Hiring methodology

ALIGN: the Evara revenue hiring method.

A structured seven-step retained search, with a defined owner, a defined output and a defined failure mode for each step. Used on every Evara sales, GTM and revenue leadership search, with a bespoke EVP and Opportunity Pack at the centre and a 30-60-90 landing plan at the end.

ALIGN is the structured seven-step methodology Evara uses for every retained sales and GTM search. Each step has a defined owner, a defined output and the specific failure mode it is designed to prevent, all the way from a written role scorecard through to a 90-day landing plan after the hire walks in.

What ALIGN is not.

  • It is not a generic sales process applied to recruitment
  • It is not contingent CV-blasting against multiple agencies
  • It is not a black box. Each step is documented and the client sees the artefacts at every stage
  • It is not branded around buzzwords. Every verb describes a piece of work that actually happens

  1. Step 1

    01

    Week 1

    Articulate the role

    Owner: CEO or hiring leader plus Rachel Lunn

    • Structured kick-off covering commercial objective, reporting line, comp envelope, deal sizes, buyers and behaviours
    • Role scorecard with purpose, outcomes, success criteria and the bar for the first 12 months
    • Compensation envelope agreed against the relevant regional market data, not blanket London benchmarks
    • Confidentiality protocol agreed where the search is replacing an incumbent

    Output

    Signed-off scorecard and brief. Nothing goes to market until this exists.

    Why it matters

    Most senior sales hires fail because the role was loose before the search began. Articulation is the cheapest place to fix a mis-hire.

    Common failure mode

    Skipping straight to a job advert. The result is a CV-spray and a hiring decision made on gut feel against an undefined bar.

  2. Step 2

    02

    Weeks 1 to 2

    Build the Bespoke Opportunity Pack

    Owner: Rachel Lunn with the hiring leader and CEO or MD input

    • Bespoke EVP and Opportunity Pack: role narrative, growth story, regional comp benchmark, day-in-the-life and a CEO or MD note
    • Digital attraction campaign: targeted LinkedIn and direct outreach materials, advert variants and confidential teaser collateral
    • Bespoke marketing materials produced as a designed PDF and a short digital microsite the candidate can read in private
    • Sign-off on the pack and the campaign with the hiring leader before any approach goes out

    Output

    A bespoke EVP and Opportunity Pack, plus a paid and organic attraction campaign, ready to put in front of passive senior operators.

    Why it matters

    The strongest senior operators are not on the market. They are not moved by a job advert or a generic recruiter message. They are moved by a clear, well-built case for a specific opportunity.

    Common failure mode

    Approaching senior passive talent with a copy-paste pitch. The role gets binned in the first thirty seconds and the door closes for the next eighteen months.

  3. Step 3

    03

    Weeks 1 to 2

    Locate the talent market

    Owner: Evara research, with hiring leader review

    • Market map across direct competitors, adjacent industries and proven environments in your region
    • Long-list of named individuals, not job titles, with rationale for inclusion
    • Validation pass with the hiring leader on the long-list before any approach goes out
    • Cross-check against the do-not-approach list (existing clients, portfolio companies, named individuals)

    Output

    Long-list of named, qualified individuals with regional context and approach plan.

    Why it matters

    Talent maps surface the people who would never have applied. Most of the strongest hires are passive when the search begins.

    Common failure mode

    Posting the role and waiting. Job boards skew towards the actively-looking, which is a small and self-selected slice of the actual market.

  4. Step 4

    04

    Weeks 2 to 5

    Initiate the conversation

    Owner: Rachel Lunn (lead), supported by Evara research

    • Narrative-led outreach to long-list. Each approach explains the commercial opportunity, the leadership environment and the growth path
    • First-stage commercial screen against the scorecard
    • Track record validation: deal-stage probing, motivation, credibility check on the numbers
    • Confidential briefing pack shared only after the candidate has cleared the first screen

    Output

    Pre-screened pool of relevant candidates ready for second-stage screening.

    Why it matters

    A narrative-led approach earns the right to a serious conversation with senior operators. A job advert does not.

    Common failure mode

    Treating outreach as a numbers game. Sending the same message to 200 people destroys the brand of the role and the brand of the firm.

  5. Step 5

    05

    Weeks 4 to 7

    Gauge commercial fit

    Owner: Rachel Lunn plus relevant Evara advisor (e.g. Rich Evans for senior CRO and VP Sales)

    • Second-stage structured commercial screen against the scorecard outcomes
    • Behavioural fit screen for founder-led environments: judgement, autonomy, low-political behaviour
    • Reference triangulation on the top candidates before they reach the client
    • Risk and growth notes drafted for each shortlist candidate

    Output

    Considered shortlist of three to five candidates with strengths, risks and commercial fit notes.

    Why it matters

    Gauging commercial fit is what separates Evara from a CV-passer. Each shortlist candidate has been pressured-tested before the client meets them.

    Common failure mode

    Sending eight to twelve CVs to demonstrate activity. Quantity is not a signal of quality. Volume shortlists transfer the screening cost back to the client.

  6. Step 6

    06

    Weeks 6 to 10

    Negotiate the offer and the resignation

    Owner: Rachel Lunn with hiring leader

    • Offer design that survives a counter-offer and lands cleanly with the candidate's family and current employer
    • Counter-offer planning before the resignation conversation, not after
    • Notice period and start date alignment, so the candidate joins clean rather than scrambling out of the prior role
    • Confidential debrief with the hiring leader before the offer goes out

    Output

    Accepted offer, clean exit from prior employer, and a confirmed start date.

    Why it matters

    More senior hires fall over between offer and start than at any other stage. Owning the negotiation is what protects the placement before it has even begun.

    Common failure mode

    Walking away once the offer is accepted. The candidate manages their own counter-offer and exit, and the deal quietly falls over in the last fortnight.

  7. Step 7

    07

    Day 1 to Day 90

    Land the hire and the first 90 days

    Owner: Rachel Lunn with hiring leader and new hire

    • 30-60-90 plan with named outcomes, agreed with the hiring manager and the hire before day one
    • Check-in at day 30 with the new hire and the hiring leader, separately and together
    • Check-in at day 60 to surface any drift early enough to act on it
    • Check-in at day 90 to confirm the hire is delivering against the scorecard agreed in step 1

    Output

    A hire who is delivering against a documented 90-day plan, not just sitting at a new desk.

    Why it matters

    The first 90 days decide whether a hire stays for two years or quietly leaves at month seven. Owning the landing protects the placement and earns the right to the next mandate.

    Common failure mode

    Leaving onboarding to the hiring manager with no plan and no cadence. Most senior hires that fail in year one were already drifting by week eight, in ways that were visible on a 30-day check-in.

ALIGN in practice.

ALIGN is used on every retained search, regardless of seniority. It is what allows Evara to commit to a single search at a time per consultant: each step has a defined output, a defined owner and a defined timing window.

Clients see the artefacts at each step. There is no black box. If a search is going to be hard, the data will surface it at step 3, when we map the talent market, and the conversation about scope, comp or geography happens then, not at the shortlist stage.

Sales Recruitment →GTM Recruitment →Engagement types →

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Email Rachel Lunn