Working with a Recruiter: Your Questions Answered

• Access to “hidden” or unadvertised jobs
• CV and portfolio advice and feedback
• Interview preparation and honest advice
• Real insight into property-sector salaries and expectations
• Someone advocating for you throughout the whole process
• Saves you time when you’re already balancing work, life and everything in between.

How do I get the best out of working with a recruiter?

Be open from the start about your goals, salary expectations, notice period, deal breakers and preferred locations. The more we understand about your situation, the better we can guide you. Clear and regular communication throughout the process is essential.

Keep your CV updated, share any changes in your circumstances and respond promptly to messages or calls. Recruitment moves quickly and maintaining momentum can make all the difference in securing the right opportunity.

Why ask about salary so early?

To make sure we’re matching you with roles that are genuinely suitable. Discussing salary early on helps avoid wasted time and ensures you’re only considered for opportunities that meet your expectations. It allows the recruiter to focus on roles that align with your requirements, rather than approaching you about positions that aren’t a realistic fit.

When will I hear back after applying?

We appreciate the time and effort that goes into submitting an application and aim to review all applications as quickly as possible. Due to the high volume we receive, we’re not always able to respond to everyone individually.

If you haven’t heard from us within seven days, please assume your application hasn’t been successful on this occasion. That said, we’ll keep your details on file and may be in touch if a more suitable opportunity comes up in the future.

What if I’m unsure about changing jobs, should I still speak to a recruiter?

Yes. You can get an honest market overview, salary benchmarks and advice without any pressure to move.

Is it worth telling a recruiter about issues in my current job?

Yes, it’s important. Understanding any frustrations, challenges, or red flags in your current role helps a recruiter avoid placing you into a similar environment. Whether it’s workload, lack of progression, culture, management style, or anything else affecting your job satisfaction, being honest allows us to filter out roles that would repeat the same problems.

The more we know about what isn’t working for you, the better we can match you with opportunities that genuinely support your career goals and wellbeing going forward.

Can a recruiter help negotiate an offer?

Definitely. Recruiters negotiate salaries, benefits and start dates every day and can handle the difficult conversations for you.

Can I work with more than one recruiter?

Yes, you can. The most important thing is transparency, always let recruiters know where you’ve already applied to avoid duplicate submissions, as this can create confusion for employers and reflect poorly on your application.

That said, there are clear advantages to working closely with one genuine specialist in your field. A recruiter who truly understands your sector is more likely to have access to the roles that suit your experience and interests and can represent you consistently and accurately in the market. It also allows them to build a deeper understanding of your goals, manage your search in a structured way and advise you more effectively.

When multiple recruiters are involved, messaging can become mixed, roles can be presented differently and you may find yourself approached about the same opportunities several times. Having one main point of contact helps streamline the process, focus on the right opportunities and keep communication clear throughout your search.

What if I’ve been rejected, can I ask for feedback?

Yes, and you should. Feedback can help you understand how you’re coming across in interviews, how your experience is being interpreted and whether there are areas to strengthen; such as how you present your skills, salary expectations, level of responsibility, or suitability for certain types of roles. This insight can be useful in refining your approach and improving your chances in future applications.

Do you recruit for property roles at all levels?

Yes. We recruit for white-collar roles across the entire property sector, supporting professionals from early-career positions through to senior, associate and director-level roles. This includes technical, managerial, strategic and operational positions across the full property lifecycle, from consultancy and planning through to development, project delivery and management.

Do you recruit UK-wide?

Yes. We recruit across the UK and Ireland, working with clients and candidates nationwide. Whilst we regularly support roles in London, the Southeast, Midlands, Northwest, Northeast, Wales and Scotland, our reach isn’t limited to specific regions. Our consultants cover defined sectors and geographical areas, allowing us to provide informed, local market insight wherever the role is based.

Do you offer salary benchmarking for my role?

Yes. We can provide up-to-date salary insights across the property sector, so that you can understand the real market rate before making a move.

Do you handle contract or fixed-term roles?

Yes. We support permanent, contract and fixed-term candidates across all property sectors.

What is the process for a referral?  

We are very grateful to receive referrals from candidates. Introduce your referral to us via: Consult@hunterdunning.co.uk . If they secure a role through Hunter Dunning and successfully complete their probation, you’ll receive a £1,000 referral bonus as a thank you. Terms & conditions can be found here.

CLIENTS

Why work with a recruiter?

Recruiters save you significant time by filtering out unsuitable applications and managing the early stages of the hiring process, allowing you to stay focused on the core responsibilities of your role. They reduce hiring risk by assessing candidates thoroughly and give you access to specialist talent, including passive candidates who aren’t actively applying, but may be the ideal fit for your team.

Working with Hunter Dunning means:

• Faster, more efficient hiring
• Higher-quality, better-matched candidates
• Accurate and up-to-date salary benchmarking
• Far fewer unsuitable CVs reaching your inbox
• Reduced internal workload for you and your team
• Access to passive candidates, not just those actively job seeking
• One dedicated point of contact managing the entire process.

What are your Terms of Business?

Your consultant will talk you through our Terms of Business in full, ensuring everything is clear from the outset. We operate on a non-financial commitment basis until your new employee starts their first day with you, giving you confidence and flexibility throughout the recruitment process.

Am I going to receive tonnes of irrelevant CVs?

Not at all. We prioritise quality over quantity and only send CVs that genuinely align with what you’re looking to achieve. If suitable candidates aren’t available, we’ll be upfront and honest rather than filling your inbox with irrelevant profiles. Our aim is to save you time, not create more work.

Who will be my contact at Hunter Dunning? Will I have to deal with lots of consultants?

You’ll have one main point of contact at Hunter Dunning. Each of our consultants specialise in a specific sector and cover a defined region of the UK/Ireland. Meaning you work with someone who genuinely understands your market, your location and the type of talent you need.

This makes communication more efficient and allows your consultant to fully understand your business, projects and skill requirements, ensuring the candidates you receive are consistently relevant.

Clear, consistent communication is essential. This includes: 

• A detailed brief that accurately reflects the role and its responsibilities
• Honest insight into your hiring needs, challenges and expectations. This protects your brand and avoids wasted time
• A realistic salary range aligned with market conditions
• Clarity on the experience, skills and cultural fit that you are looking for
• Timely feedback at each stage to help maintain momentum and keep strong candidates engaged.

Do recruiters just want to fill roles quickly?

No. Good recruiters prioritise long-term success over speed. A poor hire helps nobody, not the employer, not the candidate and not the recruiter.

Whilst timelines matter, a good recruiter will work with you to agree on a realistic hiring timescale and plan the process properly. Agreeing expectations early, aligning deadlines and maintaining momentum, ensures the search is both efficient and thorough, resulting in a hire that stays and succeeds.

What if I’m not sure what level of candidate I need? 

A recruiter can help you determine this. Using market insight, knowledge of similar roles they’ve filled and experience working with other clients, they can advise on the level of candidate that best suits your workload, budget and long-term objectives. Whether you need someone more junior, mid-level or senior, a recruiter can guide you toward the right fit for your team.

How honest should you be about challenges?

Very. The right candidates don’t mind challenges, what they dislike are surprises. Being upfront about workload, pressures, expectations, or any known issues helps ensure the people you hire understand exactly what they’re walking into. When a role turns out to be different from what was discussed at interview, retention drops. Honesty from the outset leads to better matches and longer-lasting hires.

Can I use multiple recruiters?

You can, although it can sometimes complicate the hiring process. Using several recruiters at once can lead to duplicated CVs, mixed messages in the market and a less coordinated approach. When the same role is advertised through multiple agencies, it can also affect how the opportunity is perceived by candidates.

Many clients choose to work with one trusted specialist, or at most two, to keep the search focused and consistent. A single recruiter ensures your employer brand is represented clearly, your messaging remains aligned and candidates receive a unified understanding of the role. It also allows the recruiter to manage the process properly, prioritise quality over speed and present your opportunity in the strongest possible way.

Why are some roles harder to fill?

Some skill sets are naturally in short supply due to market demand, specialist qualifications, or the level of experience required. A recruiter can explain why a particular role is challenging using up-to-date market insight and advise on how to improve its appeal, whether that’s reviewing salary, offering flexibility, refining the brief, or helping you clearly define your EVP (Employee Value Proposition).

What if hiring takes longer than expected?

Good candidates move quickly, so delays can increase the risk of losing them. A recruiter will help keep candidates engaged, manage expectations and minimise the chance of dropouts. The best approach is clear communication from the start.

Agreeing realistic timelines in advance, being mindful of your availability for interviews and ensuring key decision makers are aligned and accessible. When everyone is prepared, the process stays on track and strong candidates remain committed.

How much interview feedback should I give?

Even 10–15 minutes of honest feedback can significantly refine the search and save time in the long run. It helps the recruiter understand what worked, what didn’t and what to prioritise moving forward.

Candidates also value constructive feedback. It shows respect for their time, leaves them with a positive impression of your organisation and helps create a strong, professional experience of your recruitment process, even when a candidate isn’t the right fit.

Do you offer retained and exclusive recruitment? 

Yes. We provide both retained and exclusive recruitment solutions, which work particularly well for confidential searches, business-critical positions and hard-to-fill roles within the property sector. These options allow us to deliver a more focused, proactive and tailored search. You can learn more about the different recruitment models we offer on our home page under ‘solutions’.

What recruitment solutions do you offer? 

We support all hiring models, including permanent, fixed-term, freelance and day-rate contract positions. Alongside this, we offer a range of tailored recruitment solutions to suit different hiring needs, including:

• Contingent recruitment services
• Exclusive projects
• International recruitment
• RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing)
• Retained search (for confidential, specialist or business-critical roles)

You can explore each of these options in more detail on the Hunter Dunning home page, under ‘solutions’ to help identify the right approach for your organisation.

Do you understand ARB, RIBA, RTPI and RICS requirements? 

Yes. We work closely with professionals across the property and built environment sectors and understand the accreditation standards and membership requirements of bodies such as ARB, RIBA, RTPI and RICS. We also recognise a wide range of other industry accreditations, including CIOB, CIAT, MCIAT, APM, BCS, FPA and MRICS, to name just a few.

These examples reflect only a handful of the qualifications we are familiar with, ensuring we understand the competencies and professional expectations behind each accreditation when matching candidates to roles.

GENERAL FAQs

Why Hunter Dunning?

With over 20 years of specialist experience in property recruitment, Hunter Dunning is built on the values of trust, encouragement, commitment and knowledge.

We focus on quality over quantity, taking the time to understand your needs properly, whether you’re hiring, or exploring your next career move. Our deep sector knowledge and long-standing relationships across the property industry allow us to offer honest advice, clear communication and a truly consultative service.

For both clients and candidates, our aim is to provide an exceptional recruitment experience built on transparency, integrity and expertise.

Can recruiters assess cultural fit?

Yes. A good recruiter takes time to understand the personalities, working styles and team culture within an organisation, alongside its values, ways of working and EVP (Employee Value Proposition).

For clients, this means candidates are assessed not just on technical ability, but on how well they’re likely to integrate into the team, reducing the risk of poor hires and improving retention.

For candidates, it means being introduced to environments that genuinely align with how they work and what they value.

When both sides are understood properly, recruitment becomes more accurate, more efficient and far more likely to result in a long-term, successful hire.

Is using a recruiter worth it?

Yes. Working with a genuine specialist adds real value, especially someone who understands your market, the roles within it and the challenges you’re navigating.

For candidates, it means tailored support, clearer guidance and access to more opportunities.

For clients, it leads to stronger hires, reduced pressure on internal teams and a more efficient, well-managed recruitment process from start to finish.

What if I’ve had a bad experience with a recruiter before?

Not all recruiters work the same way and a poor experience doesn’t mean the process can’t work well for you. A good recruiter will clearly explain their approach, agree expectations upfront and communicate openly throughout.

Sharing what’s worked well for you in the past helps us understand how you prefer to work, set the right expectations and tailor the process accordingly. When those preferences are clear, the experience is far more likely to be positive and productive.

How does Hunter Dunning handle confidentiality and GDPR? 

We follow strict GDPR procedures to ensure all personal data is managed securely and in line with current legislation. Your information is never shared without your permission and every application is handled with complete confidentiality. We treat both client and candidate data with the highest level of care, protecting your privacy at every stage of the recruitment process.

Sectors Hunter Dunning Recruit For: 

• Architecture, Landscape & Urban Design

• CDM/Health & Safety

• Sales & Customer Care

• Engineering

• Technical & Design Management

• Fire Engineering & Fire Safety

• Interior Design

• Land, Planning & Development

• Property Management & Facilities Management

• Site Inspection & Quality Management

• Surveying & Project Management

• Site Management

• Quantity Surveying

• Other Support Roles Within the Property Sector – Including; Administration, Marketing, Personal Assistants and more.

Our business is structured so every sector is managed by consultants who understand their field. We stay up to date with professional standards, market trends and qualification requirements, ensuring accurate, informed guidance throughout your search or hiring process.

Ready to take the next step?

Contact our team at consult@hunterdunning.co.uk or call 01243 779789.

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