The Methodology That Ensures Your Hires
Stay and Succeed.
Guaranteed
The 6F Methodology is our candidate fit methodology. Six dimensions that assess whether someone will succeed in your organisation, not just whether they can do the job. It’s why our hires stay, and why we can offer guarantees that competitors won’t match.
97%
more cost-effective
12-18 mo
guarantees
Hires
that stay and perform
The Real Reason Hires
Don't Work Out
It’s rarely about capability. It’s almost always about fit and most recruitment processes don’t assess for it properly.
Skills ≠ success
A candidate can tick every box on the job spec and still fail. Why? Because qualifications don’t tell you whether someone will thrive in your culture, adapt to your pace, or commit for the long term.
Gut feel isn't reliable
Most hiring managers assess “fit” based on instinct — whether they liked the candidate, whether they’d want to work with them. It’s subjective, inconsistent, and prone to bias. It doesn’t scale, and it doesn’t predict success.
Surprises at offer stage
Candidates drop out. They take counter-offers. They accept, then resign in month three. Why? Because nobody asked the right questions early enough. Expectations were misaligned from the start.
Our 6F Methodology exists to solve this. A structured methodology that assesses what actually drives long-term success – before you invest time in final interviews.
Six Dimensions. One Question.
Will They Thrive?
Every dimension of 6F is designed to surface what really matters: motivation, circumstances, and alignment. The things that determine whether a hire succeeds or fails.
Fit
Cultural Alignment That Goes Beyond "Culture Fit"
What Happens
Does the candidate align with your company’s values, ways of working, and team dynamics? How do they operate under pressure? What kind of environment brings out their best work? What kind of environment would they struggle in?
Why It Matters
“Culture fit” has become a vague buzzword. We make it specific, assessing how the candidate’s working style, communication preferences, and values align with the reality of your organisation. Not just whether they’d “fit in,” but whether they’d thrive.
What Makes Us Different
We don’t just ask candidates to describe your culture back to you. We probe for specifics – examples of environments where they’ve succeeded, where they’ve struggled, and why. We cross-reference with what we’ve learned about your organisation in Scoping.
Freedom
Autonomy Expectations That Match the Role
What Happens
What level of autonomy does the candidate need to do their best work? Do they want to shape strategy, or execute against a clear plan? How much structure do they need? How much oversight can they tolerate?
Why It Matters
A candidate who thrives with autonomy will struggle in a micromanaged environment. A candidate who needs direction will flounder if left to figure it out alone. Mismatched expectations around freedom are one of the most common causes of early attrition.
What Makes Us Different
We assess both what candidates say they want and what they’ve actually experienced. Someone who claims to want autonomy but has always worked in highly structured environments may not be ready for the reality. We test for evidence, not just aspiration.
Family
Personal Circumstances That Affect Commitment
What Happens
What personal circumstances might affect the candidate’s ability to commit to this role? Are they open to relocation, travel, or demanding hours? Do they have constraints we need to understand – caring responsibilities, health considerations, or location ties?
Why It Matters
These conversations are often avoided because they feel sensitive. But surprises here are costly – a candidate who accepts a role requiring travel, then can’t travel. A relocation that falls through. A resignation in month two because the commute was unsustainable.
What Makes Us Different
We have honest, respectful conversations about circumstances early, not to screen people out, but to ensure alignment. If there’s a constraint, we surface it so you can make informed decisions. No surprises after the offer is signed.
Fulfilment
What Makes Them Engaged, Not Just Employed
What Happens
What does the candidate need to feel challenged and engaged? What kind of work energises them? What would make this role exciting, and what would make it feel like a step backwards? Are they looking for growth, stability, or something else?
Why It Matters
A candidate who’s overqualified will get bored. A candidate who’s underqualified will get overwhelmed. A candidate taking the role for the wrong reasons title, money, desperation, won’t last. Understanding what drives fulfilment helps us match candidates to roles where they’ll genuinely thrive.
What Makes Us Different
We don’t just ask “Why do you want this role?”, we dig into career patterns, what’s driven past moves, and what’s been missing in previous roles. We look for alignment between what they need and what your opportunity genuinely offers.
Fortune
Compensation Expectations Without Last-Minute Surprises
What Happens
What are the candidate’s compensation expectations – base, bonus, equity, benefits? What would they need to move? What would be a deal-breaker? Are they realistic about the market, or anchored to an inflated number?
Why It Matters
Nothing wastes more time than getting to offer stage and discovering you’re 30% apart on salary. Or making an offer that’s accepted, only for the candidate to use it as leverage for a counter-offer. Fortune alignment needs to happen early.
What Makes Us Different
We have direct, specific conversations about money, not vague ranges. We test whether candidates are genuinely motivated by your opportunity, or just benchmarking their market value. If the numbers don’t work, we tell you before you invest interview time.
Future
Career Trajectory That Aligns With What You Can Offer
What Happens
Where does the candidate want to be in 3-5 years? What’s their ambition – leadership, technical depth, broader scope, something else? Does your organisation offer a realistic path to what they’re looking for?
Why It Matters
A candidate who wants rapid progression will leave if your structure can’t provide it. A candidate who wants stability will be unsettled by constant change. Misalignment on trajectory is a slow-burn retention problem, the hire works initially, then leaves at 18 months because they’ve “outgrown” the role.
What Makes Us Different
We assess whether your opportunity genuinely fits the candidate’s trajectory, and we’re honest if it doesn’t. Better to pass on a strong candidate who won’t stay than to place someone who’ll leave before they deliver real value.
The Fit Methodology and the Search Process
Working Together
6S tells us how to find and secure candidates. 6F tells us whether they’ll succeed once they’re there.
6S — The Search Process
Scoping, Scorecarding, Sourcing, Selecting, Securing, Satisfying. The structured search methodology our embedded recruiters run for every hire — ensuring rigour and consistency at scale.
6F — The Fit Methodology
Fit, Freedom, Family, Fulfilment, Fortune, Future. The six dimensions we assess to ensure every candidate is aligned with your culture, expectations, and trajectory — not just qualified on paper.
6F runs in parallel with 6S throughout every search. During Sourcing, we’re already thinking about fit. During Selecting, we’re assessing all six dimensions – not just skills and experience. During Securing, we know there won’t be surprises because we’ve had the hard conversations early.
This integration is why our hires stay — and why we can offer 12-18 month guarantees with confidence.
The Results of Assessing
What Actually Matters
When you go beyond the CV and assess real fit, outcomes change.
97%
right-first-time
The majority of our clients hire from the first shortlist — because 6F ensures we only present candidates who are genuinely aligned, not just qualified.
12-18 month
guarantees
We stand behind every placement for longer than any competitor. That’s the confidence 6F gives us in the candidates we present.
Reduced
counter-offer risk
By understanding candidate motivations early, we identify and address flight risks before offer stage — not after.
Challenge
A VP of Operations role with two strong finalists. Both technically excellent. Hiring manager preferred Candidate A based on interview performance.
6F Insight
Our 6F assessment revealed Candidate A was primarily motivated by a title upgrade and had limited long-term interest in the sector. Candidate B showed deep alignment with the company’s mission and realistic expectations about the role’s scope.
Outcome
Client hired Candidate B. Two years later, they’ve been promoted internally. Candidate A, we later learned, left their next role within 8 months.
Three Services.
One Fit Methodology.
6F powers candidate assessment across every engagement model – ensuring hires that stay, regardless of how you work with us.
Critical Hire Search
Milestone search with a 12-month guarantee and shortlists delivered in weeks, not months.
Executive Search
VP to C-suite hires that shape your future. Leadership profiling, internal benchmarking, and an 18-month guarantee that traditional exec firms won’t match.
Embedded Recruitment
Dedicated recruiters in your team, running our methodology at scale. Typically 40% more cost-effective than equivalent search volume.
Proven Across
Four Specialist Sectors
The methodology is consistent. The context is tailored.
Industrial & Engineering
Manufacturing, automotive, electronics, semiconductors, robotics, defence, aerospace and automation.
Energy & Infrastructure
Oil & gas, power & utilities, renewables, construction, data centre infrastructure, testing & inspection.
Life Sciences & Process Industries
Pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical devices, chemicals, food & beverage, FMCG production and process manufacturing.
Advanced Technologies
IoT, connected devices, software, AI/ML, , SaaS, robotics, automation, sensors, data, analytics, digital transformation and IT services.
What “fit” looks like varies by sector — a fast-growth SaaS business has different cultural markers than a regulated pharmaceutical manufacturer. 6F adapts to your context while maintaining the rigour that predicts long-term success.
Resources & Insights
Expert perspectives on hiring, talent strategy, and building exceptional teams.
Ready to hire for fit,
not just skills?
Let’s talk about your hiring challenges. We’ll show you how 6F applies to your searches — and why it delivers hires that succeed long after day one.