The recruitment playbook
How to become an agency ChatGPT names when employers ask who to use
For founders and managing directors of UK recruitment agencies, executive search firms and RPO providers.
Sector lead for recruitment at Fortitude Media
Download the playbook (PDF, 8 pages, 1.4 MB) ↗
When a hiring manager is new or the role is new to the business, the first agency names now often come from an AI assistant. This playbook shows what assistants check before they name an agency, and what to publish first.
What is inside
- The questions employers and candidates ask AI assistants
- Why a clear niche beats a list of sectors
- How to publish a salary guide assistants quote
- Which trade bodies and listings to fix first
- A ten-question scorecard for your agency
- A plan for this month and the next ninety days
Questions your buyers ask
- Asked an AI assistant
Which recruitment agencies specialise in finance roles in Leeds?
- Asked an AI assistant
Which recruitment agencies are best for fintech roles in London?
- Asked an AI assistant
Retained or contingent search for a head of sales: which is better?
- Asked an AI assistant
What is the going salary for a senior quantity surveyor in Bristol?
Three of the ten scorecard questions
- Does your homepage opening name the one or two combinations of function, sector, level and region where you place most?
- Does each niche you lead with have its own page, naming the roles you fill?
- Have you published a salary guide for your main niche as a web page, with a method, a sample size and a date?
The full scorecard, a plan for this month and the next ninety days, and the sources assistants check are in the PDF.
Questions founders ask
What is the average recruitment agency fee for a permanent hire in the UK?
Fees vary with the level of the role, the market, exclusivity and whether the search is retained or contingent. Permanent fees are most often a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary, with a rebate or replacement if the hire leaves early. A page explaining how you charge, what changes the fee and what your guarantee covers gives the assistant something accurate to quote.
Will publishing salary data upset our clients?
Rarely, if you publish ranges based on enough placements that nobody can be identified. Most clients welcome a credible benchmark, because it helps them set pay before they brief you. Say where the data comes from, how many placements sit behind it and when it was last updated.
Is it worth using a recruiter now that AI tools can screen CVs?
Yes, for roles where the best people are not applying. Screening tools sort applications that have already arrived. A good recruiter finds people who have not applied, judges fit and persuades them to move. Answer this question on your own site: what AI tools do in your process and what you do not trust them with.
Should our consultants post on LinkedIn, or should the agency?
Both, but consultants matter more. Semrush found in March 2026 that LinkedIn appears in about 11% of AI answers, articles make up 50 to 66% of LinkedIn citations, and many cited posts had only 15 to 25 reactions. A short monthly article from each consultant on their niche builds a record the agency's pages can link to.
Read the full guide
Sector guides · 13 min read
Why does ChatGPT recommend other recruitment agencies to employers?
Hiring managers now ask ChatGPT which agency to call, and candidates ask it which recruiters to trust. Here is what the assistants look for, from a stated niche to a dated salary guide.
- What does ChatGPT tell candidates about working at my firm?12 min
- Does publishing our own research help ChatGPT recommend us?13 min
- Does ChatGPT prefer newer content, and how old is too old?13 min
- Why does ChatGPT describe my firm wrongly, and how do I fix it?13 min
- How do we find out whether ChatGPT is recommending our firm?12 min
