Why Your Next Hire Isn’t on Indeed

If you’ve hired in property recently, you’ll know the feeling.

You post a role. You wait. The applications roll in. Some look promising on paper, most don’t. Your inbox fills up. Your diary gets eaten alive by screening calls. Your team is stretched. And the good people you actually want? They never applied in the first place.

That’s not a knock on job boards. They have their place. But if you’re looking for the kind of hire that changes the game, the steady operator, the calm leader, the proven biller with aligned values and standards, the “I trust them with my brand” person, then the chances are they’re not scrolling adverts at 10pm.

The best candidates don’t behave like “candidates”

In our sector, the strongest people often aren’t active jobseekers.

They’re the branch manager who’s quietly holding the team together.

They’re the senior negotiator who can win an instruction through trust and reputation.

They’re the experienced lettings leader who knows how to drive standards, not just volume.

They’re the ops person who keeps compliance tight, systems moving, and the culture intact.

They might be open to moving, but only for the right reasons, and only if it’s handled discreetly.

That’s why your next hire isn’t on Indeed.

They’re in-role. They’re selective. And they will only engage when they trust the person approaching them.

Sector knowledge isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s the difference

Estate agency recruitment looks simple until you’ve lived it.

A CV won’t tell you if someone can:

Manage a difficult lister without losing them
Hold standards under pressure (not just when the market’s buoyant)
Navigate a company’s culture; corporate, independent, multi-branch, PE-backed
Handle the nuance of performance management in a people business
Balance pace with process (and still protect the brand)

That’s where sector knowledge matters.

Because a hire isn’t just about skills, it’s about fit, timing, motivation, leadership style, and whether they’ll raise the bar without destabilising the team.

My network isn’t a database, it’s years of trust

The property world is relationship-led. Great hires happen because people pick up the phone to people they trust.

My network is built on years in recruitment and in the industry, long enough to know not just who’s good, but why they’re good, what environments they thrive in, what they won’t tolerate, and what would genuinely tempt them.

That means we don’t start with a job advert and hope.

We start with the market.

We map the right talent. We approach discreetly. We have grown-up conversations. And we bring you people who aren’t actively applying anywhere but would move for the right opportunity.

Geography matters more than most people realise

Property is local. Even in a national brand, local knowledge wins.

Hiring in Guildford is not the same as hiring in Brighton.

A great performer in one patch can struggle in another if they don’t understand the price points, buyer types, commuting patterns, or the local competitors.

We don’t just “search the UK.”

We understand territories and what good looks like in that area, what packages are realistic, what competitors are doing, and where the best people are likely to be sitting.

That context saves you from expensive mismatches.

Job boards often turn hiring into a time sink

Here’s the hidden cost of advertising: your time.

Every hour spent scrolling through irrelevant applications, chasing responses, arranging first-stage calls, or politely rejecting unsuitable people is time you’re not spending:

Leading your team
Driving instructions and revenue
Improving standards and training
Working on retention
Fixing the operational bottlenecks that created the vacancy in the first place

When you hire through a specialist headhunter, you’re not paying for a CV. You’re buying back time.

You’re outsourcing the noise, so you only speak to people worth speaking to.

We don’t “post and pray”, we headhunt with precision

The way we work is simple:

We get forensic on what you actually need
Not just the job description, but the personality, the pressure points, the non-negotiables, and what success looks like in 6–12 months.
We map the market and target specific people
Competitors, adjacencies, proven performers, and the “hidden” talent that doesn’t apply to adverts.
We approach discreetly and professionally
No scattergun messaging. No lazy scripts. Proper outreach, handled with care.
We qualify deeply
Motivation, reasons for moving, leadership style, cultural fit, track record, and any risk factors before they ever hit your diary.
We manage the process like adults
Interview coordination, feedback loops, offer management, resignation risk, counter-offer strategy, the lot.

We use modern search and outreach without losing the human touch

We’re not relying on one channel, one platform, or one advert.

We use a blend of modern outreach and search capability to find, engage, and track the right people — quickly and systematically — while keeping it personal, discreet, and respectful.

That combination is what reaches the people you can’t reach through a job board.

The bottom line

If your role is:

Senior
Specialist
Confidential
Time-sensitive
Or business-critical…

…then your next hire is probably not on Indeed.

They’re already in a job. They’re quietly performing. And they’ll only move when the approach is right, the opportunity is genuine, and the conversation is handled properly.

That’s what specialist headhunting delivers.

Less noise. Less wasted time. Better hires.

And a process that protects your brand while it grows your team.