While working through a recent ATS workshop with clients, I found myself asking a question I don’t hear voiced often, but see reflected in almost every conversation:
Is recruitment finally being judged on thinking, rather than activity?
Recruitment hasn’t suddenly become broken. But the way clients should judge value has changed.
For years, success was defined by visible activity:
Speed to shortlist
Volume of CVs
Responsiveness
I’ve worked to client-driven SLAs demanding five CVs within 48 hours. The question I always want to ask is simple: why?
Don’t get me wrong, that’s all still important. But in today’s market, it’s no longer enough. As hiring slows and confidence tightens, clients care less about how busy their suppliers are, and far more about whether they’re helping make better decisions.
A market that’s forcing better judgement
UK hiring activity softened through late 2024 and into 2025, with permanent placements declining and candidate availability rising, driven largely by restructuring and redundancies. This trend is well documented across multiple labour market reports, including analysis referenced by the CIPD.
The CIPD described UK hiring intentions as being at an “unprecedented low” outside of the pandemic, while simultaneously noting that recruitment pressures were easing. Professional services firms such as KPMG have highlighted a shift away from growth-at-all-costs hiring toward controlled, value-led workforce decisions.
When hiring slows, tolerance for waste disappears. That’s when recruitment stops being about speed alone and starts being about certainty.
Speed hasn’t gone away; it’s just hygiene now
Speed still matters. Slow processes cost candidates, delayed feedback results in rejected offers, and stalled approvals leave roles open.
But speed has become hygiene, not differentiation. According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends:
89% of talent leaders say quality of hire will become more important
Only 25% feel highly confident they can measure it
That gap is where consultative recruitment partners earn their keep.
Why CV-led delivery no longer defines value
CV-led delivery still matters. You still need suppliers who can find talent, screen properly, and move quickly.
But CV delivery alone no longer answers the questions clients are really asking:
Is this role defined correctly?
Are we paying the right salary for the outcome we want?
What trade-offs are we making — consciously or not?
What’s the risk of getting this wrong?
Clients don’t just want candidates. They want decision support. This is why recruitment value is shifting from execution toward advisory capability.
What clients actually care about from suppliers right now
Labour market intelligence, not optimism
Clients want partners who can say:
“Here’s what the market looks like.”
“Here’s what’s realistic.”
“Here are three viable routes — and the cost of each.”
Honesty early beats excuses later.
Better decision design (because most hiring issues aren’t sourcing issues)
Many failed hires aren’t caused by a lack of candidates —they’re caused by:
Poorly calibrated briefs
Unclear success criteria
Inconsistent interviews
Too many stakeholders
Slow or subjective decision-making
Consultative partners add value by improving the system:
Success profiles instead of vague job specs
Structured interviews and scorecards
Skills-based assessment
Genuinely calibrated shortlists
LinkedIn research shows that organisations using skills-based hiring approaches are significantly more likely to make quality hires, a key reason it’s central to talent strategy today.
Candidate experience as brand protection - Candidates don’t separate the employer from the process. Disorganised scheduling, inconsistent messaging, and slow feedback don’t just lose candidates — they leak into Glassdoor reviews, LinkedIn posts, and informal networks.
Capacity constraints are real — even with more applicants - Many TA teams are stretched thin — managing approvals, internal mobility, employer branding, DEI commitments, and technology change all at once. This creates space for external partners who can absorb complexity, not just send CVs.
RPO isn’t replacing traditional recruitment, but it’s growing
Research from the RPO Association with Lighthouse Research found:
56% of employers struggle to forecast hiring demand
Demand for AI-enabled recruitment capability is increasing
Many organisations are reassessing supplier models
Clients want fewer moving parts, clearer ownership, and more predictable outcomes.
What clients should focus on when selecting recruitment partners in 2026
Will they tell you the uncomfortable truth early?
Do they bring evidence, not opinions?
Can they improve how decisions are made?
Will they protect your brand through disciplined process?
Can they define and measure outcomes?
Bottom line
CV-led delivery still matters; it’s part of the job. But in today’s market, partnership is what determines value.
The most trusted recruitment partners aren’t judged by how many CVs they send they’re judged by how much risk they remove and how much clarity they create.
If your supplier’s value proposition is still “we’ll send lots of CVs quickly,” don’t be surprised if you spend the next six months fixing the outcome.