Most founders have a bad agency story.
A flood of CVs nobody had spoken to. A recruiter who could not explain the role back. A hire who was gone in three months.
It does not have to go that way. Here is what to check before you sign terms with anyone, us included.
1. Do they only do what you need?
Software, data and AI roles overlap on paper and differ in practice. An AI engineer, an ML engineer and a data engineer are three different hires. A Ruby on Rails engineer and a Golang engineer are not interchangeable.
Ask what they place every week. If the answer is "everything", they will struggle to tell a strong hire from a good CV.
2. How deep is the brief?
A job description does not define a role. A conversation does.
The first call tells you most of what you need to know. A specialist will ask about your stack, your stage, your team, why the last hire did or did not work, and what success looks like in six months. A generalist will ask for the JD and the salary.
If the questions are generic, the shortlist will be too.
3. Shortlists or CV volume?
Ask how many candidates you will see.
The right answer is a small number of people who have been spoken to, qualified and assessed against your brief. Not a database export.
Volume feels busy. It wastes your team's time and burns your employer brand with candidates who were never right.
4. Do their placements stick?
Anyone can fill a seat. The test is whether the person is still there and still good six months later.
Ask about interview conversion and probation pass rates. A partner who tracks these is a partner who cares about them.
5. Do they move?
Roles that drag hurt delivery. Ask for clear milestones: when you will see a first shortlist, when interviews happen, how feedback flows.
A specialist with a real network should show you a first shortlist within days for a well-defined role. Be wary of anyone who promises speed without asking about the role first.
6. Can they flex with you?
Your needs will change as you grow. Permanent hires for the core. Contract to hire when the shape of a role is still moving. Project teams for defined work. Executive search when you need a leader.
A partner who only does one of these will push every problem into that one model.
7. Who will you actually work with?
Many agencies sell with a senior person and deliver with a junior one.
Ask who runs your search day to day, and how much of the market they personally know. The relationship is the product.
A simple test
After the first call, ask yourself: did they understand the role better than when the call started?
If yes, keep talking. If not, keep looking.
About FinEx
FinEx is a specialist talent partner for Software, Data & AI, with the United States as our primary market. We send assessed shortlists only, and our founder still oversees core engagements, so you work with the person accountable for delivery.
See how we work with startups, on enterprise programmes and through executive search.