Financial-services roles in the UK sit at the more senior, more regulated end of the market. Recent government analysis found that in the financial services sector, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3 to 5 GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report. In plain terms, employers are hiring for degree-level and above positions that carry professional standards, not entry-level admin.
That matters for how you build a scorecard. When the bar is set at RQF 6+ GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report, a vague advert that says "finance experience" will pull in the wrong applicants. A scorecard forces you to name the exact qualification level, the regulated activity and the outcomes the role owns, before you write a single interview question.
Live adverts tell you what the market actually wants, so start there. Pull three to five current job posts for the role you are filling and read them side by side. Because financial-services hiring skews towards RQF 6+ positions GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report, you will usually see a cluster of recurring requirements: a named professional qualification, a regulated competency, sector-specific systems and a short list of outcomes the person is expected to deliver.
Group those recurring requirements into three bands. First, the non-negotiables: the qualification level, right-to-work and any regulatory approval. Second, the technical skills a strong hire should already have. Third, the behaviours that predict success in your team. A scorecard that mirrors live demand keeps you honest about what is essential versus what is simply nice to have.
Begin with outcomes, not duties. Write down the three or four things this person must achieve in their first year, then work backwards to the evidence that someone can achieve them. For a regulated role, anchor the top of the scorecard to the qualification level the market expects, which in financial services generally means RQF 6+ GOV.UK - Temporary Shortage List: Stage 2 report.
Then test the scorecard on a shortlist before you commit. If two capable people score far apart for reasons unrelated to the role, your criteria or anchors need tightening. A good scorecard produces the same result no matter who holds the pen.
Once your scorecard is ready, you need a way to match it against real people quickly. We search a database of 15 million candidates and rank them against your criteria, so your shortlist reflects the qualifications and competencies that matter for a regulated role. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost, through Reed.ai. Share your scorecard with us today and see your shortlist take shape.
