In the rush to fill roles, many companies miss one of the most valuable opportunities in the recruiting process: asking their search partner to rate the candidate.
Data centers run on precision. You wouldn’t commission a facility without an independent test. Yet when it comes to hiring, companies often treat recruiters like a pipeline service — just send resumes, schedule interviews, and keep the flow moving. What’s lost is the recruiter’s perspective: the risks, the differentiators, and the nuances you only get from sitting across from dozens of candidates week after week.
The principle: Don’t just ask your recruiter what the candidate said. Ask them what they see.
A good recruiter will have already probed on motivations, strengths, gaps, and stakeholder relationships. But unless you explicitly ask for their assessment, you may only hear the surface-level positives: compensation alignment, availability, relevant skills. What you don’t hear are the subtler signals — the patterns in their career choices, the concerns about long-term growth, or how they compare against peers.
That’s why I encourage clients to ask simple but revealing questions, such as:
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What do you believe could limit this person’s growth in our company?
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How would you force-rank this candidate against others you’ve considered?
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What percentile would you put this individual in compared to their peers?
These questions push beyond the résumé and help ensure recruiter and client are aligned on what “great” really looks like.
In a market as competitive as data centers, where timing pressures often force quick decisions, this kind of honest, two-way exchange is critical. It strengthens the client–recruiter partnership, reduces misfires, and ensures you’re hiring with eyes wide open.
The takeaway: Don’t just see your recruiter as a source of flow. Ask them to rate the talent. Their perspective may be the difference between a good hire and the right one.
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