# A change log for recruiting search briefs

A recruiting search brief needs a change log when requirements, budget, process, or timing change after launch.

Canonical source: https://recruitrecap.com/blog/recruiting-search-brief-change-log
Author: Recruit Recap editorial team
Published: 2026-10-06T13:45:00+11:00

A recruiting search brief needs a change log when requirements, budget, process, or timing change after launch. Record what changed, who approved it, when it applies, and which candidate conversations or documents need an update.

## Use a short, actionable record

| Field | Fictional change |
| --- | --- |
| Previous requirement | Experience owning enterprise implementations |
| New requirement | Mid-market implementation ownership also acceptable |
| Approver | Client role owner |
| Effective date | Date of confirmed client decision |
| Affected work | Revisit screened candidates excluded only for customer segment |

This is a fictional process example. The agency should not change an essential requirement merely because a template suggests doing so.

## Preserve the reason for the revision

The reason helps recruiters understand how to apply the change. Did the client narrow the role's responsibilities, discover a mistaken assumption, or agree to consider transferable experience? The same wording may lead to different screening decisions depending on the explanation.

Keep the earlier brief available according to the agency's record practices. Replacing it without a history can make earlier recruiter decisions look inconsistent when they were based on different instructions.

## Identify downstream corrections

Review the job overview, outreach copy, screening questions, role scorecard, candidate submittal, and ATS fields affected. Assign an owner to each update. A corrected master brief does not guarantee all copies have changed.

For candidates already in process, decide who will communicate any material difference. Do not assume an updated internal record communicates a new office schedule or compensation range to a candidate who heard the earlier version.

## Avoid accidental changes in summaries

A later meeting may discuss a possible revision without approving it. Use “proposed” until the decision owner confirms. A summary that removes this word can unintentionally change the search.

At each client check-in, ask which version of the brief the team is working from. It is a simple way to detect parallel documents before the discrepancy affects a shortlist.

The [client intake guide](/blog/recruitment-client-intake-template) establishes the initial brief; [stakeholder disagreement notes](/blog/recruiting-intake-stakeholder-disagreement) handle unresolved decisions. Recruit Recap's custom write-ups can organize a change discussion for review. This change-log method does not imply automatic version control, client approval routing, or ATS synchronization in the product.