One of the things that doesn’t get talked about much in hiring is how much market insight sits in the background of a good process.
It’s not usually the headline reason someone engages a recruiter.
But it often ends up being one of the most useful parts.
A recent example
I was working with a client recently who was putting together an offer for a candidate.
They were up against a direct competitor for the same person and wanted a view on what that competing offer might look like.
We were able to give a pretty solid steer based on:
- recent offers I’ve seen
- people at a similar level in that business
- and how that competitor tends to position itself
That’s normally enough to get an offer into the right place.
In this case, it was.
What sits behind that
That kind of input doesn’t come from a single data point.
It comes from:
- seeing multiple offers across similar roles
- understanding how different businesses think about pay and positioning
- and having a sense of what actually converts candidates
It’s not exact, but it’s usually directionally very accurate.
And for most hiring decisions, that’s what you need.
Where the line sits
What came up afterwards was a request for more detail on exactly what the competitor would offer.
Which is a slightly different ask.
In reality, no one knows exactly what another business is going to offer until they actually make the offer.
What you can do is:
- triangulate from real examples
- understand how that business tends to think
- and get very close to the right level
That’s part of a good recruitment process.
When it becomes something more
There is a point where this moves beyond general insight into something more structured.
For example:
- benchmarking salaries across specific competitors
- mapping salary bandings by level and role
- understanding how different businesses position total compensation
That’s something we can absolutely do — but it’s a more defined piece of work.
It’s not just a view; it’s properly built market data.
Most of the time, you don’t need that level of detail
In most cases, a well-informed steer is enough.
You don’t need perfect information to make a good decision.
You need:
- context
- perspective
- and a realistic sense of where the market sits
That’s usually what gets an offer over the line.
Final thought
A lot of the value add in a hiring process sits slightly under the surface.
It’s not just about:
- finding candidates
- or managing interviews
It’s also about:
- understanding the market
- interpreting what’s actually going on
- and helping clients make decisions with a bit more confidence
And while a lot of that comes through naturally as part of a search but, if you need it properly broken down, structured and evidenced, that’s something we can build out as well.
