For recruiters and staffing agencies
Collect testimonials from the companies you hire for and the people you place
A recruitment agency sells to two audiences, and each one trusts a different kind of proof. Write a request for hiring managers and one for placed candidates below, ask each at the moment that suits them, and keep candidates’ details safe.
- A client request and a candidate request
- Timing that respects a new starter’s probation
- An anonymous option for candidates
The problem, solved
Where recruiter testimonials get stuck, and how StoryProof handles both sides of the hire
Situation 1 of 4
Candidates worry their old employer will see
Someone who just changed jobs may still need a reference from the last one. A named video praising their new recruiter is a risk many will not take.
How StoryProof solves it
A candidate can answer in writing rather than on camera, and the agency reviews every answer before it can appear anywhere, which is the moment to strip out names.
Situation 2 of 4
Hiring managers say yes, then never reply
A manager two months into a new hire is busy onboarding them. Your request sinks under their inbox, and chasing by hand across dozens of placements never happens.
How StoryProof solves it
Where your plan includes automations, StoryProof sends a reminder and a final email to each client who has not answered, and only inside the quiet hours you set.
Situation 3 of 4
Clients and job seekers need different proof
A finance director deciding on a search firm does not care how well you prepped a candidate for interview, and a job seeker does not care about your time to shortlist.
How StoryProof solves it
Tag every quote by side and sector, then give the employer pages and the job pages widgets of their own, each holding only the testimonials you assign to it.
Situation 4 of 4
A placement fell through and the quote stayed up
When a hire leaves in month three, a glowing quote about that search becomes something a prospect could check and find hollow.
How StoryProof solves it
Widgets read from StoryProof on every load, so taking the quote out of a widget clears it from your site at once, with no web developer involved.
Templates
Write the request for each side of the hire
Choose the audience, fill in the details, and copy the message.
- Client request, once the hire has settled in
Send after the new starter’s first couple of months, when the client can judge the hire.
Subject: How is the new [Operations Manager] settling in?
Hi [Daniel], It has been a couple of months since your new [Operations Manager] started, and I hope it is going well. If you are happy with how the search went, would you share a few words about working with us? Two short questions, in writing or on video: [your StoryProof link] 1. What was hard about filling this role before? 2. What was the search process like with us? Thank you, [Asha]
- Client reminder
Subject: Re: How is the new [Operations Manager] settling in?
Hi [Daniel], a quick nudge in case this got buried. The link is here whenever you have two minutes: [your StoryProof link] [Asha]
Assembled in your browser. Nothing is sent or stored.
Prompts
What to ask each side
Clients judge the result; candidates judge how they were treated. Ask accordingly.
Hiring clients, a few months after the start date
- What was difficult about this hire before you worked with us?
- How well did we understand what you needed?
- How has the new hire fitted in?
Leave out
- Fees, salaries or the candidate’s name
Candidates, after they have started
- How did we keep you informed during the process?
- What was different about working with us compared with other recruiters?
- How did we help you prepare for interviews?
Leave out
- Their previous employer
- Salary details
In StoryProof
Run both sides in StoryProof
- You will need
- A StoryProof workspace
- Start dates for recent placements
- 1
Set up the client prompts and the candidate prompts
Each person answers by video, audio note or text from a link, so a candidate who wants to stay anonymous can simply write.
- 2
Send each request at its own moment
Email candidates soon after they start and clients once the hire has settled in.
- 3
Let the follow-ups run
On a plan with automations, StoryProof sends a reminder and a last email to anyone who has not answered, and stops when they do.
- 4
Check anonymity before approving
Every answer waits for approval. Make sure an anonymous candidate cannot be identified from what they wrote.
- 5
Tag by audience and sector, then publish
Tag each testimonial as client or candidate plus the sector, and show client quotes on your employer pages and candidate quotes on your job pages.
What happens next: Two widgets, two audiences: a hiring manager and a job seeker each see proof from people like them.
Before you start
Things to get right
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
Candidate privacy
Data protection law in many countries treats candidate information carefully. Get clear permission for how a candidate is named, and check the rules where you operate.
- 02
No placement promises
A quote like “they found me a job in a week” reads as typical. Keep testimonials about how people were treated, not how fast every search ends.
- 03
Clients may need internal approval
Some companies do not let managers endorse suppliers by name. Offer a job title and industry instead.
- 04
A hire that did not last
If a placement ends early, take that client’s or candidate’s quote down, or at least stop featuring it. Proof about a hire that fell through is a story you would not want a prospect to check.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
When should a recruiter ask a client for a testimonial?
Once the new hire has settled in, typically a couple of months after the start date. Before that, the client can only comment on the process.
Can candidate testimonials be anonymous?
Yes. Let candidates choose a first name only or a job title, and check the text does not identify them before you approve it.
Should we ask candidates we did not place?
Carefully, and only those who said the process went well. A candidate who missed out but felt well treated can be persuasive to other job seekers, but never ask someone who has just been turned down.
Can a client testimonial mention the candidate by name?
Only if the candidate has agreed to it. It is simpler to ask clients to describe the role and the search, and keep the person they hired out of it.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Collect proof for both sides of every hire
Set up your client and candidate prompts and send the first requests this week.
Last updated 2026-11-04.