Questions employers ask us
every week.

Undercover Talent is a blue and white collar recruitment agency across Australia and New Zealand. We don't just fill roles - we fix why hiring keeps breaking. We find passive talent, help you win candidates over other employers, and keep them through retention, attendance, KPI and incentive work, plus personality testing, workforce planning and a credit model instead of %-of-salary fees.

Blue collar (led by Julia Ayoub): warehouse & distribution, FMCG, construction & trades, manufacturing & production, plumbing & maintenance, electrical & mechanical, transport, supply chain & logistics, medical devices and pharmaceutical. White collar (led by Karina Lad): finance & accounting, business & corporate services, sales & business development, marketing & digital, HR / people & culture, legal & compliance, administration, procurement, healthcare and ICT.

Nationally across Australia and New Zealand.

Most agencies advertise, screen the same pool of active applicants and charge a percentage of salary. We reach people who aren't looking, dig into why candidates would choose you, fix the retention and attendance problems behind repeat vacancies, and offer a credit model so we never earn more by pushing salaries up.

Instead of a percentage of salary, you buy a bank of recruitment credits on a plan. Each hire uses a set number of credits, with tiers tailored to your business - never a percentage of salary. Credits roll over, you're invoiced monthly on what you use, and your spend is predictable. The more you hire, the lower the price per credit.

Not for ongoing roles. At a $55 charge rate and 38 hours a week, one labour hire worker costs about $2,090 a week - over $54,000 in six months. Labour hire works for short-term cover and project spikes, but when casuals fill roles that are really permanent, moving them to permanent usually costs far less.

Close the gap between offer and start date. Confirm within 24 hours of the offer by phone, send day-one details a week out (time, who to ask for, what to wear, where to park), check in the day before, and check in on their first day. Most no-shows aren't flaky - they were unsure, and nobody made them sure.

Usually speed. In our own LinkedIn poll of employers hiring across warehousing, trades and site roles, 70% said the time taken to make an offer is where it falls over. If your process takes more than a week, the best people are already gone.

Sometimes pay is the problem and a counter-offer fixes it. But if they wanted to leave because they felt unheard, undervalued or stuck, money alone won't keep them. Ask what made them start looking, agree on what will change, put a date against it and follow through.

It depends on the role and market, but because we work our passive network before roles go live, it can be very fast - we've had a Warehouse Manager offered within 24 hours of the role opening.

Yes. Shortlisted candidates can complete a plain-language personality profile tailored to the role. Each report includes a "how to manage this person" section, so you know how someone works before they start.

As involved as you want. One role, one site, or every site under one system - we'll recommend the setup that fits your business.

Send your resume to hello@undercovertalent.com.au, even if you're not actively looking. Every conversation is confidential, and we'll give you an honest read on every opportunity.