The Calibration Test for Recruiters
Vet a recruiter by testing whether they can play back your brief and name candidates on the spot.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 88%
When choosing a recruiter or firm, Ipsen recommends a two-part live test: give them direction and ask them to recite it back (testing listening), then ask for a few candidate ideas on the spot without letting them go call around (testing calibration and real network). It surfaces whether the recruiter actually understands the role and has a genuine roster, versus sending a generic deck.
Origin
Lauren Ipsen, on how founders should evaluate a recruiter before engaging.
Core principles
- 01A recruiter's job starts with actually hearing what you're looking for
- 02Real network shows up as immediate, specific candidate ideas — not a research deck
- 03You want a dynamic calibration relationship formed before the search even opens
How to run it
- 1
Give direction, then ask them to recite it
Tell the recruiter the types of things you're looking for, then ask 'what did you take away from that, and what do you think we should be looking for?' to test their listening.
Pro tip This first question tests their ability to actually hear you — the single most important recruiter skill in her view.
- 2
Ask for candidate ideas on the spot
Right off the bat, ask who they would call tomorrow on this search — without giving them time to go phone other people in real time.
Pro tip Ask them to 'show their work' rather than sending a deck of searches that could have been done by anyone on their team.
Watch out A polished deck of past searches proves nothing about this role — insist on live, specific names.
- 3
Judge the calibration speed
Assess how quickly you can get aligned on what this profile should look like from their playback and their names.
In the wild
Ipsen contrasts a recruiter who names people they'd call tomorrow and shows their thinking with one who just sends over 'a deck of searches that could have been done by other partners or by other people on their team.'
→ The live, specific response reveals a recruiter who truly understands the role and has real network; the deck reveals neither.
Common mistakes
Accepting a generic search deck as proof of fit
A deck of prior searches could have been assembled by anyone on the team and tells you nothing about whether this recruiter understands your specific role.
Letting them go research before answering
Giving the recruiter time to call around first hides whether they actually have the network and instinct to name real candidates immediately.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders evaluating an in-house recruiter or external search firm before committing to a search
Not ideal for
Situations where you already have a long trusted relationship with a proven recruiter
From the transcript
“provide them with some direction and then see if they can recite it back to you”
“ask them for a couple candidate ideas you know don't give them time to just go call other people in real time”
“asking them to show their work rather than just sending over a deck of searches”
“that first question is testing their listening skills and their ability to actually hear what you're saying”
From the episode
Lessons from one of the world’s top executive recruiters
Lauren Ipsen (Daversa Partners, General Catalyst)