𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀

Your recruitment process is ready to fail if you, the organisation, haven't agreed on the work the successful candidate must deliver. When the role is unclear, the advert merely gives uncertainty a public face.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻.

One hiring manager looks for experience, another prioritises qualifications and a third expects a candidate to demonstrate capabilities that were never agreed before applications arrived. The panel may then debate different versions of the job, while candidates are assessed against criteria that shift during the process.

𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:

🏓𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 the outcomes expected in the first six months: What must the appointed person deliver, improve, establish or take responsibility for, and what evidence would show that the work has been done well?
🏓𝗦𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱, 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 the essential evidence: Distinguish the capabilities genuinely required to perform the role from preferences that may narrow the field without improving the quality of the appointment.
🏓𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱, 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 decision authority: Who owns the recruitment decision, whose advice is required, and who has the final approval? A panel can contribute different perspectives without leaving the appointment trapped in endless consultation.
🏓𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗵, 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱 the non-negotiables, including the actual working conditions, necessary qualifications, experience and any role-specific requirements that can be objectively explained and assessed.
🏓𝗙𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗵, 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 how the organisation will assess suitability before applications are reviewed: Structured interview questions, a relevant work sample, reference checks or validated assessments may contribute useful evidence, depending on the role. Each method should serve a defined purpose rather than simply add another stage.

This discipline gives recruiters a consistent basis for screening, helps interviewers assess candidates against the same requirements and makes the final recommendation easier to explain. It also gives candidates a clearer account of the role.

What Happens When the Brief Is Vague?

The consequences often appear later, when the recruiter receives applications that look impressive but do not address the organisation’s actual needs, hiring managers disagree about which candidates should proceed, or interview panels introduce new requirements halfway through the process. Each change creates uncertainty, consumes time and can undermine the consistency of the selection exercise.

A vague brief can also encourage the use of familiar but weak substitutes for evidence, such as selecting candidates because they communicate confidently, have worked for a well-known employer or resemble the person who previously held the role. None of these characteristics, on their own, establishes whether a candidate can perform the work in question. Recruitment must examine relevant capability rather than allow familiarity, personal preference or presentation to stand in for a reasoned assessment.

For employers operating in Kenya’s competitive recruitment market, these weaknesses matter commercially because management time, recruiter effort and candidate participation are all finite resources. A more deliberate briefing process gives the organisation an opportunity to identify mismatches earlier, establish a shared assessment standard and communicate the vacancy more accurately to the people it hopes to attract.

Define the Work Before You Advertise

Before approving the next vacancy, bring the hiring manager and HR or recruitment lead together to agree on the six-month outcomes, the evidence required, the decision authority, the genuine non-negotiables and the assessment method. Record those decisions in a form that can guide the advert, shortlist, interviews and final recommendation, then revisit the brief if the business requirement changes rather than allowing the criteria to shift informally during selection.

This does not guarantee that every appointment will succeed, because hiring decisions involve uncertainty and performance depends on more than the recruitment process alone. It does, however, give the organisation a clearer basis for comparing candidates and explaining why the selected person best meets the requirements that were agreed at the outset.

At Eagle HR Consultants, recruitment and executive search begin with understanding the role and the organisation’s requirements, so that the search is directed towards relevant capability rather than a loosely defined profile. A structured recruitment briefing helps employers clarify the position before committing time and resources to advertising, shortlisting and interviews.

The question to ask before your next vacancy goes live is simple: could two hiring managers read the brief and describe the same evidence of success? If they could not, the advert is not the first thing that needs rewriting.