HIRING PLANNING · 4 min read

Before you hire: five questions to answer internally

DS Recruitment Solutions · 10 November 2026

A useful hiring brief starts with agreement inside the business. Before advertising a role or asking a recruiter to begin, work through these five questions with the people who will approve and manage the hire.

1. What problem are we hiring this person to solve?

Be specific about the work that needs an owner. Is this a replacement, additional capacity or a new capability? What should be different three to six months after the person joins?

Turn that answer into a small set of outcomes. Use them to shape the role description and interview questions. If the team cannot agree on the outcomes, resolve that before sourcing.

2. Which capabilities are essential?

Identify the skills the person must bring and the evidence that would demonstrate them. Separate these from preferences and capabilities you can help them develop.

Ask whether an applicant could meet the need through a different industry or role background. Keep the assessment focused on the work rather than making a previous title the only route into consideration.

3. What offer and working arrangement are approved?

Confirm the salary range, relevant benefits, location, work arrangement and any travel or working-hour requirements. Identify who can approve an exception and what would justify one.

Share confirmed information with your recruiter. If a detail is still under discussion, say so clearly. Review the relationship between the budget, scope and experience you are requesting.

4. Who assesses, decides and communicates?

List the interview stages, the purpose of each stage and the people involved. Decide who owns the final hiring decision, who signs off the offer and who keeps candidates informed.

Agree a consistent set of job-relevant criteria. Give interviewers a way to record evidence against those criteria so feedback goes beyond whether someone “felt right.”

5. When do we need someone, and are we ready for them?

Distinguish the desired start date from a realistic hiring timeline. Allow for sourcing, assessments, approvals and the successful candidate's notice period. Tell your recruiter where the deadline is firm and where there is flexibility.

Check the onboarding plan too: who will manage the person, what access or equipment they need and what support will help them get started?