If permanent recruitment is on your agenda in 2026, what’s the step you see most often being rushed: the success profile, the evaluation, or the closing phase? We’d love to hear your thoughts.
A “great interview” is a good start, but it doesn’t always tell you how someone will perform, work with others, or settle in over time. In permanent recruitment, the tricky parts are usually the quiet ones: culture fit, daily work habits, consistency, and doing the right checks early. Our permanent recruitment experts at AGR Consultancy explain what you need to know.
A clear permanent recruitment structure helps turn a strong first impression into a confident hiring decision.
Here’s a plan recruiters can follow:
1.Agree the success profile
Start by aligning on what a “good candidate” looks like in this role. Cover qualifications (education, experience, skills), but also be clear on culture, values and the personal traits that matter for the team and work environment.
2. Short first interviews
Keep the first conversations short. The aim is to quickly confirm background, motivation, expectations, and a basic fit, and decide who to move forward with.
3. In-depth candidate evaluation
This is where you reduce risk and avoid surprises. Personality assessments and cognitive testing, reference checks, and other relevant background checks add another layer beyond the interview.
4. Final selection & signing the contract
When you’ve chosen your candidate, the next step is to shape the offer, align key details, and keep a close, steady dialogue through the signing of the employment agreement. Move quickly where you can — and stay consistent in your communication, so the candidate feels informed and looked after right up to day one.
5. Onboarding handover
A strong hire still needs a great start. A clear handover and early follow-up help both the hiring manager and the new hire settle in faster and build momentum in the first weeks.
When to use a recruitment partner
Recruiters can run the process in-house or bring in support from a recruitment agency that has tested thousands of candidates and built solid benchmarks across similar roles. An agency also adds active search: mapping the market, reaching out to relevant profiles, and not only relying on applicants.