Give the agency what you would give an internal recruiter: the outcomes for the role, the three must-have competencies, the confirmed pay band, the interview loop and timeline, and where similar people work today. Then calibrate on real profiles within the first week and give specific written feedback on every candidate they send.
The same substance as an internal kickoff, written down. What the person must deliver in their first year. The small number of genuine requirements, separated clearly from the preferences. The confirmed compensation range and what determines a position within it. The interview loop, who is involved and how fast feedback comes back. The realistic sell: why someone good would want this role, including the honest difficulties. And the target market, meaning the kinds of companies and teams where these people work today. A job advert is not a brief, and neither is a [job description](/job-descriptions) written for a careers page. Agencies given only an advert produce shortlists assembled from keyword matching, which is what most complaints about agency quality actually describe.
Ask for three or four profiles within the first few days, before any full search begins, and respond to each with a specific yes or no and the reason. That exchange corrects more misunderstanding than an hour of briefing conversation, because it forces both sides to be concrete about the bar. Repeat once if the first pass is off target. If the second set still misses, the problem is either the brief or the agency, and it is much cheaper to find out in week one than in week six. Keep the calibration profiles and your written reasons in your own [applicant tracking system](/ats) so any recruiter picking up the search later inherits the standard.
Fast, specific feedback and honest information. Vague responses such as not quite right teach nothing and produce a repeat of the same shortlist. Say which competency was missing and what evidence you looked for. Move quickly on interviews, since agency candidates are frequently in other processes and delay loses them. Tell the agency when the specification changes or the band moves, rather than letting them keep searching for a role that no longer exists. Give them access to the hiring manager for at least one conversation. Agencies perform noticeably better for clients who treat them as an extension of the team, and that is not sentiment, it is where their effort goes when they have several searches running.
The commercial terms and the working rules, in writing. The fee structure and when it is payable. Any guarantee period and exactly what triggers it. How long a candidate introduction is credited to the agency, since that clause causes most disputes. Whether the search is exclusive and for how long. Data handling, including what happens to candidate information afterwards, which is governed by rules that vary by country. Also agree the practical rhythm: a weekly update, an agreed number of profiles by a named date, and a single point of contact on each side. Loose arrangements are fine until a candidate you already knew is introduced, and then they are not.
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