Methodology
How we work with you to hire engineering talent
Nine stages that structure how we engage with your team, from assessing whether you're actually ready to hire through the first year of retention on the role.
The premise
Why The Hiring Readiness Framework exists
Employers often come to us already past the point where a search should have started, with a project schedule slipping and a job posting that's been live for two months with no qualified applicants. This framework is built to catch the planning gaps that cause that outcome before they cost a project timeline.
It's structured around the employer's side of the hiring relationship: what you need to have in place before a search starts, how we jointly define the role, and what happens after someone accepts an offer. It runs alongside The Grid Method, which covers our internal recruiting process; this framework is what you experience as the client.
Some employers only need the middle stages, a well-defined role with a hiring manager who knows exactly what's needed. Others need the full sequence starting with a readiness assessment because internal hiring processes, approval chains, or compensation bands aren't yet set up to move at the pace the project requires.
The stages below describe what each phase requires from your team, what we contribute, and where hiring efforts typically stall when a stage is skipped.
The framework
The 9-stage employer hiring framework
A 9-stage framework covering hiring readiness, discovery, role definition, market analysis, and retention for engineering employers.
The 9-stage employer hiring framework
- 01
Hiring Readiness
2 to 3 business days
- 02
Discovery Workshop
1 half-day session, typically within the first week
- 03
Role Definition
2 to 4 business days
- 04
Market Analysis
2 to 3 business days
- 05
Recruitment Strategy
2 to 3 business days
- 06
Candidate Delivery
Ongoing against the agreed search timeline
- 07
Interview Process
1 to 3 weeks depending on panel availability and role seniority
- 08
Offer Strategy
2 to 5 business days
- 09
Retention
First 12 months of employment
- 01
Hiring Readiness
Assess whether internal approvals, budget, and decision-making authority are actually in place to move on a hire before any search work starts, so the process doesn't stall mid-search waiting on internal sign-off.
Typical duration: 2 to 3 business days
Inputs
- Internal budget approval status
- Hiring approval chain
- Prior hiring cycle history for similar roles
Activities
- Confirm budget is approved and allocated, not just requested
- Identify every internal stakeholder who needs to sign off on a hire and their typical response time
- Review any past search for the same or similar role and what caused delays
- Flag any internal process gap, such as a missing compensation band, before it becomes a bottleneck
Outputs
- Readiness assessment
- List of internal stakeholders and expected turnaround
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- Budget approval is assumed but not confirmed, and the search stalls at offer stage waiting on finance sign-off
- A key approver isn't identified upfront and adds a week of delay when they weigh in late
- 02
Discovery Workshop
Bring the hiring manager, project lead, and any other stakeholders into one working session to align on the role's actual requirements before drafting anything.
Typical duration: 1 half-day session, typically within the first week
Inputs
- Readiness assessment
- Project schedule
- Existing team structure
Activities
- Joint working session with hiring manager and project lead
- Walk through the project scope and where this hire fits into the schedule
- Surface any disagreement between stakeholders on scope or seniority level early
- Confirm engagement type: direct hire, contract, or contract-to-hire
Outputs
- Discovery workshop notes
- Aligned stakeholder view on the role
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- Workshop is skipped in favor of an email thread, and misalignment between stakeholders surfaces mid-search
- 03
Role Definition
Translate the workshop discussion into a specific, technically precise role profile that can be used consistently across sourcing, screening, and interviewing.
Typical duration: 2 to 4 business days
Inputs
- Discovery workshop notes
- Sample technical documents relevant to the role
Activities
- Draft required technical qualifications, named platforms, codes, or systems
- Set required certifications and distinguish must-have from preferred
- Define the interview panel and each panelist's evaluation focus
- Draft the external-facing job description
Outputs
- Finalized role profile
- Job description
- Interview panel plan
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- Role profile is drafted without input from whoever will directly supervise the hire, missing day-to-day requirements
- 04
Market Analysis
Give the employer a realistic read on compensation, timeline, and candidate availability for the role as defined, before it goes live.
Typical duration: 2 to 3 business days
Inputs
- Finalized role profile
- Target compensation range
- Geographic and travel constraints
Activities
- Benchmark compensation against current market data for the discipline and region
- Assess candidate pool size for the specific certification and platform requirements
- Identify competing employers or projects likely to be recruiting from the same pool
- Present findings with a recommended timeline for filling the role
Outputs
- Market analysis report
- Recommended compensation and timeline
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- Compensation range is set internally without checking market data, and the role sits unfilled for months
- 05
Recruitment Strategy
Set the sourcing approach, channels, and messaging based on where this specific candidate pool actually is, rather than a default job posting.
Typical duration: 2 to 3 business days
Inputs
- Market analysis report
- Finalized role profile
Activities
- Choose sourcing channels appropriate to the candidate pool (direct outreach, industry associations, licensing rosters)
- Draft outreach messaging tailored to what would actually move this candidate pool
- Set the search timeline with milestone checkpoints
- Agree on communication cadence between our team and yours during the search
Outputs
- Recruitment strategy document
- Agreed search timeline and checkpoints
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- A generic job posting is used as the entire strategy for a pool that mostly consists of passive, employed candidates
- 06
Candidate Delivery
Deliver screened candidates on the agreed timeline with enough detail that your team can move directly into interviews without redundant vetting.
Typical duration: Ongoing against the agreed search timeline
Inputs
- Recruitment strategy document
- Technical and behavioral screening results
Activities
- Present shortlisted candidates with screening findings and scorecards
- Sequence delivery to match your team's interview capacity
- Flag any candidate timeline risk (competing offers, notice period) at the point of delivery
- Adjust pipeline based on your team's early feedback
Outputs
- Shortlist with screening documentation
- Delivery cadence report
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- Candidates are delivered faster than your panel can review them, and strong candidates go cold waiting on feedback
- 07
Interview Process
Run an interview process that's efficient enough to keep strong candidates engaged while still giving your team the information it needs to decide.
Typical duration: 1 to 3 weeks depending on panel availability and role seniority
Inputs
- Interview panel plan from Role Definition
- Shortlist
Activities
- Coordinate scheduling across panel members and candidate availability, including any site visit
- Prep candidates on format and what each panelist is assessing
- Collect structured feedback after each round and share it with the panel
- Identify and resolve any scheduling bottleneck before it costs a candidate
Outputs
- Interview feedback log
- Panel decision recommendation
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- Feedback isn't collected consistently across panelists, and the hiring decision is made on incomplete input
- 08
Offer Strategy
Structure and deliver an offer that reflects what was actually discussed through the process, minimizing the risk of a late renegotiation or a lost candidate to a counter-offer.
Typical duration: 2 to 5 business days
Inputs
- Panel decision
- Candidate compensation expectations confirmed during screening
Activities
- Confirm final compensation, start date, and any relocation or per-diem terms
- Draft offer letter or contract terms in coordination with your HR or project management
- Prepare a response plan in case the candidate's current employer counters
- Confirm start-date logistics against site access, badging, or licensing transfer timelines
Outputs
- Signed offer
- Confirmed start date and onboarding requirements
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- Offer terms diverge from what was discussed during screening, prompting a last-minute renegotiation
- 09
Retention
Track how the hire is performing through the first year and surface issues early enough for your team to address them, since a hire that leaves within the first year erases most of the value of the search.
Typical duration: First 12 months of employment
Inputs
- Start date confirmation
- Project or team performance expectations
Activities
- Structured check-in at 30, 60, and 90 days with both the hire and their manager
- Track any certification or training renewal needed to keep the hire compliant on an ongoing project
- Surface early performance or fit concerns directly to your team for resolution
- Review retention outcomes at the one-year mark to inform future searches
Outputs
- 30/60/90-day check-in notes
- One-year retention review
What goes wrong when this stage is rushed
- No structured check-in happens after start date, and a resolvable fit issue results in an early departure
- Certification renewals lapse mid-project because no one is tracking them post-placement
Operating principles
Rules that govern how the framework is applied
Readiness comes before sourcing
We assess whether internal approvals and budget are actually in place before committing recruiting hours to a search.
One aligned role profile, not competing versions
The Discovery Workshop exists specifically to catch disagreement between hiring manager and project lead before it costs time mid-search.
Market data sets the timeline, not internal assumptions
Compensation and timeline recommendations come from current market analysis, not an internal budget set before checking the market.
The relationship doesn't end at the offer
Structured check-ins through the first year are built into the framework, not treated as an optional add-on.
Tools
Take the framework with you
The templates we use internally, published so your team can run the same method without us.
- PDF · 12 pagesEngineering Workforce Planning GuideA planning method that treats engineering labour like a long-lead item. Maps discipline demand to project phase gates, then works backwards through search lead time, notice periods, induction and ramp.
- PDF · 14 pagesProject Staffing PlaybookHow to mobilise an engineering project team without losing the first month to onboarding friction, and how to demobilise without losing the knowledge the team built.
- PDF · 10 pagesEngineering Compensation Structure GuideA structural guide to engineering pay rather than a survey. It explains the components that move compensation so a hiring manager can build a defensible band and interpret any market figure they are shown.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Question not covered here? Ask a recruiter directly - you will get a straight technical answer, not a callback from a salesperson.
Keep going
The rest of the method
Each framework governs a different part of the hiring chain. They are designed to be read together.
- The Grid MethodA 14-stage evaluation framework, split into seven qualification stages and seven delivery-and-retention stages, engineered to deliver both speed and precision on every capital program search.
- Candidate Screening FrameworkA 12-dimension screening framework covering technical review, experience, compliance, and risk, built specifically for engineering roles.
See The Hiring Readiness Framework applied to your hardest requisition
Bring the role your team has struggled to specify. The first intake session produces a written scope decomposition and a market view, whether or not you engage us for the search.