External recruiters who want to do business with PricewaterhouseCoopers should focus on "value-added services that we can't provide for ourselves" instead of "simply interfering in the natural union of candidates and clients", advises the accountancy firm's director of resourcing and people engagement.

Speaking exclusively to Recruiter's sister publication Resourcing, Charles Macleod at PwC said its philosophy of using external recruiters' services is to "pay them well but use them less".

When using outside help to recruit, PwC's in-house recruitment team looks to external recruiters that can deliver expert guidance in areas such as creating the right proposition for particular candidates and provide in-depth insight into certain professional markets.

"Say you're looking at a marketing professional. Chances are, they'll be attracted by different aspects of our firm and different types of involvement than some of the more technical financial attributes than we might look for in a business development person who's effectively a sales person," Macleod explained.

"What are the normal things that are offered in that sector? What are the creative issues? A specialist recruitment consultant can help you do that," Macleod said. "The big trap is if you let them drive your recruitment."

PwC wants to avoid the common scenario of years ago when a candidate would seek help from a recruitment agency to apply specifically for a job at the 'big four' firm. "That would drive you mad," Macleod said. "We try to make it possible for people who know they'd like to work with us to make a direct approach."