Getting through a first interview set up by a Rec to Rec means a recruitment business liked what it heard. The second stage checks whether your numbers and your plan add up. You know hiring from the other side of the desk, but a rec to rec interview at second stage has habits of its own. Here’s what usually happens, and how to get ready.
How a Rec to Rec second interview usually works
A Rec to Rec is a recruiter that places recruiters. It puts you forward, arranges the interviews and passes messages both ways, but the hiring decision belongs to the agency you’re meeting. If the model is new to you, it’s worth reading up on what a Rec to Rec company does first.
Between stages, your consultant should pass on the client’s feedback. Use it. It’s often the clearest sign of what the second conversation will focus on, whether that’s your billing, your market knowledge or how you’d fit the team.
Who you’ll meet this time
A first interview is often with a team leader or branch manager. The second tends to move up the business, to a director or the owner of a smaller agency, and you might meet someone from the team too.
A manager usually wants to know you can run a desk from day one. A director is often thinking about whether you’ll still be there, and still billing, well down the line. Ask your consultant who’ll be in the room and what each person cares about, then prepare for those people.
Your billing figures will come up
Expect to talk about the money you’ve brought in, whether that’s fees, placements, contractors on the books or performance against target. Be ready with the context: whether you inherited the desk or built it, whether your market moved, and how much was perm or contract.
Be honest and consistent. A director who has hired plenty of recruiters is likely to spot a number that’s been rounded up. Keep client names and anything commercially sensitive about your current employer to yourself. You can explain the shape of your desk without handing over a client list.
What to bring if they ask for a desk plan
Some agencies ask for a desk plan or business plan at second stage, particularly for senior roles or a new market. Confirm what they want and who’ll be watching before you build it.
A good plan is specific. It covers the market you’d work, the kinds of clients you’d target, how you’d find candidates and what you’d expect to achieve in your first few months. Keep forecasts realistic and show your working. If your current contract restricts who you can approach after you leave, check what it says, plan around it and be open about it. A plan that depends on bringing your current employer’s clients with you may not hold up.
Questions they’re likely to ask
Expect questions that test how you work. Who would you call on your first morning? How do you win a new client? Tell them about a placement that fell through and what you did next. Why are you leaving, and why this agency over the others you’re talking to?
Your answers from the first interview may be quoted back to you, so re-read your notes and be ready to go further. The wider advice on how to prepare for a second interview applies here too.
What a Rec to Rec can and can’t tell you
Your consultant can usually tell you about the format, the people, the culture, the package and what the client said after round one.
They can’t decide for the client, and won’t always know how you compare with other candidates. If a process drags on without a clear reason, or the details of the role keep changing, that’s one of the red flags worth noticing, and it’s fair to raise it with your consultant.
Questions worth asking the agency
Use the time to check the agency too. Ask how commission is calculated and paid, whether there’s a threshold, and what happens to it if you leave. Ask what support comes with the desk, how targets are set and how long people tend to stay.
A strong basic paired with an unclear commission scheme can be a worse deal than it looks.
Final Thoughts
A rec to rec interview at second stage tends to be more practical than the first. Know who you’re meeting, have your figures and their context ready, prepare a plan if one’s asked for, and get everything you can from your consultant. Then make sure the agency is right for you as well.
Thinking about your next move in recruitment? Get in touch with Recruiting Talent.