Hire with confidence

We take candidate vetting very seriously – it’s one of the core strengths of our service. Our reputation is built on delivering highly skilled, reliable candidates and a good fit for your organisation. Here are the key steps we take to ensure every candidate is thoroughly evaluated before you ever meet them:

• In-Depth Interviews: Every candidate we consider for your role goes through a comprehensive interview with our recruitment team. During this conversation (often via video or phone, sometimes in person), we dive into the candidate’s work history, achievements, and specific marketing, digital, data or creative expertise. For instance, if we vet a Digital Marketing Manager, we’ll ask about their campaign strategies, platforms they excel in, metrics from past campaigns, areas of specialism and how they led their teams. We also explore their motivations, work style, and what they’re looking for in their next role to gauge alignment with your opportunity.
• Skills and Portfolio Assessment: We review and verify the candidate’s core skills relevant to the job. This could involve discussing technical knowledge (like proficiency with SEO tools, Google Ads, marketing automation software, analytics, etc.) or reviewing portfolios of past work (such as content samples, case studies of campaigns, design/creative work for those in creative marketing roles). We might pose hypothetical scenarios or problem-solving questions to see how they apply their knowledge. In some cases, if a role requires a very specific skill, we may administer or coordinate a skills test (for example, having a copywriter complete a short writing exercise, or a digital marketer analyse a sample dataset) – we’ll inform you if we plan to use any tests as part of screening.
• Behavioural and Cultural Fit Evaluation: A candidate can have the right skills but still not fit a company’s culture or the soft-skill requirements of the role. We ask behavioural questions to understand how candidates operate in a team, handle deadlines or pressure, and interact with stakeholders. We compare their responses with the culture and environment of your workplace that you described to us. If you value collaboration and a can-do attitude, we look for those traits. If the role requires creativity and initiative, we probe for examples of those. Essentially, we act as your eyes and ears upfront, filtering for personality and values fit so that you meet candidates who will mesh well with your organisation.
• Reference Checks: Upon your request (and often as a standard for higher-level positions), we conduct reference checks on candidates we present to you. We typically contact previous employers or managers to verify employment dates and get feedback on the candidate’s performance, work ethic, and strengths/areas of improvement. These conversations help validate what we learned in interviews and can sometimes surface additional insights. We only share candidates with positive references and will relay any relevant comments from referees that give you confidence in the hire. (We handle this sensitively – references are usually checked once mutual interest is established, to respect candidate confidentiality.)
• Background Verification: If your role or company requires specific background verifications (such as academic degree verification, certifications, or even credit/criminal checks for certain positions), we can include that as part of our process. This is less commonly required in marketing roles than in some industries, but we are happy to accommodate any compliance checks you need. Just let us know your requirements, and we’ll ensure they are met before a candidate reaches the final stages.

Only after a candidate passes our multi-stage vetting do we consider adding them to the shortlist we share with you. Our philosophy is to present quality over quantity – a few great candidates rather than a flood of resumes – and our vetting process is how we achieve that. When you meet someone through Winston Rowe Recruitment, you can trust that their experience is legitimate, their skills have been validated, and they come recommended by us as a strong match for the role. This rigorous screening not only saves you time but also significantly increases the likelihood that your eventual hire will be a successful one.

Yes, we stand by the quality of our placements and offer a placement guarantee for your assurance. While our aim is always to find you a long-term, successful hire, we recognise that occasionally things don’t work out as planned. Our guarantee means that if a candidate placed through Winston Rowe Recruitment leaves your company or is let go within an agreed guarantee period (for example, within the first 3 months of their start date), we will help. Typically, under our guarantee, we will find a suitable replacement candidate at no additional charge to you, provided the circumstances meet the criteria outlined in our agreement. In practical terms, that means we would reopen the search and prioritise filling the role again as promptly as possible, without charging an extra fee for the new hire. In some cases, depending on our contract with you, an alternative like a prorated refund or credit towards a future placement might be offered, but our preferred approach is usually to refill the position, since your priority is to have the role filled successfully.

This guarantee reflects our confidence in our screening process and the candidates we recommend. We rarely have to invoke it because we work hard to get the match right the first time. However, it gives you peace of mind that we are committed to your satisfaction. You’re not on your own even after the hire is made – if any issue arises early on, we’ve got you covered. We’ll discuss the specifics of our guarantee period and terms when you engage our services, so you’ll know exactly how it works. We aim to ensure you feel fully supported and that you can hire through us with complete confidence.

Our fee structure is designed to be straightforward and results-oriented. For most standard engagements, we operate on a contingency basis – you only pay a recruitment fee after hiring a candidate we’ve introduced. There are no upfront costs to start the search, and if, for some reason, you decide not to hire any of the candidates we present, you owe nothing. We take on the risk and investment of time in the recruitment process, confident in our ability to deliver someone you’ll want to hire.

When you hire a candidate through us, our fee is typically a percentage of the candidate’s starting annual salary (the exact percentage is agreed upon in advance and outlined in our business terms). This contingency model aligns our success with yours – we’re motivated to find you the best person for the job, and to do it efficiently. All fees and terms will be discussed transparently with you immediately, so you know what to expect. There are no hidden charges, and we’re happy to answer any questions about how our fees work before we begin a partnership.

For executive-level searches or exclusive assignments, we may offer a retained search arrangement instead, which could involve a portion of the fee paid upfront for dedicated resources, with the remainder paid upon successful placement. Retained searches are typically used for senior roles like C-suite hires or when clients engage us as their sole recruiter for a position. In such cases, the fee structure and terms might differ slightly (for example, split into stages), but everything is clearly defined in our agreement beforehand.

In summary, if no hire is made, there is no fee in our standard model – this policy gives you peace of mind that engaging Winston Rowe Recruitment is a low-risk, high-reward proposition. Our ultimate goal is to add value to your hiring process, including making our business terms client-friendly and free of surprises.

The timeline can vary depending on the role and market conditions, but we understand that hiring quickly (without sacrificing quality) is often a priority. Generally, for typical marketing positions, you can expect a relatively swift turnaround:

• For mid-level roles (e.g., Marketing Manager, Digital Marketing Executive, Social Media Specialist), we often present a shortlist of strong candidates within 1 to 2 weeks of starting the search. In many cases, our clients are able to move to interviews quickly and extend an offer in the 3 to 4-week range from the start of the process. Some placements happen even faster, especially if we already have great candidates in mind.
• For highly specialised or senior roles (e.g., a rare skill set in performance marketing or a Director-level position), it might take a bit longer to find the ideal person. You might see a shortlist in 2 to 3 weeks, with the overall process taking perhaps 4 to 6 weeks to final hire, given the need for more extensive search and possibly multiple interview rounds.
• Executive searches (CMO, VP-level) can take longer, often 2 to 3 months from kickoff to accepted offer, because of the outreach and careful vetting involved. However, even in these cases, we try to provide initial candidate options as early as possible to get the ball rolling.

It’s important to note that we tailor our pace to your needs. If you have an urgent vacancy and a hard deadline (for instance, needing a maternity cover in place by next month), let us know – we will dedicate extra resources to meet your timeline. Conversely, if you want to find “the perfect fit,” we won’t rush you; we’ll continue refining our search until you’re satisfied. One advantage of our specialised focus is that we often have viable candidates in our pipeline from day one, which can dramatically speed up hiring. We also keep the process efficient by promptly communicating feedback between you and candidates, so there are no unnecessary delays. Rest assured, we share your sense of urgency and will work diligently to fill your marketing role as quickly as possible while maintaining our high standards for candidate quality.