The keyword list is not the requirement
“Five years of experience with React and TypeScript” states inputs. It says nothing about whether the person will fix a flaky deployment pipeline, argue well with product, or mentor two juniors — which is usually why the role exists. The first alignment conversation turns inputs into a description of the problem the hire solves.
Four questions worth answering before anyone is contacted
What does this role need to make true within six months? Which of those is a must, which is nice, and who decides? What have previous candidates rejected you for — the real reasons, not the polite ones? What is the constraint nobody writes down: budget ceiling, team politics, an urgent milestone? An hour with those four answers changes the shape of everything after it.
A shortlist is an argument, not a list
Three CVs with no reasoning produces interviews that re-derive what a consultant already knew. Three CVs with reasoning — why this one, what to probe, where the risk sits — starts every interview from a shared frame. If a shortlist cannot be argued, it is volume dressed as service.
When the search fails, reread the brief
Weeks without a strong candidate usually mean the requirement describes a market unicorn: the seniority, the specialism and the salary that cannot coexist. Good process says so early and negotiates reality — adjust one axis, protect the others. A partner who simply promises to “keep looking” is transferring their discomfort to your calendar.