Eight Questions Worth Asking a Recruiter Before You Engage

We would rather you asked us hard questions than not. Here are the ones we think are worth asking any recruiter, including us.

• Do you have an active brief for this role, or are you speculatively building a pipeline? Both are legitimate. Conflating them is not.

• Have you placed with this client before, and what happened?

• Will my CV be sent anywhere without me seeing the job first and agreeing to it?

• What is the actual salary band the client has approved, as opposed to what is advertised?

• How many people are you putting forward, and where am I in the process?

• What is the interview process, start to finish, and how long does it usually take?

• Why did the last person leave this role?

• What does the client actually consider the hardest part of this job?

On the CV question in particular

Your CV should never go anywhere without your specific agreement for that specific role. If a recruiter is vague about this, that is not a small administrative point. A CV that has already been sent by another agency can disqualify you from a role you would otherwise have got, and you will usually never find out that is what happened.

On salary

Ask what the client has approved rather than what the advert says. There is often a gap in both directions, and any recruiter with a genuine brief will know the answer.

If any of these questions produce discomfort rather than an answer, that is your answer.