When speaking to a recruitment partner for the first time, most hiring managers have a similar set of questions – whether they ask them straight away or not.
At Hewett Recruitment, we’ve always believed recruitment works best when it’s open, realistic and built on trust. So we’ve answered some of them for you here.
Why use a recruitment agency?
Most organisations can recruit themselves – and often do.
Where a recruitment partner adds value is in making the process more effective, less time consuming, and lower risk.
A good recruiter should help you:
Access candidates you won’t reach through adverts alone
Save time on screening and shortlisting
Navigate salary expectations and market conditions
Avoid rushed decisions when hiring pressure builds
Manage offers, counteroffers and expectations
For many of our clients, temp-to-perm recruitment plays a key role here – giving you the chance to assess someone in the role before making a long-term decision.
This approach means you’re speaking to someone who understands your market – not just matching keywords to CVs.
How do you find candidates?
We don’t rely on a single sourcing method, and we don’t rely on job boards alone.
Our approach combines:
An established local network and candidate base
Advertising across key platforms
Proactive outreach and search
Referrals and long-term candidate relationships
For industrial temporary and temp-to-perm roles, we also meet every worker face-to-face before they start. That allows us to assess reliability, attitude and motivation – as well as completing full compliance checks.
Recruitment doesn’t always go perfectly, and we plan for that.
Permanent hires are covered by a 10-week guarantee – we'll repeat the process completely free of charge
Temporary and temp-to-perm roles offer built-in flexibility
Any issues are addressed quickly and pragmatically
Our priority is to reduce risk upfront through clear briefing, honest advice and accurate representation of the role.
Why do recruiters call when we’re not hiring?
Not all recruitment conversations are reactive.
In many cases, the most valuable discussions happen before a role becomes urgent.
These early conversations help:
Identify upcoming pressure or growth
Share insight on candidate availability and pay expectations
Ensure you’re prepared when hiring needs change
So when you do need support, you’re starting from a much stronger position.
How long does recruitment usually take?
There’s no single answer, as it depends on the role, market conditions and how defined the brief is.
In general:
Temporary roles can often be filled quickly, particularly where there is an established talent pool. As quickly as later the same day, or sometimes as long as a couple of weeks for more specialist positions.
Permanent roles typically take longer, especially for specialist or senior positions as we need to accommodate more rigorous interview processes and notice periods. Dependant on interview preferences, it can be as little as a week, up to several months.
Temp-to-perm can offer a faster route to getting someone started while still allowing time to assess long-term fit.
A clear brief, realistic expectations and a responsive process will always make recruitment more efficient. We always recommend getting in touch as early as possible, so we can start scoping the market for you – even if you want to try recruiting directly for the first week or so.
Is it worth using a recruiter for just one role?
It often is – particularly if:
The role is business-critical
You don’t have time to manage the process internally
Previous attempts to recruit directly haven’t delivered the right result
Even for a single hire, having access to a wider network and market insight can make a significant difference to the outcome.
What’s the difference between contingent and exclusive recruitment?
Contingent recruitment means multiple agencies may be working on the same role, and you only pay once someone is successfully placed
Exclusive recruitment means you partner with one agency, typically with an upfront commitment, in return for a more focused and proactive search
In practice, exclusive recruitment often allows for a more thorough and consistent approach – but the right model depends on the role and your priorities.
How involved do we need to be in the recruitment process?
Recruitment tends to work best as a collaborative process.
We’ll manage the sourcing, screening and coordination, but your input is key when it comes to:
Defining what “good” looks like
Providing timely feedback
Representing your business effectively at interview stage
The strongest outcomes usually come when there’s clear communication on both sides.
Can you help shape the role or salary if we’re unsure?
Yes – this is a common starting point.
Sometimes the challenge isn’t finding candidates, it’s defining the role in a way that reflects the market. We can help by:
Sharing current salary benchmarks
Advising on candidate availability
Sense-checking job scope and expectations
A small amount of upfront alignment here often prevents delays later in the process.
A final thought
You don’t need to be actively hiring to have a useful conversation about recruitment.
Understanding what’s happening in the market – and having a relationship in place – often makes things much easier when the need does arise.
If you’d like to talk, we’ll always start by listening.
