Prepare a short client brief
A client intake works when the agency asks the same questions in the same order. Write a short brief with the role, the reason for the hire, the team, the decision makers, the criteria and the constraints. Keep each question narrow enough for a recorded answer.
Send the brief before the recording. The client can read the questions, gather the facts and decide who should answer. A prepared client gives a clearer brief than a client who sees the questions for the first time on camera.
Ask about the outcome, not only the tasks
A job description lists tasks. A useful brief describes the outcome the hire needs to reach. Ask what the person will have done after a period in the role, which problem the team is trying to solve and how the team will know the hire is on track. The answer gives the agency a way to test candidates against the real work.
Ask about the constraints too: the budget range, the start date, the location or remote policy and the parts of the role that are fixed. The agency can then name the trade-offs before the search starts.
Map the decision
Ask who interviews, who decides and who can say no. A mandate with an unclear decision path can stall after the first candidate. Ask the client to name the people and the step where the final choice is made.
Ask how the client will review candidates. A short answer about the criteria and the format helps the agency prepare the right evidence. If the client expects a live panel, the agency can plan for it.
Review the answers as a team
Watch the client answers together and write a one-page mandate. Name the role, the outcome, the criteria, the decision path and the open questions. Send the mandate to the client and ask for a correction, not a general approval.
A correction is easier to act on than a silent yes. If the client changes a criterion, record the change and the reason. The agency can then show why the search moved in a different direction.
Use the record when the role changes
A role can change after the first candidates. Return to the recorded brief and the written mandate. Ask the client which answer changed and what the new priority is. Update the mandate and tell the candidates who are already in the process.
A shared record prevents a slow drift in the criteria. It also gives a new consultant a way to understand the client without repeating the whole intake.
Keep the client experience practical
Explain the format, the time and the support route. Offer a written alternative if the client does not want to record. A client who understands why the agency asks for a structured brief is easier to guide through it.
The aim is not a longer intake. It is a brief the agency can use: clear questions, a written mandate and a record the client and the team can both check when the search gets difficult.