The brief is the document every later step in a search is measured against, and a short, specific one takes a few days to write and tends to save weeks later.
What a brief is for
A brief tells the search firm, and every candidate it speaks to, what the job is and what the company needs from the person who takes it. It is the basis for deciding who to approach, who to interview and who to offer.
It also settles questions inside the client before the search starts. If the chief executive, the board and the human resources team each hold a different idea of the role, the brief is where that shows up, and it is cheaper to resolve on paper than after the first interviews.
A brief is not a job advertisement and it is not a list of every task. It works best as a working document that the client and the search firm both keep to.
What should a good brief contain?
A good brief covers nine points, and each can be answered in a few sentences.
Purpose of the role. This explains why the role exists now: whether it is new, a replacement, or a change of direction for an existing function. Candidates tend to ask this in the first conversation.
Results expected in 12 to 24 months. These are the outcomes the person will be judged on, for example a plant running at a stated output, a new market entered, or a project delivered to budget. Outcomes tell a candidate more than a list of duties.
Reporting line and peers. The brief names who the person reports to, who reports to them, and who they work alongside, including any dotted lines, for example to a regional head or a board committee.
Scope. Here sit the profit and loss responsibility, the number of sites, the headcount, and the budget the person controls. A title alone does not carry this, and a general manager of one plant and a general manager of five plants hold different jobs.
Location and travel. This covers the base location, the share of time expected on the road, and whether relocation is needed, including whether the role must be done on site.
Must-have and nice-to-have experience. The must-have list works best when short, with each item something the person cannot do the job without. The rest sits under nice-to-have and is labelled as such.
How decisions will be made and who interviews. The panel, the order of the rounds and who has the final say are named, since candidates at this level expect to know.
The timetable. This gives the date by which a decision is needed, the target start date, and any fixed events such as a board meeting or a plant shutdown.
Stating requirements fairly
Requirements are best limited to what the job needs, in terms that do not favour or exclude any group. In Singapore, the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices already set this standard, and employers are expected to follow them.
The Workplace Fairness Act 2025 puts the standard into law. It protects age, nationality, sex, marital status, pregnancy status, caregiving responsibilities, race, religion, language, disability and mental health conditions, and it covers hiring as well as decisions made once someone is employed. The Act has been passed but is not yet in force, and it is expected to take effect at the end of 2027. MOM and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) publish the confirmed date, and that is the one to rely on.
In practice, a brief does not say or imply a preferred age, sex, race, religion or nationality. Phrases such as "young and energetic", "mature", "he will" or "must be a local" are the usual culprits, and marital status or plans for children have no place in judging a candidate.
Job-related criteria are what count: the experience, skills and results that the role needs. A degree, a professional licence or a number of years in a brief goes best with a reason the job needs it.
A language requirement is allowed when the job needs it, and the brief should say why, for example: "fluent Vietnamese is needed to deal directly with provincial officials". A bare line such as "must speak Mandarin" invites the question of whether it is a real requirement or a preference. It helps to say which working language the role uses, with whom, and how often.
Where a hire needs an Employment Pass or S Pass, the Fair Consideration Framework applies as well. The job must first be advertised on MyCareersFuture, and every applicant must be considered fairly.
Which mistakes make a brief less useful?
The common ones are a list of every skill, a title with no scope, no stated results, unclear decision rights, a brief that changes mid-search, and requirements that carry a bias.
A list of every skill. A brief that asks for deep operations experience, a finance background, a technical degree, sales skills and a start-up record describes several people, and the search then has no clear target. Three or four things that matter most make a better brief.
A title with no scope. "Vice President, Operations" means different things in different companies. Without numbers on sites, headcount and budget, candidates cannot judge the size of the job, and neither can the search firm.
No stated results. When a brief lists duties but no outcomes, interviews turn into a talk about the person's history rather than what they would do in the role.
Unclear decision rights. Where the brief does not say who decides, candidates find out in the interview, often from conflicting answers.
A brief that changes mid-search. A change in the reporting line, location, budget or level after candidates have been approached costs time, and it means people already spoken to were given a different description of the job. If the role does change, it helps to tell the search firm at once and agree a revised brief in writing.
Requirements that carry a bias. A "culture fit" requirement with no definition, or a preference for people from a certain background, can exclude suitable candidates and can breach fair hiring rules. Describing the behaviours the job needs works better.
A short checklist for a senior role brief
A brief is ready to go out when it can answer the questions below.
Does it say why the role exists and what the person must achieve in 12 to 24 months? Does it name the reporting line, the peers and any dotted lines? Does it give the profit and loss, sites, headcount and budget? Does it state the location, travel and any relocation? Are the must-have items few, and is each one tied to the job? Does it name who interviews, in what order, and who decides? Does it give the timetable, including the target start date? Is every requirement job-related, with no wording that favours or excludes any group? If a language is required, does it say why? Have the people who will decide agreed to it?
Where any answer is no, the brief is usually better fixed before the search starts.
Questions clients and candidates ask
How long should a brief be?
Two pages are usually enough, covering the nine points above and no more. A longer document tends to hide the few requirements that matter.
Can a brief name a preferred age range or sex?
No. Under the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices, and under the Workplace Fairness Act 2025 once it is in force, hiring decisions must not be based on age, sex or the other protected characteristics. What a brief can state is the experience and results the job needs.
Can we require a particular language?
Yes, if the job needs it, and the reason is worth stating, for example that the role deals directly with regulators or customers who work in that language. Language is a protected characteristic under the Act, so the requirement has to relate to the job.
What if the role changes after the search starts?
It helps to tell the search firm as soon as you know and to agree a revised brief in writing. Candidates who have already been approached are normally given the updated description.
Sources
To discuss a search, write to teamsg@maxima.com.sg.
We assess every candidate on experience and ability alone. We follow Singapore’s Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and the Fair Consideration Framework, and we already work to the standard of the Workplace Fairness Act 2025. We never charge candidates a fee. How we hire fairly