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Specify Consulting

Building you the perfect team

Find the perfect match for your team now

Specify specialises in finding top talent for leading brands within the Design and Building sector.

With over 15 years of experience, our recruitment services are designed to meet the needs of businesses in this sector. This enables us to source the best candidates that are the perfect fit for you and your business.
SUBMIT A ROLE BRIEF

How a search runs

Five stages, one owner, from the first brief to the day your hire is settled.
Assignment Spec
We draft the brief, company, role, success measures.
Build the pool
Network, headhunting and targeted search across the sector.
Screen & shortlist
Five gates. You receive a written report and recorded interview on every shortlisted candidate.
Interview & Land
We coordinate interviews, references, offer and resignation shepherding.
Post-placement
Check-ins at weeks 1, 6 and 12, guarantee-backed.
You interview from insight, not a blank page. Every candidate arrives with a full written report.

How a search runs

Five stages, one owner, from the first brief to the day your hire is settled.
Assignment Spec
We draft the brief, company, role, success measures.
Build the pool
Network, headhunting and targeted search across the sector.
Screen & shortlist
Five gates. You receive a written report and recorded interview on every shortlisted candidate.
Interview & Land
We coordinate interviews, references, offer and resignation shepherding.
Post-placement
Check-ins at weeks 1, 6 and 12, guarantee-backed.
You interview from insight, not a blank page. Every candidate arrives with a full written report.

Companies we have helped

What our clients say

Our team are committed to exceptional service. Every client and candidate is given the attention and support required to find the perfect match
The Local Project

“Recruitment is about far more than filling a position. With Specify, we found a trusted partner who genuinely understands our business, consistently delivers exceptional people, and is always there to offer honest advice when we need it. That relationship has been invaluable as we’ve continued to grow.”

Aimee O’Keefe
The Local Project

“The best thing from using Specify Consulting is the quality of candidates that come through have certainly helped by narrowing the field down. Sometimes I post job adverts myself and you get 60 or 80 applications and then you call 10 or 15 people and then people show up and people don’t show up has actually been one of the big issues I’ve had. So probably the qualifying of leads has been super important.”

Justin de Steiger
Director, Classic with a Twist

“In using Specify, they go beyond their job description. So understanding us, our business and in understanding the challenges but also being able to be credible and persuasive. Specify generally believes that this can be a great opportunity for candidates and the result is great. It’s been a very great experience.”

Anton Bourtsev
Director, Kaolin Tiles

What truly matters in a hire.

Five things have to go right. Most agencies only sell you the first two. We own the outcome, not just the introduction.

1

Define the role properly

A sharp assignment spec. Company, position, success measures. Vague briefs make bad hires.

2

Reach the people you can't

The best candidates aren’t applying. We know them, and they take our calls.

3

See beyond the CV

Structured interviews, verification and assessment, fit that’s proven, not guessed.

4

Land them well

Offer, resignation and counter-offer shepherding, where good hires are most often lost.

5

Keep them

Post-placement care and structured check-ins, backed by our replacement guarantee.

How we screen

Five things have to go right. Most agencies only sell you the first two. We own the outcome, not just the introduction.

STRUCTURED VIDEO INTERVIEW

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Competency-based first round. Every candidate assessed against the same criteria, not gut feel.

PSYCHOMETRIC & BEHAVIOURAL

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Objective insight into working style, motivation, grit and team fit.

TECHNICAL & COMPETENCY CHECK

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Role-specific screening against your assignment brief, capability confirmed, not assumed.

REFERENCE & SOCIAL VERIFICATION

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Direct referee checks plus a social and background review, nothing you learn after the offer.

CANDIDATE SUPPORT & SHORTLIST PACK

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Every shortlisted candidate arrives with a written career history and assessment summary.
The result: better-matched hires, fewer surprises, people who stay, backed by our placement guarantee.

Three ways to run a search.

Our fees are published. Most clients choose Retained Exclusive, and it is the lowest rate we charge.

Swipe to see all options


Contingent

MOST CHOSEN

Retained Exclusive

Retained Executive

FEE

18% of total remuneration

16% of total remuneration

17% of total remuneration

TO COMMENCE

Nil

30% retainer, credited in full against the fee

50% retainer, credited in full against the fee

EXCLUSIVITY

NONE

12 weeks

12 weeks

GUARANTEE

3 months

4 months

5 months

SOURCING

Network and database

Targeted headhunting of people who are not working

Full market mapping and a named target

company longlist

SCREENING GATES

Three of five

All five

All five

VIDEO INTERVIEW

—

Recorded, every shortlisted candidate

Recorded, every shortlisted candidate

PSYCHOMETRICS

—

Two tests, final two candidates

Two tests, final two candidates

REPORTING

On shortlist

Weekly in writing

Weekly, plus milestone reports for your board

CONFIDENTIAL SEARCH

—

—

Included, no advertising

ON A $150,000 PACKAGE

$27,000

$24,000

$25,500

A search you commit to is cheaper for us to run than one where three agencies race each other, and we pass that back rather than keeping it. Executive search sits higher again because the work underneath it is deeper. Roles above $250,000 total remuneration and confidential searches are quoted individually. All figures exclude GST.

A higher rate. A lower fee.

We charge on base salary, superannuation and guaranteed allowances. Commission and bonuses are excluded. Most agencies charge on the lot, which is why a lower percentage can still cost you more.

SPECIFY: 16% ON BASE, SUPER AND CAR

Base salary

$110,000

Superannuation at 12%

$13,200

Car allowance

$18,000

Commission

excluded

Charged on

$141,200

OUR FEE

$22,592

A TYPICAL AGENCY AT 15% ON THE WHOLE PACKAGE

Base salary

$110,000

Superannuation at 12%

$13,200

Car allowance

$18,000

Commission

excluded

Charged on

$141,200

OUR FEE

$27,930

NEVER COUNTED

Commission, bonuses, incentive schemes and other at-risk earnings. You are never charged a fee on money your new hire still has to earn.

$5,338

cheaper, on the higher percentage. Ask any agency quoting you a lower rate what theirs is charged on.

CONTINGENT GUARANTEE

3

MONTHS

RETAINED EXCLUSIVE GUARANTEE

4

MONTHS

RETAINED EXECUTIVE GUARANTEE

5

MONTHS

If a placement doesn’t work out inside the guarantee period, we find the replacement at no additional fee, with check-ins at weeks 1, 6 and 12. Two psychometric tests are included on retained searches, and further tests are charged if you request them. All figures exclude GST. Full commercial terms are set out in our Terms of Business, with a detailed Scope of Work provided on engagement.
estimate your recruitment investment

Our commitment to you

The placement isn’t the finish line, it’s the starting line.

3-5 MONTH REPLACEMENT GUARANTEE

If a permanent placement doesn’t work out in the first three months, we find the replacement at no additional fee.

STRUCTURED POST- PLACEMENT CARE

Scheduled check-ins with you and your new hire at weeks 1, 6 and 12, protecting the placement while it beds in.

TRANSPARENT
ENGAGEMENT

Fees and terms agreed up front in our Terms of Business. Full MSA and Scope of Work on engagement. No surprises, ever.
We’re committed to the right long-term fit. Not simply filling a vacancy.

Why Specify exists

Specify was founded to fix what generic recruitment gets wrong in Building Products & Design.

SPECIALISTS, NOT GENERALISTS

Founded in 2021 after 15+ years inside Building Products & Design. We know the brands, the people and what success in a territory actually looks like.

PARTNERS, NOT TRANSACTORS

Long-term relationships over quick placements. Trust, transparency and authenticity, it’s why our business runs on referrals and repeat clients.

PEOPLE WHO
STAY

The right fit on paper and in person. We recruit for the career move that sticks for your business and for the candidate.
Generic recruiters send CVs. A specialist partner builds your team.
We understand the key to success for any business lies in having a team of skilled and experienced employees. Through our cutting edge technology, sourcing methods and access to high quality professionals, we source and place the best talent for leading companies within the building and design industry.

Our speciality in recruitment covers a wide spectrum of leadership, sales and marketing, design, operational and support roles within the building products sector.

We work with leading national and global brands who provide building materials to the Design and Building sector. With effective recruitment strategies and experience in the industry, we can assist in finding you the best talent that enables your business to succeed. We have you covered with effective recruitment solutions for your building materials business.

Talk with one of our team

Get in touch
“Through the long standing network of industry connections, along with cutting-edge technology and sourcing methods at our disposal, we are certain that if you are seeking a new addition to your team, or looking for your next career challenge, Specify can deliver.”
“Excellent customer service, very thorough and great follow up. Honest advice and friendly service. Would highly recommend and look forward to working with their team again if ever requiring their services.”

Debbie Barakat

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What our clients say

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