Sample profile
Anonymized ProfileVetted
Director of Finance
Finance
Manager / Director
Calgary / remote
Available: 4 weeks
- References held
- Comp verified
- Motivations interviewed
For candidates, you are looking for a role
This page is for you, if you are the one looking.
Hiring instead? That side of Merit has its own page, and none of this applies to you.
What we owe you
We check the employer before you do.
Before we ask you to trust a company, we go and find out what it is really like to work there. Whether people stay. What the last person in the job says. Whether the pay is honest. If it does not hold up, we turn the work down, and you never hear about it.
- You never pay us. Not now, not ever.
- Nothing about you goes anywhere until you say yes.
- You know what the job pays before the interview, not after it.
- If a workplace does not hold up, we turn the work down so you never walk into it.
- You get an answer either way. Silence is not how we treat people.
The part of recruiting that bothers me most is how easy it is to leave someone waiting. You send your history to a stranger, and then nothing. If I put you forward, you hear from me either way, and you hear it from me, not from a template.
How it goes
Four steps, a few minutes to start.
01
Tell us about yourself
One short form. What you do, where you are, and what you actually want next. A few minutes.
02
We talk
If we think we can help, we call you. If we cannot, we tell you that instead of leaving you waiting.
03
We do the reference calls once
Two former managers, one honest conversation, and you never have to go through it again for every job.
04
We come back to you
When something fits, you hear from us, and we tell you what we know about the company before you meet them.
Before you say yes
We check the employer before you do.
Most recruiters ask whether you are good enough for the company. We also ask whether the company is good enough for you, and we do that work before your name goes anywhere.
What we ask you
- What you have actually done, in your words, not just what the resume claims
- Two former managers, on the phone, in a real conversation
- How you like to work, and the kind of place that brings out your best
- Why you are leaving, and where you want this to lead
What we ask them, before we ask you to trust them
- Do people stay, and when they leave, why
- Is the leadership team stable, or has it turned over three times in two years
- What current and former employees say about working there
- Is the business steady, growing, or quietly in trouble
- Is the pay honest, and is it fair next to the people already doing the job
Have a look
What we want to know about a workplace
Four things we look at before we agree to run a search. Pick one to see what we ask.
What former employees say, and whether that has been getting better or worse
How long managers actually last in the job
Whether people get promoted from inside, or only hired over
The bench, what you are joining
People we already know
This is what your profile looks like once you are on the bench: no name attached, references already called, and shown only to an employer we have vetted, for a role that actually exists.
Live profiles are shared only with vetted clients.
Sample profile
Anonymized ProfileVetted
VP Engineering
Tech Startups
VP / C-Suite
Toronto / remote
Available: 2 weeks
- References held
- Comp verified
- Motivations interviewed
Sample profile
Anonymized ProfileVetted
Head of Sales
Technology
Senior / Specialist
Vancouver / remote
Available: 6 weeks
- References held
- Comp verified
- Motivations interviewed
Want a profile like these? Joining the bench is free, takes a few minutes, and your details are never shared without your say-so.
For candidates, FAQ
Questions candidates ask first.
For candidates, you are job seeking
Join the candidate bench.
Complete your full profile below so the studio can review your background properly the first time. Free for candidates, always.
Fees: free for candidates, you are never charged, at any level. Employers pay the studio, never you.
This is the complete intake, it takes a few minutes and gives the studio everything it needs to review you properly the first time. The stepper below shows how far you are from submitting, and each field has a short note explaining what we need.
Candidate intake, joining the bench
Checked both ways
You are submitting a profile for bench review. Every application is read personally, and we check both sides before anything moves. If you are accepted onto the candidate bench, the studio will contact you directly to begin intake. Submitting does not guarantee acceptance or representation.
Your progress
0% complete · 10 fields to go
- 1About you0/3
- 2Experience0/4
- 3Role fit0/3
Your answers save automatically on this device, so you can leave and finish later. Files must be re-attached.