If you were going to court, you wouldn’t pick your barrister at random.
You’d want the best one you could find. Someone who knows the law, knows the judge and knows exactly how to make your case.
Nobody in court has ever said “whoever’s free is fine.”
And yet that’s how a lot of people choose a recruiter. Whoever called first. Whoever posted the job. Whoever happened to be on LinkedIn that afternoon.
Here’s the thing. When you work with a recruiter, you’re handing someone else the microphone. They’re the one telling your story to the people who matter. Your career, your earnings and, frankly, a fair chunk of your happiness depend on how well they do it.
So it’s worth choosing carefully. Here’s what to look for.
Why Letting Someone Represent You Feels Strange
Many of the finance professionals we work with are very capable people. They run month end, manage teams, present to boards and generally have their lives well organised.
Then they start a job search and suddenly someone else is in control of the conversation. Who sees their CV. How they’re described. When they hear back.
That loss of control is uncomfortable. Which is exactly why the person you hand it to matters so much.
If you’re going to let someone represent you, pick someone who can represent you better than you could represent yourself.
1. How They Communicate With You Is How They’ll Communicate About You
This is the simplest test, and the most reliable.
Is their first message clear and thoughtful, or a generic copy and paste? Do they listen properly, or rush to pitch a role? Do they reply when they say they will?
The way a recruiter treats you is a preview of how they’ll present you to an employer. If they’re vague, slow or careless with you, assume they’ll be the same on your behalf.
2. They Know the Market. Properly.
You wouldn’t tell your surgeon how to fix your knee. And if your surgeon asked where you’d like them to cut, you’d find another surgeon.
A good finance recruiter should be the expert in their market. They should know what roles really pay, which businesses are hiring, what employers value and where your experience fits.
Crucially, they should tell you before something goes wrong, not after. Advice like “I thought that salary expectation was a bit high” is only useful if you hear it at the start.
3. They Have Real Relationships
Picture a recruiter sending a hiring manager a message: “I’ve got a great candidate for you.”
Two blue ticks. No reply.
That’s what “great candidate” sounds like without a relationship.
When a recruiter knows a client well, the client listens. They’ll meet the wildcard candidate who doesn’t quite match the job description. They’ll take a call about someone who isn’t even on the market yet. That trust works both ways: strong candidates take calls from recruiters they rate, too.
Ask a recruiter which businesses they work with regularly, and how long they’ve worked with them. The answer tells you a lot.
4. They’ll Give You Honest Feedback
Feedback isn’t always comfortable. When you’ve narrowly missed out on a role you really wanted, hearing why can sting.
But a recruiter who only tells you what you want to hear isn’t helping. Neither is one who goes quiet. The ones worth working with will tell you honestly what an employer thought, what you could do differently and whether a role is realistic.
Remember that feedback is an opinion, not a court ruling. Take what’s useful, leave what isn’t, and don’t shoot the messenger. The recruiters who tell you the truth are usually the ones getting results.
5. They Deliver
Let’s be honest. Coffee, check in texts and career chats are all lovely. But what most people want from a recruiter is simple: access to great opportunities, interviews and, ultimately, a job.
Hugs are nice. Jobs are nicer.
Look at a recruiter’s track record. What kind of roles do they place? At what level? With which businesses? Do their testimonials talk about outcomes, or just about how friendly they were?
6. The Best Recruiters Are Busy
Here’s the slightly ironic part. Good recruiters are in demand, which means they can be harder to get hold of.
It’s a bit like restaurants. The one with a table available at 8pm on a Saturday isn’t always the one you want.
So if you find a recruiter you rate, don’t give up after one unanswered email. Be persistent, be clear about what you want and make it easy for them to help you. Some of the best placements we’ve made started with someone who simply didn’t give up on getting our attention.
From the Outside, Brilliant and Average Look the Same
From the outside, a brilliant recruiter and an average one look identical. Same LinkedIn headline. Same job adverts. Same promises.
So does a pilot and someone who’s played a lot of Flight Simulator.
The difference is behind the scenes. The market insight. The standards. The diligence. How well they understand you. And, most importantly, how well they can tell your story to an employer.
A Note for Employers
Everything above applies when you’re choosing a recruitment partner too.
The best recruiters won’t just say “yep, yep, yep” and go and find you some CVs. They’ll challenge the brief, question unrealistic expectations and help you build a plan. In our experience, half the recruitment problem usually isn’t recruitment at all. It’s the plan, the expectations and the brief that changed on Tuesday.
If your recruiter never pushes back, ask yourself what you’re really paying for. And if you’d like a fresh pair of eyes on your process, our free Hire Better service is a good place to start.
Questions to Ask Before You Choose
✅ Which finance roles and levels do you specialise in?
✅ Which businesses do you work with regularly?
✅ What are you seeing in the market for someone like me?
✅ How will you present me to employers?
✅ How often will I hear from you, and how?
✅ Will you tell me if my expectations aren’t realistic?
✅ Can you share examples of similar placements?
A good recruiter will welcome these questions. An average one might find them a bit awkward.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a recruiter is a choice. Treat it like one.
Pick someone who knows your market, has real relationships, tells you the truth and delivers. Because when they pick up the phone to talk about you, you want to know they’ll do you justice.
At We Do Group, we specialise in finance and accounting recruitment across the UK, from part qualified accountants through to CFOs. We’d like to think we pass the barrister test. Get in touch and judge for yourself.
Pick your recruiter like you’d pick your barrister.
