You know you have happy clients and candidates. 

They thank you after a successful placement. They send an email saying how much they appreciated your help. A hiring manager tells you they could not have completed the search without you. A candidate calls after their first week to tell you they love the new role. 

Those are exactly the experiences that can become powerful testimonials for your recruiting firm. 

Getting those testimonials starts with asking for them. 

For many recruiters, requesting a testimonial can feel awkward. You do not want a positive recruiting experience to suddenly feel like a marketing transaction. You may also worry that you are creating extra work for a busy client or candidate. 

A good testimonial process solves both problems. When you ask at the right time, make the request personal, and give the person a little direction, gathering testimonials becomes much easier. 

Why You Should Have a Process for Asking 

If your approach to testimonials is “we ask when we remember,” you probably won’t collect many. 

Recruiters move quickly from one search to the next. Once a placement is complete, there is another client to call, candidate to source, or position to fill. 

That means some of your best success stories can easily disappear into your inbox. 

Instead, make testimonial requests part of your normal recruiting process. 

This could mean asking after a successful placement, during a post-placement check-in, or after receiving particularly positive feedback. 

You do not need to ask everyone. The goal is to recognize the moments when someone has had an experience worth sharing and make asking a natural next step. 

Ask at the Right Time 

Timing can make a testimonial request feel either natural or forced.  Ideally, ask when the positive experience is still fresh. 

For clients, good opportunities might include: 

• After successfully filling a difficult position 
• After receiving positive feedback about a placement 
• At the completion of a search 
• During a successful post-placement check-in 
• After completing multiple searches for the same client 
• When a client compliments your team or process 

Candidates have similar moments. 

Consider asking: 

• After they accept an offer 
• After they start their new position 
• During a positive post-placement conversation 
• When they thank you for your help 
• When they refer another candidate to you 

Pay attention to the conversation. If someone has just told you how helpful you were, that may be the easiest time to ask whether they would be comfortable sharing that experience as a testimonial. 

Give Them Some Direction 

There is nothing wrong with this question, but it creates more work for the person you are asking. 

Now they have to figure out what to say, how long it should be, and what information you actually want. 

Make it easier by providing direction. 

Instead of: “Would you mind writing us a testimonial?” 

Try: “Would you be willing to share a few sentences about your experience working with us? You might mention what you were looking for, what stood out about the process, or how things turned out after the placement.” 

You are still allowing the person to speak in their own words, but you have removed the blank-page problem. 

Give Them Questions to Answer 

Some clients and candidates may prefer prompts rather than writing a testimonial from scratch. 

A few simple questions can produce much stronger responses. 

For clients, consider asking: 

• What hiring challenge were you trying to solve? 
• What stood out about working with our recruiting team? 
• How did our process compare with other recruiting experiences? 
• What was the result of the search? 
• What would you tell another company considering working with us? 

For candidates, you could ask: 

• What were you looking for in your next career move? 
• What stood out about working with your recruiter? 
• Did you feel prepared and informed throughout the process? 
• How did the opportunity match what you were looking for? 
• What would you tell another candidate about working with us? 

Don’t send someone 10 questions and turn the request into homework. Two or three relevant prompts are usually enough. 

Keep the Request Personal 

A testimonial request should feel like a continuation of the relationship, not an automated marketing campaign. 

Mention the specific experience you shared. 

For example: 

“I’m glad to hear Sarah is doing so well with the team. Since this was such an important search for your organization, would you be comfortable sharing a few sentences about your experience working with us?” 

For a candidate: 

“It was great hearing how well your first few weeks have gone. Would you be comfortable sharing a short testimonial about your experience working with me and the search process?” 

The request feels natural because it is connected to a real conversation. 

This is another reason recruiters themselves should often make the request. The client or candidate has a relationship with the recruiter. A personal request from that person can feel much more genuine than a generic email from the marketing department. 

Make It Easy to Say Yes 

People are busy. Even someone who had an excellent experience may put off writing a testimonial simply because they do not have time. 

Reduce the effort wherever you can. 

Tell them a few sentences are enough, provide a couple of prompts, and let them respond directly to your email. 

If someone has already provided positive feedback in an email, you may not need to ask them to write anything new. 

Instead, you can say: 

“Thank you for the kind words. Would you be comfortable with us using part of your message as a testimonial on our website?” 

This can be one of the easiest ways to collect authentic testimonials because the person has already described the experience naturally. 

Can You Draft the Testimonial for Them? 

Sometimes a client or candidate is happy to provide a testimonial but asks you to draft something for their approval. 

That can work, but it needs to be handled carefully. 

Use only information they have actually shared with you. Keep the language natural, and do not add praise, results, or claims they did not make. 

Then send the draft back for approval. 

The goal is to save them time while keeping the testimonial true to what they actually said. 

Whenever possible, starting with their own comments, emails, or answers to a few questions will produce a more authentic testimonial. 

Get Permission Before Publishing 

Receiving positive feedback does not automatically mean you have permission to publish it. 

Before adding a testimonial to your website, social media, case study, or other marketing materials, confirm what the person is comfortable sharing. 

Confirm whether you have permission to publish details such as: 

• Their full name 
• First name and last initial 
• Job title 
• Company 
• Headshot 
• Company logo 
• Anonymous attribution 

Some clients may be happy to provide a testimonial but cannot publicly identify their company. Candidates may have privacy concerns of their own. 

A testimonial can still be useful with limited attribution, but you should always know what you have permission to publish. 

Build Testimonial Requests into Your Recruiting Process 

The easiest way to collect more testimonials is to stop treating them as occasional marketing projects. 

Make them part of the process. 

Your team might schedule a check-in after every successful placement. During that conversation, recruiters can identify clients and candidates who would be strong testimonial sources. 

You could also create a simple internal system for recording: 

• Who should be asked 
• Who made the request 
• When it was sent 
• Whether the testimonial was received 
• Where you have permission to use it 

 This does not need to become complicated. It simply prevents great feedback from getting lost. 

Start with Recent Positive Feedback 

You do not need to send a mass email asking everyone you have ever worked with for a testimonial. 

Start with the relationships where the answer is already obvious. 

Look through recent placements. Think about clients who have repeatedly returned to your firm. Review emails for compliments and positive feedback. Ask recruiters which candidates have gone out of their way to thank them. 

A strong testimonial can help future clients and candidates understand what makes your recruiting firm different, but first you need to capture the stories your firm is already creating. 

If you need help using testimonials, case studies, and recruiter expertise across your website and content, contact Recruiters Websites. We help recruiting firms turn real client and candidate experiences into content that builds trust.