Recruitment & HR

Agency Recruiter Job Description

An Agency Recruiter matches candidates with client vacancies while managing a commercial desk, maintaining reliable records, and protecting relationships on both sides of the placement.

Define whether the desk is candidate-led, vacancy-led, 180-degree, or 360-degree, then adapt the template and evaluation guide to the market.

Use the template Prepare the intake meeting

Candidate-facing template

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Replace bracketed details, remove anything that is not genuinely required, and obtain the appropriate internal approval before advertising.

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Agency Recruiter

Location: [Location or working arrangement]
Employment type: [Full-time or part-time]
Reports to: [Team Leader, Recruitment Manager, or Branch Manager]

About the role

[Agency name] is hiring an Agency Recruiter for our [market] desk. You will qualify client vacancies, source and assess relevant candidates, manage submissions and interviews, and maintain the commercial and relationship discipline needed for successful placements.

What you will be responsible for

Qualify vacancies by confirming duties, essentials, process, budget, timescale, competition, and terms of engagement.
Build candidate pipelines through outreach, referrals, advertising, database search, networking, and re-engagement.
Screen evidence, motivation, availability, location, compensation, and work eligibility within lawful local practice.
Submit concise candidate profiles and control interview, feedback, offer, notice, and start-date actions.
Maintain accurate CRM records for ownership, consent, conversations, stage, forecast, and next action.
Develop existing accounts and, where assigned, win appropriate new business without misrepresenting candidates or vacancies.

What success looks like

Clients receive relevant submissions quickly enough to compete while evidence remains accurate.
Candidates receive honest information and dependable updates from first contact through post-placement care.
The desk has a visible, supportable forecast based on current vacancy and candidate activity.

Essential qualifications

Recruitment, staffing, talent delivery, consultative sales, or closely related experience.
Ability to qualify a brief and screen candidates against agreed evidence rather than keywords alone.
Comfort managing commercial priorities, objections, deadlines, and frequent communication.
Reliable ATS or CRM habits, including clear notes, ownership, next steps, and data care.
Professional judgement when discussing pay, counteroffers, references, availability, or sensitive information.

Preferred qualifications

Knowledge of [sector, job family, location, or staffing model].
Experience working to fee, margin, placement, or account-growth goals.
Existing exposure to temporary-worker compliance or contract extensions where relevant to the desk.

Tools and working knowledge

Recruitment CRM or ATS
Candidate databases, job boards, and professional networks
Calling, email, calendar, and commercial reporting tools

Package: [State the approved base range and currency, commission method, payment timing, thresholds, guarantees, benefits, and any recoverable draw clearly.]

[Agency name] welcomes applicants with varied career routes and will discuss reasonable adjustments for assessment and work, subject to local requirements.

How to apply

Apply via [method] with a short account of the market, desk, customer, or candidate work most relevant to this position.

Edit the complete candidate-facing description

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Agency Recruiter

Location: [Location or working arrangement]

Employment type: [Full-time or part-time]

Reports to: [Team Leader, Recruitment Manager, or Branch Manager]

About the role
[Agency name] is hiring an Agency Recruiter for our [market] desk. You will qualify client vacancies, source and assess relevant candidates, manage submissions and interviews, and maintain the commercial and relationship discipline needed for successful placements.

What you will be responsible for
- Qualify vacancies by confirming duties, essentials, process, budget, timescale, competition, and terms of engagement.
- Build candidate pipelines through outreach, referrals, advertising, database search, networking, and re-engagement.
- Screen evidence, motivation, availability, location, compensation, and work eligibility within lawful local practice.
- Submit concise candidate profiles and control interview, feedback, offer, notice, and start-date actions.
- Maintain accurate CRM records for ownership, consent, conversations, stage, forecast, and next action.
- Develop existing accounts and, where assigned, win appropriate new business without misrepresenting candidates or vacancies.

What success looks like
- Clients receive relevant submissions quickly enough to compete while evidence remains accurate.
- Candidates receive honest information and dependable updates from first contact through post-placement care.
- The desk has a visible, supportable forecast based on current vacancy and candidate activity.

Essential qualifications
- Recruitment, staffing, talent delivery, consultative sales, or closely related experience.
- Ability to qualify a brief and screen candidates against agreed evidence rather than keywords alone.
- Comfort managing commercial priorities, objections, deadlines, and frequent communication.
- Reliable ATS or CRM habits, including clear notes, ownership, next steps, and data care.
- Professional judgement when discussing pay, counteroffers, references, availability, or sensitive information.

Preferred qualifications
- Knowledge of [sector, job family, location, or staffing model].
- Experience working to fee, margin, placement, or account-growth goals.
- Existing exposure to temporary-worker compliance or contract extensions where relevant to the desk.

Tools and working knowledge
- Recruitment CRM or ATS
- Candidate databases, job boards, and professional networks
- Calling, email, calendar, and commercial reporting tools

Package: [State the approved base range and currency, commission method, payment timing, thresholds, guarantees, benefits, and any recoverable draw clearly.]

[Agency name] welcomes applicants with varied career routes and will discuss reasonable adjustments for assessment and work, subject to local requirements.

How to apply
Apply via [method] with a short account of the market, desk, customer, or candidate work most relevant to this position.

Performance expectations

What good performance looks like

Use these outcomes to replace vague activity lists with the evidence the hiring manager expects to see after the person joins.

Vacancies entering the desk have usable requirements, commercial terms, decision steps, and realistic delivery priorities.

Submissions convert because they are selective, evidence-based, and aligned with candidate expectations.

Revenue and margin forecasts reflect genuine stage evidence rather than optimistic activity counts.

Hiring-manager intake

Questions to settle before advertising

Record specific answers so sourcing, screening, and interview decisions use the same definition of the role.

1
Is this a 180-degree delivery role, a 360-degree desk, or an account-management position?
2
Which market, geography, contract type, and client segment will the recruiter cover?
3
How are ownership, commission, split fees, rebates, guarantees, and bad debt handled?
4
What support exists for sourcing, compliance, payroll, marketing, administration, and business development?
5
Which measures balance revenue with quality, candidate care, record accuracy, and repeat business?

Evaluation criteria

Evidence to use in a Agency Recruiter scorecard

Agree the criteria before interviews begin, then score examples against the same evidence standard.

Criterion

Useful evidence

Concern to explore

Vacancy qualification

Tests deliverability, urgency, decision access, competition, terms, and candidate proposition.

Accepts unqualified jobs to inflate vacancy counts or begins work without a decision route.

Commercial delivery

Connects disciplined activity to conversion, margin, forecast, and long-term account value.

Relies on high message volume while ignoring quality, conversion, or relationship damage.

Two-sided trust

Sets realistic expectations and communicates setbacks honestly to clients and candidates.

Changes facts, withholds material information, or pressures one party to protect a fee.

Structured interview

Agency Recruiter interview questions and strong signals

Ask the same core questions in the same order, then use follow-ups to understand the candidate’s individual contribution.

Walk me through a placement from vacancy qualification to start date.

Strong answer signal

Explains evidence, ownership, commercial terms, candidate control, risks, records, and post-placement follow-up.

What do you do when a client asks for more CVs but has not reviewed the first shortlist?

Strong answer signal

Diagnoses the concern, seeks specific feedback, recalibrates the brief, and protects candidate time.

Describe a deal you chose not to pursue.

Strong answer signal

Uses ethical, delivery, credit, terms, candidate, or opportunity-cost reasoning rather than chasing every vacancy.

Related titles

Check the scope behind the title

Recruitment Consultant — often a 360-degree role with both client development and candidate delivery.

Delivery Consultant — usually focuses on sourcing, assessment, and vacancy fulfilment rather than new sales.

Staffing Consultant — may emphasise temporary or contract workforce fulfilment and ongoing worker care.

Common hiring mistakes

Problems to remove before publishing

Using “uncapped earnings” without explaining the actual commission calculation and payment conditions.

Failing to state whether business development, cold calling, client visits, or out-of-hours work is expected.

Celebrating activity volume while omitting candidate care, data quality, margins, and repeat-client outcomes.

Continue the hiring workflow

Related roles and recruiter resources

Related job descriptions

Recruiter Executive Recruiter Technical Recruiter Account Manager

Helpful recruiter resources

Recruitment Sales CRM

Connect candidate delivery with client, deal, and revenue records.

Recruitment Business Development Workflow

Organise prospecting, qualification, follow-up, and vacancy conversion.

Recruitment Fee Calculator

Model placement fees from the agreed rate and salary inputs.

Recruitment Agency Lead Generation

Explore practical approaches to building a healthier client pipeline.

Source and review notes

How this template was prepared

Language: International English
Prepared by: ATZ CRM Editorial Team
Review: ATZ CRM Recruitment Editorial Review
Last reviewed: 2026-08-05

O*NET: Human Resources Specialists

Reference for occupation tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, and work activities.

ESCO: occupations and skills

Reference for internationally recognised occupation and skills terminology.

Qualifications, compensation, licences, working conditions, and equal-opportunity wording must be checked for the role and location before use.

Recruiter questions

Agency Recruiter job description FAQs

What does an Agency Recruiter do?

They qualify client vacancies, find and assess candidates, coordinate selection and offers, manage records, and may also develop accounts or win new business.

What is a 360-degree recruitment role?

It normally combines business development, client management, and candidate delivery. A 180-degree role generally focuses on one side, but employers should spell out their model.

How should commission appear in the job description?

State the calculation basis, thresholds, payment timing, splits, rebates, guarantees, and currency clearly enough that applicants can understand the opportunity.