👎 If your shortlist comes with hyperlinks, it’s time to rethink who you’ve hired.
I feel that in recruitment, influencing and presentation is everything.
Presenting a candidate to a client isn’t just a transactional handover, it’s an opportunity to tell a story. To paint a picture. To bridge the gap between what we saw in a candidate and what we need them to believe they will also see – a winner! And, (if you’re doing it right as a recruiter) to bring colour to a black and white CV.
Unfortunately, I spoke with two clients this week who were left scratching their heads after experiencing the complete opposite.
A Tale of Two (Disappointing) Candidate Presentations
One client was hiring a CEO. Another, a CFO. Both went with big-name executive search firms (what you’d expect to be top-tier and high-end).. But what they received felt more like a slapdash, budget ‘may have just stuck an ad on Seek’ job- board service.
Here’s what happened:
- • Each candidate presented came with a two-sentence summary.
- • The summary ended with a “Click here” link—leading to the candidate’s LinkedIn profile.
- • No phone call from the recruiter. No commentary. No essence. No colour. Beige.
To make matters worse, the search firm hadn’t even visited the client’s site. Didn’t bother to take a proper brief. Didn’t sit with the Board or the Chair. They didn’t understand the workplace culture they were selling into, or the leadership qualities the organisation needed.
Let’s call that what it is: lazy recruitment.
In another example, a client was being presented with candidates two tiers below the level the agency had been hired to recruit for. It was for a senior executive role and they were pitching Facility/Residential Manager resumes. This was from a firm that claims to specialise in care-based executive recruitment nationally.
What Great Candidate Presentation Looks Like
At P.J. Recruitment and Executive Search, we take pride in the way we present talent. Whether it’s a CEO, CFO, Clinical Lead or Interim Leader, through our labour hire services.
We don’t just drop a LinkedIn link and hope for the best. We work with belief, passion and pride in the way we operate.
Here’s how we do it:
1. Face-to-Face Where Possible
When we’ve shortlisted candidates, we often:
- • Visit the client site to present the shortlist in person.
- • Sit down beside the decision-maker and walk them through each person—not just their resume, but their motivations, character, potential, and risks.
- • Explain the ‘why’: Why this person is interested. Why this role aligns with their career. Why now. Why they are ready.
- • Present strengths. Present vulnerabilities. Present the full human.
Clients don’t want just the ‘top line’. They want to know how someone thinks, what makes them tick, how they handle adversity, and what might get in their way.
2. If Not In Person, Then Virtually, But Always Verbally
If logistics don’t allow a face-to-face meeting, we:
- • Book a dedicated time to present candidates verbally, either via Teams or on the phone.
- • Come prepared with insights, not fluff. We’ve already interviewed our candidates, reference-checked, and understood their story.
- • Use our words to bring the candidate’s potential to life. Not just their past achievements, but their future fit.
3. Written Documents That Add Value, Not Volume
Before we present verbally, we provide our clients with:
- • The candidate’s Resume.
- • A cover letter or precis, tailored to the role.
- • A summary or bullet points highlighting key traits, skills, and character.
Even for roles where time is of the essence, we make sure our documentation includes:
- • Professional history
- • Soft skills and personal style
- • Interview insights
- • Observations on culture fit and change readiness.
Why Clients Appreciate the P.J. Recruitment Approach
What do clients say they want?
- • “Tell me how they showed up.”
- • “What are they like under pressure?”
- • “Are they steady, strategic, fast-paced?”
- • “Are they curious? Are they funny?”
They want the nitty gritty. The essence. The colour.
And we give it to them.
We’ve had clients tell us:
• “You bring them to life.”
• “You help us see what they’d look like in the chair, running the team.”
• “You don’t hide the weaknesses, you help us manage them.”
When clients pay us well, they expect substance. Not hyperlinks. Not shortcuts. Recruitment is not a volume game. It’s a discernment game.
The Colourless Approach is a Costly Mistake
Here’s the truth: If you’re being presented with candidates via a link to LinkedIn and two lines of copy, you’re not being serviced, you’re being short-changed.
That’s not executive search. That’s passive database flicking.
Worse still, it suggests the agency doesn’t understand either you or the candidate. And without that understanding, how can they possibly make the right match?
The P.J. Difference
At P.J. Recruitment and Executive Search, we’re not just filling seats. We’re helping organisations build legacies.
We make it our mission to:
- • Know the roles we’re recruiting inside and out.
- • Understand your workplace culture and leadership requirements.
- • Present people as more than a set of KPIs.
- • Share both the brilliance and the bruises.
- • Add colour, nuance, and texture to the recruitment process.
If you’re spending real money on search fees, ask yourself this:
Are you getting a hyperlink… or are you getting the full picture?
Because life’s too short,and roles too important, for beige recruitment.
Looking to work with a search partner who adds colour and substance to your leadership hires? Let’s talk.
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