring Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback speed | Can escalate through the hiring manager | Need to pre-agree SLAs in the client contract |
| Stakeholder conflict | Run an internal calibration meeting | Ask the client to appoint a single final decision owner |
AI Tips for This Chapter The full prompt for drafting a search brief is in Appendix G.1. Use it after the conversation, not instead of it: paste only anonymised notes, verify the output manually, and send the client a short confirmation with mandatory requirements, trade-offs, and SLAs. Requirements Matrix
| Type | What It Means | Example | How to Use It |
| Mandatory requirement | Without this the person cannot perform the role | Production data pipelines | Search for and verify with facts |
| Nice-to-have requirement | Useful but not a blocker | Exact industry | Rank but do not filter out |
| Useful signal | Indirectly increases the probability of a match | High-load environment | Prioritise |
| Noise | Sounds important but does not predict success | "Only top-tier companies" without reason | Challenge or remove |
How to Challenge Vague Requirements "When you say strategic, what decisions must the person make?" "What would a weak candidate be unable to do in practice?" "Who do you consider an example of the right level, and why?" "Would we reject someone who did this work but held a different title?" "If the exact industry is too narrow, which adjacent industry shall we test first?" How to Clarify the Role Level A candidate's level is not just years of experience. Clarify: Scale: a single function, a product area, a region, a direction, or a company-wide system. Autonomy: delivers tasks, runs projects, sets direction, or builds teams. Complexity: routine work, ambiguity, cross-functional trade-offs, or transformation. Impact: colleagues, stakeholders, senior leaders, or external representation.
Requirements Matrix
Type What It Means Example How to Use It
Mandatory requirement Without this the person Production data pipelines Search for and verify with
cannot perform the role facts
Nice-to-have requirement Useful but not a blocker Exact industry Rank but do not
filter out
Useful signal Indirectly increases the High-load environment Prioritise
probability of a match
Noise Sounds important but does "Only top-tier companies" Challenge or remove
not predict success without reason
How to Challenge Vague Requirements
"When you say strategic, what decisions must the person make?"
"What would a weak candidate be unable to do in practice?"
"Who do you consider an example of the right level, and why?"
"Would we reject someone who did this work but held a different title?"
"If the exact industry is too narrow, which adjacent industry shall we test first?"
How to Clarify the Role Level
A candidate's level is not just years of experience. Clarify:
Scale: a single function, a product area, a region, a direction, or a company-wide system.
Autonomy: delivers tasks, runs projects, sets direction, or builds teams.
Complexity: routine work, ambiguity, cross-functional trade-offs, or transformation.
Impact: colleagues, stakeholders, senior leaders, or external representation.
Consequences: what breaks if the level is too low.
Search Brief Template
Field What to Fill In
Role Name Working title and job title variants
Business Problem Why the role exists
Area of Ownership What the person will own
Mandatory Traits What must be visible in a profile
Nice-to-Have Traits What helps with prioritisation
Exclusions What not to search for
Target Companies Donor companies and adjacent companies
Target Communities Events, groups, publications, projects
First-Contact Angles Why a candidate might be interested
First-Call Questions 4–6 standardised questions
Client SLA Deadline and format for feedback
Red Flags
"We need everything at once."
"We cannot share the budget yet."
"Send profiles; we will know when we see the right one."
"Only from these three companies."
"Senior, hands-on, cheap, local, urgent, from a well-known company."
"We will give feedback when we have time."
Self-Check
If you handed the search brief to another sourcer, would they find similar candidates without
further explanation?
Key Takeaways / Where to Go Next
Take away one artefact: a search brief that another sourcer can use without verbal clarification.
If the brief is already clear, move to Chapter 3 to turn it into a candidate portrait and initial
hypotheses.
