How long a placement takes
Ranges rather than dates, built from comparable spells — including the people still waiting.
Outlook estimates how long somebody is likely to sit on the bench, and it answers in ranges.
Why never a date
A single number gets quoted as a date, and a date becomes a promise — to a consultant, and then to their family. A range with the cohort behind it is something a recruiter can repeat honestly.
The people still waiting are counted
Averaging only the consultants who were placed answers a different question, and answers it optimistically: the ones still on the bench are the slow cases, and leaving them out deletes exactly the evidence that matters.
What is never used
- Name — the most available proxy for ethnicity in this data, and useless as a predictor.
- Age, gender and photograph.
- The recruiter a consultant happens to be assigned to.
Risk is not probability
Where a spell is flagged, it is comparing that spell against what comparable ones did and naming what is unusual about it. It never says somebody will or will not be placed.
Frequently asked
Why is the range so wide?
Because the cohort it is drawn from is genuinely varied. A narrow range from thin evidence would be a more confident lie.
Can I show this to a consultant?
The range, yes — it is built to be repeatable honestly. It carries no rate and no vendor.
Does a flag mean somebody is unplaceable?
No. It names what is unusual against comparable spells, which is usually something you can change: the titles, the skills, the locations or the rate.
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