Start with relevance
The candidate market should follow the position, not an arbitrary list of companies. Consider the operating environments where the required experience is likely to have developed, including differences in organisation size and responsibility.
Test assumptions
Research is an opportunity to test the original brief. If the market does not reflect an assumption, discuss it with the hiring team. Distinguish a difficult requirement from a requirement that is poorly defined.
Keep the focus
A useful market view explains why a background deserves attention. Keep the research connected to the role and use candidate conversations to understand the details that cannot be inferred from a title alone.