FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Pre-Recruiting
Answered briefly, with no sales intent. The terms are covered at length in the glossary and the differentiation page.
What is Pre-Recruiting?
The invisible phase before the search for candidates, where it is decided whether a key role will still fit in two years. It comes before recruiting and is what makes recruiting work in the first place.
Is Pre-Recruiting just another word for briefing?
No. A briefing is an outcome of Pre-Recruiting, not the term for it. Pre-Recruiting covers clarifying the purpose, bottleneck and success criteria of a role. The documented briefing is one of the results.
How does it differ from active sourcing or executive search?
Active sourcing and executive search are ways of searching. They assume the role is already defined. Pre-Recruiting comes before them and supplies exactly that definition.
Is it the same as pre-hire assessment?
No. A pre-hire assessment tests candidates. Pre-Recruiting clarifies the role, not the person, and happens before there are any applications at all.
Who does Pre-Recruiting pay off for?
For key and leadership roles where a wrong hire becomes expensive. The greater a role's impact and the less clear its shape, the more the phase before it carries.
When in the process does Pre-Recruiting happen?
Before the posting. First the role is built, then the search begins.
Who coined the term?
Michael von Hirschfeld, Pre-Recruiting pioneer and creator of the HIHB method, set the term and documented the practice across more than 200 mandates.
Where do I learn the method behind it?
The fully developed method behind Pre-Recruiting is HIHB, the High-Impact Hiring Blueprint. It is described at hihb.io.