News and Insights

Most hiring decisions feel right at the point they’re made. The CV stacks up. The interview is smooth. References confirm what you already want to believe. On paper, everything looks sound. And yet months later, sometimes much later, it becomes clear the hire isn’t delivering what the business truly needs. By that stage, the cost is no longer theoretical. A failed hire typically costs between two and three-and-a-half times salary, depending on how long it takes to recognise the issue. That figure includes lost productivity, disruption to teams, re-hiring costs and the opportunity cost of momentum lost while the role underperforms

For junior and middle-grade posts, recruitment runs on scale. Job boards generate volume. Hundreds of applications arrive quickly. Shortlisting is compressed into limited time windows. Panels rely on fast signals to make decisions. This approach works when candidates are actively applying. At consultant level, it fails.

Finding business-critical talent in today’s market can feel like trying to hire someone who is already happily employed, slightly sceptical, and very aware of their options. That is because… they are.