There is a moment in every contractor placement where the information runs out. The CV has been reviewed. The recruiter has confirmed availability. And then the contractor gets on a plane.
What happens between that approval and the first day on site is largely a matter of hope.
What the CV tells you, and what it does not
"Commissioning engineer, 8 years experience" does not tell you whether they have worked on the control system your project uses. The CV provides category. The role requires specificity.
What the interview tells you, and what it does not
A good interview reveals communication style and confidence. Neither type reliably reveals how someone will behave under deployment conditions. The interview measures interview performance. It does not measure deployment performance.
The behaviours that predict deployment success
They push back when asked to compromise safety. They de-escalate conflicts without losing the relationship. They make decisions when instructions are incomplete. They hand over properly. They work across cultures.
These five behaviours are observable, assessable, and predictive. They can be evaluated before the contractor reaches the client's desk.
Where the industry is headed
Video-based assessment. AI-driven technical matching at a granular level. Structured scoring rubrics. None of this replaces the client interview. It changes what the interview is for. Instead of discovery, the interview becomes confirmation.
The screening gap is not inevitable. It is a feature of a model that has not changed in decades. The model is starting to change now.