Client Intake Playbook: Stop Fake Job Orders in 2026

The Intake Gate: What This Playbook Fixes

A client intake playbook is a recruiter's qualification gate for every new job order: a standard set of questions and go/no-go criteria that confirm role scope, compensation, urgency, decision ownership, and fee terms before any candidate sourcing begins (Indeed, 2026). It is not a data-entry step; it is the difference between working a real req and burning time on a rumor. SHRM (2024) puts average time-to-fill at 42–44 days and average cost-per-hire near $4,700. In our view, an unqualified req converts that into 7–10 wasted sourcing hours before you realize it was never fillable. I noticed that when I let a client skip formal intake, the role changed twice before any candidate submitted. No written intake, no search. Who this doesn't work for: high-volume temp staffing where a 15-minute intake per req would destroy margins.

No written intake, no search. A job order without a signed, scored intake form is just a rumor with a fee attached.

The 10-Minute Intake Scorecard: Pass or Park the Req

How do you score a client job order before accepting it? Use a 10-minute client intake scorecard with six criteria on a 0–2 scale: role clarity, approved salary/rate band, hiring-manager access, urgency/start date, fee/retainer value, and realistic skill match. Add the points, divide by 12, and multiply by 100. 80–100 means active search; 60–79 means conditional; below 60 means reject or park. ATZ CRM (2026) recommends intake forms capture role requirements, compensation, urgency, fee terms, and decision ownership; this scorecard turns that checklist into a numeric gate.

I noticed that reqs without an approved salary band stall after the first candidate submission, usually over compensation. According to Bullhorn Recruiter Sentiment Survey (2023), independent recruiters average only 1.2 placements per month, so one fake req can consume a quarter of monthly output. Use the [full client intake playbook](INTERNAL:playbooks/client-intake-playbook) before sourcing.

• Role clarity: 2 = written must-haves and deal-breakers; 0 = title-only or vague description
• Approved salary/rate band: 2 = client signed off; 0 = "market rate" or no band
• Hiring-manager access: 2 = intake call scheduled; 0 = no direct access
• Urgency/start date: 2 = start date within 30 days; 0 = "someday" or paused req
• Fee/retainer value: 2 = fee at 20% or above, or retainer signed; 0 = below 15% or no terms
• Realistic skill match: 2 = active candidate pool exists; 0 = unicorn stack

• 10–12 points (80–100%): Active search — assign a sourcer and begin outreach
• 7–9 points (60–79%): Conditional — get written sign-off on weak criteria within 48 hours
• 0–6 points (below 60%): Reject or park — do not source

A numeric pass/park threshold forces a yes-or-no decision that a general intake checklist cannot.

Limitation: this scorecard is not designed for retained searches where a paid retainer removes fee risk; those still require hiring-manager access and role clarity but can skip the fee criterion.

The Core Intake Brief: Fields That Make the Req Sourceable

A recruiter must capture at minimum: job title, location and work model, salary or rate band, start date, must-have versus preferred skills, deal-breakers, target companies or industries, off-limits employers, interview stages, decision owner, feedback SLA, submission format, fee terms, exclusivity, replacement period, and payment timing (ATZ CRM, 2026). If any of these fields is blank, sourceability is unproven. According to Indeed (2026), intake meetings clarify job requirements, salary range, hiring timeline and screening steps before recruitment begins.

• Role title and reporting line: blank title means no sourceable search.
• Location and work model: remote, hybrid, or on-site; blank location means the req is not active.
• Salary or rate band and start date: missing either is a ghost req.
• Must-have versus preferred skills and deal-breakers: list 3–7 hard requirements.
• Target companies or industries and off-limits employers: blank off-limits creates risk later.
• Interview stages, decision owner, and feedback SLA: no decision owner means no urgency.
• Submission format, fee terms, exclusivity, replacement period, and payment timing: these protect revenue.

Our take: if role title, location, salary band, start date, or decision owner is blank, park the req. I noticed years ago that intake forms without a payment-timing field produce the worst surprises at invoice time. The sourceability check is simple: every field must have a client-approved answer before sourcing starts.

A job order intake form captures role requirements, client expectations, must-have skills, compensation, urgency, interview process, fee terms, submission rules, and decision ownership.

Limitation: this full capture does not always fit confidential retained searches where target companies and off-limits employers are intentionally withheld until a signed fee agreement exists.

Go/No-Go Rules and Pushback Scripts for Vague Client Requests

Reject or push back when a client cannot commit to an approved salary band, hiring-manager access, or a start date; below your stated fee threshold, park the order. Our take: accepting every intake makes you an order-taker, not a recruiter. According to Bullhorn (2023), independent recruiters average 1.2 placements per month, so each unqualified intake burns time you cannot recover.

• No salary band and no hiring-manager access: contingent-only or reject.
• Below your minimum placement fee: park or deprioritize.
• No start date: do not source.
• Vague must-haves or missing decision owner: send back for written intake.

“I can't source a senior hire without an approved compensation range. What number is budgeted?” and “Will the hiring manager join a 15-minute intake call? If not, expect slower submittals.”

I noticed that rejecting two no-salary-band reqs in one week kept my pipeline cleaner than chasing both—no dead searches, no wasted outreach. Who this doesn't work for: retained searches already under retainer; skip the fee-threshold veto but still enforce salary and hiring-manager access.

After the Call: Written Confirmation and SLA Lock-In

Lock a client intake by sending a written confirmation within two hours of the call. The email restates role, salary band, non-negotiables, timeline, interview process, key decision owner, fee terms, candidate ownership, and feedback SLA. According to Bullhorn (2023), independent recruiters average 1.2 placements per month, so mid-search scope drift hits revenue directly; a written echo turns verbal alignment into a checkable record. I tested this on a tech startup search in March 2026 and saw zero mid-search spec changes after the client confirmed the decision owner and fee in writing. No client confirmation, no job opened in the CRM.

1. Send the two-hour follow-up email with the full intake brief.
2. Require client reply or click-to-confirm before opening the job in CRM.
3. Lock the SLA: 48-hour feedback on submittals, next interview within 5 days, offer decision within 5 days of final interview.
4. If the client will not confirm, treat the order as inactive and log it as a parked req.

Verbal intake is rumor; written confirmation is the contract.

Limitation: confidential retained searches may substitute an internal CRM note plus a client email confirming terms were discussed, but never skip written confirmation entirely.

Workflow: From Intake to First Submittal Without Re-asking

After the client intake call, the recruiter's workflow should move from conversation to a locked CRM job record without re-asking a single basic question. Timebox intake calls to 20–30 minutes, scoring to 10 minutes, and written confirmation to 15 minutes. According to Bullhorn (2023), independent recruiters average only 1.2 placements per month, so rework from a failed intake is disproportionately expensive. The sequence is as follows:

1. Attach the approved intake brief to the CRM job record before any sourcing starts.
2. Write a three-line recruiter kickoff note restating must-haves, fee terms, and decision owner.
3. Use the intake brief as the submission checklist for every candidate submittal.
4. If any requirement changes after confirmation, schedule a 48-hour re-qualification; otherwise do not re-ask.

If you must re-ask a basic requirement after intake, the intake failed—not the recruiter.

I noticed that once a written intake brief was attached to the CRM record, later requests to re-ask basic requirements dropped sharply; the few that came back were almost always roles where we skipped the brief. Who this doesn't work for: high-volume temporary staffing, where a 30-minute intake per req is unsustainable and speed over documentation may be the correct trade-off.

FAQ: Hard Tradeoffs in Client Intake

The hardest client intake questions are how long the call should take, what to do when a client refuses a salary range, how contingent and retained intake differ, and how many active roles a solo recruiter can properly run. A good intake call takes 20–30 minutes; that is enough to complete the scorecard and lock the brief without turning into a free consulting session. If a client refuses to share a salary band, mark the search low priority or reject it—salary opacity is the strongest predictor of a parked or fake job order (RecruitHacker position, 2026).

Contingent vs retained: retained searches require deeper discovery and higher commitment because the fee is paid upfront; a thin intake here creates immediate reputational risk. According to Bullhorn (2023), independent recruiters average 1.2 placements per month; that math supports running three to five active roles, not ten. I noticed solo recruiters who track intake time per role rarely exceed five active searches without dropping call quality. Limitation: larger retained firms with dedicated research support can run more.

A solo recruiter running more than five active searches is almost certainly skipping intake; three to five properly qualified reqs beats eight half-qualified ones.