Recruiting template
Recruitment Proposal Template
A recruitment proposal is the document a staffing agency or recruiter sends a client to win a hiring brief: what the client needs, how you will fill the roles, the timeline, your fees and terms. Pick the version below that matches the service you are offering, fill in your details and copy it.
Fill in your details
Every version below updates as you type. A field left empty stays as a [placeholder] in the text you copy.
Email versions open straight in your email app with the subject and text filled in. You add the recipient there.
Your company and sender details are remembered, so the next template starts with them filled in.
Contingency recruitment proposal
When to use it: You will be paid only if the client hires a candidate you introduce, for one role or a handful.
Retained search proposal
When to use it: A senior or hard-to-fill role, where the client appoints you exclusively and pays in stages.
Temporary and contract staffing proposal
When to use it: The client needs temporary or contract workers, supplied and paid through your agency.
RPO and volume hiring proposal
When to use it: The client wants you to run all or part of its recruiting process for a programme of hires.
Recruitment proposal cover email
When to use it: The email you send with the proposal attached, after the client briefing call.
SubjectRecruitment proposal for [Client company]: [Roles to fill]
Proposal follow-up email
When to use it: A week or so after sending the proposal, when you have not heard back.
SubjectRe: Recruitment proposal for [Client company]
How to use this template
- 1Hold a briefing call before you write anything. A proposal built on the client's own words about the roles and the problem reads very differently from a brochure.
- 2Pick the version that matches the service: contingency, retained search, temporary staffing or RPO.
- 3Fill in the fields above. Leave the fee and rate fields empty until you have set them; they stay as [Fee] and [Charge rate] so nothing goes out unpriced.
- 4Make the screening section specific: what you check, how, and what the client receives with each candidate.
- 5Keep it short. Put the detail in your terms of business and attach them, and make sure the proposal and the terms say the same thing.
- 6Send it with the cover email within a day of the call, and follow up if you have not heard back.
Mistakes to avoid
- Writing about the agency for pages before mentioning the client's roles.
- Promising a timeline or a number of candidates you cannot deliver.
- Leaving the fee vague, or putting it in the proposal differently from the terms of business.
- Copying a proposal from another client and leaving their name or roles in it.
- No expiry date, so the client can accept old terms months later.
- Describing your screening in general words that any agency could use.
Questions
What is a recruitment proposal?
A document a recruitment or staffing agency sends a prospective client, setting out the hiring need, how the agency will fill the roles, the timeline, the fees and the terms. It is how agencies win a brief or a preferred supplier place.
What should a staffing proposal include?
The client's need in their own words, the roles and location, your relevant experience, how you will source and screen candidates, the timeline, how you will report progress, your fees and payment terms, any guarantee, the next steps and a date the proposal is valid until.
What is the difference between contingency and retained recruitment?
With contingency recruitment, the agency is paid only when the client hires a candidate it introduced, and the client may use several agencies. With retained search, the client appoints one agency exclusively and pays the fee in stages during the search, usually for senior or hard-to-fill roles.
What is an RPO proposal?
A proposal for recruitment process outsourcing, where a company hands all or part of its recruiting process to an outside provider. It covers scope, what the provider runs and what stays in-house, the team, reporting and how fees are charged.
How should a recruitment agency price a proposal?
State the fee model clearly: a fee on placement, a retainer paid in stages, an hourly charge rate for temporary staff, or a programme fee for RPO. Base the amount on your own costs and the market for the role, and match it to your terms of business.
How long should a recruitment proposal be?
Long enough to cover the need, approach, timeline, fees and next steps; for a single role that is often a page or two. Put the full legal terms in your terms of business rather than the proposal.
How do you write a recruitment agency proposal that wins?
Use the client's own description of the problem, show experience with similar roles, be specific about how you screen candidates and what the client receives, give a timeline you can meet and send it quickly after the briefing call.
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