A specialist platform name on a CV is a useful starting point. The next question is what the professional actually delivered with it.

For an IT staffing assignment, a short discussion about two relevant projects can be more useful than a long list of tools. It gives the hiring team a clearer picture of the person's responsibilities and helps identify which questions still need an answer before a client interview.

Here is a practical approach to that first review.

Start with the work the assignment requires

Write down the tasks the consultant will need to own. Separate configuration, development, integration, testing, support and business analysis. One assignment may combine several of these, but each requires its own evidence.

For example, a team seeking an integration specialist might need someone who can explain data mapping, error handling, testing and production support. A functional analyst might instead need to show how they gathered requirements, documented decisions and translated a business process into system behaviour.

Agree the essential responsibilities before reviewing profiles. This makes it easier to assess each person against the same brief.

Ask for a project walkthrough

Choose a project that resembles the assignment and invite the consultant to describe it from start to finish.

Useful questions include:

  • What business process was the project supporting?
  • Which parts did you personally configure, build or analyse?
  • What systems or teams did your work depend on?
  • How did you test the result, and who accepted it?
  • What happened after deployment?

Ask for enough detail to understand the work without requesting confidential client documents, credentials or production data. An anonymised explanation is often sufficient for an initial discussion.

Separate personal delivery from team exposure

A professional may have worked alongside a specialist team without owning that team's deliverables. That exposure can still be useful, provided it is described accurately.

Follow up broad statements such as “we implemented the platform” with a question about the person's own contribution. Did they lead workshops, write specifications, develop interfaces, execute tests or manage support issues?

Record what the answer establishes. If someone coordinated with the integration team, describe that as coordination until hands-on integration work is demonstrated.

Review relevant experience, not just total tenure

Overall career experience and experience in a specific responsibility are different measures. A consultant may have spent several years in HR operations before moving into system configuration, or worked on one platform before specialising in another.

Build a simple project timeline. Note the platform, responsibility and approximate dates for each relevant assignment. Where engagements overlap, clarify the arrangement rather than adding the durations together.

For a lead position, ask for examples of technical decisions, reviews, escalation handling or delivery ownership. A senior title alone does not answer those questions.

Explore one difficult situation

Ask the consultant to describe a problem they investigated and resolved. The purpose is to understand their approach, rather than to demand a dramatic success story.

What was the symptom? How did they narrow down the cause? Which evidence did they examine? Who else needed to be involved? How did they check the fix?

For business analysis, the example might involve conflicting requirements or an unclear process. For technical work, it might involve a mapping issue, a configuration defect or an unsuccessful deployment. Keep the discussion connected to the responsibilities in the brief.

Keep skills fit and deployment readiness separate

A relevant project history does not establish a consultant's current start date, working hours or interest in a particular assignment.

Confirm those points separately. Where relevant, discuss location eligibility, travel expectations and engagement arrangements. Obtain permission before sharing a profile with a client.

End the review with a short record: demonstrated responsibilities, relevant project evidence, unanswered questions and the next discussion needed. This gives the client interview a clear purpose and avoids presenting an assumption as a confirmed fact.

Discuss your next IT staffing requirement

Cognatrix focuses on IT resource deployment and technology staffing across the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and India. A clear responsibility brief is a useful starting point for discussing a specialist resource requirement.

Explore Cognatrix's staffing approach at cognaatrix.com as you prepare your next staffing enquiry.