Recruitment Consultant Job Description
Hire a Recruitment Consultant to manage full-cycle desk activity: winning clients, sourcing candidates and closing placements. This template helps employers create a clear, commercially focused advert that highlights the sales, relationship-building and delivery skills typical for agency recruitment roles.
What does a Recruitment Consultant professional do?
A Recruitment Consultant manages the end-to-end recruitment process for client vacancies, combining business development, candidate sourcing, interviewing and offer negotiation to deliver billable placements.
Recruitment Consultant job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Recruitment Consultant
About the role
[Company name] is hiring a Recruitment Consultant to join our [team/desk] in [Location]. You will own the full recruitment lifecycle for nominated clients — developing relationships, sourcing and screening candidates, coordinating interviews and closing placements. This role offers a target-driven base salary plus commission and opportunities for career progress. Contract: [Full-time / Part-time / Permanent / Fixed-term].
Key responsibilities
- Build and maintain strong relationships with client contacts; identify hiring needs and convert briefs into live vacancies.
- Source, screen and shortlist candidates using job boards, LinkedIn, direct sourcing and networking.
- Carry out telephone and face-to-face interviews to assess candidate suitability and cultural fit.
- Manage the full candidate journey from initial contact to offer and onboarding, keeping accurate records in the CRM.
- Negotiate terms, prepare offers and follow up to achieve placements and revenue targets.
- Meet weekly and monthly billing and activity targets; produce timely progress reports for senior management.
- Represent the company at networking events and contribute to desk/business development initiatives.
Essential skills and experience
- Proven experience in a recruitment or sales role (agency or in-house) with demonstrable success in meeting targets.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills and confident client-facing manner.
- Good organisation and time-management with the ability to handle multiple live vacancies.
- Experience using a CRM or applicant tracking system or the ability to learn one quickly.
- Commercial mindset with resilience and a results-orientated approach.
Desirable
- Experience recruiting within a specific sector (for example IT, engineering, finance or healthcare).
- Track record of business development and converting leads into retained or contingent assignments.
- Familiarity with advanced sourcing techniques including Boolean search and headhunting.
- Previous experience working to commission structures and personal KPIs.
What we offer
- [Competitive base salary + commission scheme]
- [Pension contribution]
- [Annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays]
- [Training and career development budget or programme]
- [Flexible / hybrid working policy]
- [Performance bonuses and awards]
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is a Recruitment Consultant role?
A Recruitment Consultant works at the intersection of sales and HR: they win and manage client accounts, source and assess candidates, and oversee the hiring process through to offer acceptance. The role is commercially focused and typically measured by placements, billing and activity metrics. Consultants often specialise by sector or job function but core skills include relationship management, sourcing and negotiation.
Client development
Convert hiring needs into assignments, build long-term client relationships and manage fee negotiations.
Candidate sourcing
Attract candidates via job boards, social media, networking and direct approaches; assess suitability and fit.
Commercial delivery
Drive placements to hit revenue targets; track activity and maintain accurate CRM records.
Typical Recruitment Consultant responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Build
Build and maintain strong relationships with client contacts; identify hiring needs and convert briefs into live vacancies.
Source
Source, screen and shortlist candidates using job boards, LinkedIn, direct sourcing and networking.
Carry out telephone
Carry out telephone and face-to-face interviews to assess candidate suitability and cultural fit.
Manage the full candidate journey
Manage the full candidate journey from initial contact to offer and onboarding, keeping accurate records in the CRM.
Negotiate terms
Negotiate terms, prepare offers and follow up to achieve placements and revenue targets.
Meet weekly
Meet weekly and monthly billing and activity targets; produce timely progress reports for senior management.
Represent the company at networking events
Represent the company at networking events and contribute to desk/business development initiatives.
Recruitment Consultant skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- Proven experience in a recruitment or sales role (agency or in-house) with demonstrable success in meeting targets.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills and confident client-facing manner.
- Good organisation and time-management with the ability to handle multiple live vacancies.
- Experience using a CRM or applicant tracking system or the ability to learn one quickly.
- Commercial mindset with resilience and a results-orientated approach.
Useful where relevant
- Experience recruiting within a specific sector (for example IT, engineering, finance or healthcare).
- Track record of business development and converting leads into retained or contingent assignments.
- Familiarity with advanced sourcing techniques including Boolean search and headhunting.
- Previous experience working to commission structures and personal KPIs.
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Recruitment Consultant job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Lead with scoreboard metrics
Mention realistic KPIs or examples of success (for example monthly placement expectations or desk size) so candidates understand the role’s commercial focus.
Be explicit about commission and progression
State whether the role includes a commission scheme, typical on-target earning narratives, and career paths to senior consultant or team lead roles.
Clarify the desk and sector
If the role covers a specialist market, name the sector (IT, construction, finance) to attract appropriate candidates and reduce unsuitable applications.
Describe the support available
List training, CRM tools and administrative support to show how new starters will be set up to succeed.
Recruitment Consultant salary considerations
Salaries for Recruitment Consultants vary widely depending on experience, sector specialism and whether the role includes commission. Rather than quoting a single market figure, set a salary range that reflects base pay, the expected commission structure and seniority.
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Recruitment Consultant candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
What is the commission structure and on-target earnings (OTE)?
Candidates will want clear information on base versus commission split, when commission is paid and realistic OTE to assess risk and reward.
What targets and KPIs will I be measured against?
Detail monthly/quarterly placement or revenue targets and other activity metrics such as calls, interviews or CVs submitted.
What training and progression opportunities are provided?
Candidates look for structured training, mentoring and a visible path to senior consultant, team lead or management roles.
Where is the role based and what is the hybrid/remote working policy?
Specify office location, expectations for client or team attendance, and any flexible or remote-working arrangements.
Which CRM/ATS and sourcing tools will I use?
Experienced recruiters expect to know which systems are in place and whether tools like LinkedIn Recruiter or advanced sourcing software are available.
Will I be joining an established desk or building one from scratch?
Candidates want to know whether they will inherit clients and processes or be responsible for developing new business and systems.
Where to post a Recruitment Consultant job
Recruitment Consultant roles advertise well across general UK job boards and professional networks, but distribution should also target industry-specific channels for the desk specialism (for example IT or engineering job boards) and recruitment communities on LinkedIn. Consider trade groups, sector forums and local universities for entry-level resourcer pipelines, and use targeted LinkedIn ads or sector newsletters for senior hires.
Related recruitment / talent acquisition job descriptions
Recruiting for a slightly different role? These templates may be a closer fit.
Recruitment Consultant job description FAQs
Do Recruitment Consultants need professional qualifications?
No statutory qualifications are required. Employers often value demonstrable recruitment or sales experience and may support industry certificates such as REC training or CIPD awareness programmes, but these are typically desirable rather than mandatory.
How long does it typically take to hire a Recruitment Consultant?
Hiring times vary: entry-level resourcers can be recruited in a few weeks, whereas experienced consultants with sector specialism can take longer. Allow 4–8 weeks for shortlisting, interviews and notice periods for successful candidates.
What KPIs should I set for this role?
Typical KPIs include number of calls/contacts, CVs submitted, interviews arranged, placements and billings. Set a mix of activity and outcome metrics with clear timeframes for new starters.
Should I advertise for a generalist or specialist consultant?
Choose based on client base and growth plans. Specialist consultants command higher fees in niche markets and deliver deeper candidate networks; generalists offer flexibility across sectors and can help scale volume desks quickly.
Ready to publish this advert?
Use the advert text and checklist above to create a vacancy listing, or post this role across multiple job boards to reach qualified recruitment professionals quickly.
