Case studies · Insurance & financial services
Insurance and financial services roles, filled
Three regulated appointments: mortgage advice, financial planning support and commercial insurance broking. 93 candidates worked, 10 presented, three hires — the quickest filled in 21 days.
Mortgage Adviser
A well-established mortgage broker with strong referral and professional partner leads · Mortgage broking
- Time to fill
- 21 days
- Package
- £35,000–£45,000 depending on experience, plus uncapped commission (OTE £60,000)
- Location
- North West London
Full CeMAP is a hard gate. An adviser either holds the qualification or cannot legally do the work, so no amount of adjacent sales experience substitutes for it. The role is office-based five days a week and asks for someone who will commute reliably or move. That narrows the field before experience is considered at all.
Nineteen candidates were worked. Two went to internal interview and one was strong enough to present. That candidate met the client, was interviewed and signed, 21 days from brief. A single-name shortlist only works when the screening in front of it is right; here it was.
Pipeline — candidates reaching each stage
- Sourced & screened 19
- Internal interview 2
- Presented to client 1
- Client interview 1
- Hired 1
19 candidates worked, one presented. Filled in 21 days.
One candidate presented, one hired, 21 days. Screening is what makes a short shortlist safe.
21 days from brief to filled.
PA / Administrator (Financial Services / Wealth Management)
An established independent financial planning and wealth management practice · Financial planning and wealth management
- Time to fill
- 40 days
- Package
- £14.00–£22.00 per hour, depending on experience
- Location
- Buckinghamshire, hybrid — part-time, approximately 23 hours per week
This was the practice's first dedicated support hire, working directly to an adviser with more than 30 years in the industry. Part-time and hybrid at around 23 hours a week, it still needed regulated financial services experience, and compliance and background checks applied. Few people match both the shape of the week and the background.
Forty-four candidates were worked and sixteen taken to internal interview, a deliberately deep internal round. Six were presented. Four reached client interview and one was hired, 40 days from brief. The depth of that internal stage is what kept the six relevant to a compliance-heavy practice rather than merely available.
Pipeline — candidates reaching each stage
- Sourced & screened 44
- Internal interview 16
- Presented to client 6
- Client interview 4
- Hired 1
44 candidates worked to produce six presented. Filled in 40 days.
Forty-four worked, six presented, one hired. The filtering happens before the client sees anyone.
40 days from brief to filled.
Senior Account Executive (Commercial Insurance)
An independent commercial insurance broker with a close-knit team of eight · Commercial insurance broking
- Time to fill
- 47 days
- Package
- £50,000–£80,000+ depending on experience
- Location
- Birmingham
A senior commercial appointment carries a client portfolio and a new business expectation at the same time. The broker is independent with a team of eight, so the person had to want a small, flexible firm over a large one and be comfortable developing business without a machine behind them. That preference cannot be trained in.
Thirty candidates were worked. Three came through internal interview and all three were presented to the client. One was interviewed and hired, 47 days from brief. Every candidate who cleared our internal round was good enough to put forward, which is the point of running one.
Pipeline — candidates reaching each stage
- Sourced & screened 30
- Internal interview 3
- Presented to client 3
- Client interview 1
- Hired 1
30 candidates worked, three presented, all three cleared internal interview. Filled in 47 days.
Every candidate who cleared the internal round was presented. Three went forward, one signed.
47 days from brief to filled.
How the fee works
Every role on this page was delivered on the same basis: a fixed fee, agreed before we start, with no percentage of salary attached. The straightforward search and the difficult one cost the client the same.
That is the point of the model. A percentage fee charges you more for hiring a better-paid person and rewards us for the easy search. A fixed fee puts the risk of a long search where it belongs — with us. And if we do not fill the role, you get every penny of your fee back.
Every figure here comes from our own placement records. Clients and placed candidates are not named. Full detail on the model is on our Guaranteed Hire page.
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