# Recruitment client intake meeting template: agree the brief before screening

Agree role requirements, preferences and open decisions with this recruitment client intake template, worked example and practical handoff checklist.

Canonical source: https://recruitrecap.com/blog/recruitment-client-intake-template
Author: Recruit Recap editorial team
Published: 2026-09-28T07:00:00+10:00
Updated: 2026-09-28T05:16:29.934385+00:00

A recruitment client intake meeting template records the role's purpose, essential requirements, acceptable trade-offs, practical constraints and hiring process. A useful brief turns a conversation into a shared reference: what the recruiter should look for, what evidence would support a shortlist and which decisions still belong to the client.

The most useful outcome is not a transcript. It is an agreed brief that another recruiter can apply consistently. Use the template below to separate requirements from preferences and give every unresolved question an owner.

## Start with the outcome the role exists to deliver

Job titles can hide very different expectations. Before listing skills, ask what the successful hire needs to accomplish. Record the client's answer in concrete terms, then connect the requirements to that work.

For example, “improve reporting across three teams” is a clearer starting point than “commercially minded self-starter.” It creates a follow-up question: what reporting problem exists, and which part of it will this person own? Do not invent a performance target the client has not agreed.

Ask what changed since the last time the role was hired. A replacement role may have a different scope, manager or working arrangement. Reusing an old job description without checking those assumptions can leave the team screening against the wrong brief.

## Separate essential requirements from preferences

A long wish list is difficult to apply consistently. Give each requirement a status and a reason. If the client calls everything essential, ask which requirement they would reconsider for a candidate who demonstrates the strongest relevant evidence.

| Requirement type | Question to resolve | How to record it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Essential | What work cannot be done without this? | Requirement, reason and evidence to seek |
| Preferred | What would be useful but can be learned? | Preference and acceptable alternatives |
| Flexible | Which trade-off could the client accept? | Agreed flexibility and decision owner |
| Unresolved | Who must confirm the answer? | Question, owner and due date |

This is a discussion framework. It does not authorise the recruiter to change the criteria independently. Record the client's decision, including any later revision, so the screening team sees the same version.

## Copy this recruitment client intake template

### Role context

Client and role: [name / role]

Intake date, participants and owner: [details]

Brief version: [version / approval date]

Reason for hiring: [replacement, growth or changed scope, as discussed]

Expected contribution: [work the person will own]

Reporting line and team: [confirmed context]

### Requirements and evidence

Essential requirement one: [requirement / reason / evidence to seek]

Essential requirement two: [requirement / reason / evidence to seek]

Essential requirement three: [requirement / reason / evidence to seek]

Preferences: [useful experience and acceptable alternatives]

Agreed trade-offs: [flexibility / who can approve it]

### Practical boundaries

Budget or range: [amount / currency / period / components / approval status]

Location and working arrangement: [confirmed expectations]

Timing: [target milestones; distinguish targets from commitments]

Other role-specific constraints: [confirmed information]

### Hiring process and handoff

Interview stages: [stage / purpose / owner]

Decision-maker: [person or role]

Shortlist format: [sections and evidence the client wants]

Feedback process: [channel / owner / agreed turnaround, if any]

Open questions: [question / owner / target date]

Brief confirmed by: [client owner / date / version]

## Worked example: turn a vague preference into a usable question

This fictional example shows the difference between recording language and clarifying meaning. It is not a customer case study.

A client asks for “someone senior who can own reporting.” The recruiter asks which decisions that person will make and what the current reporting process lacks. The client explains that the role coordinates inputs from three teams, checks the weekly report and explains exceptions to the department lead. Direct people management would be useful but is not required.

| Initial wording | Clarified brief |
| --- | --- |
| Senior person | Able to explain reporting exceptions to the department lead; seniority label alone is insufficient. |
| Own reporting | Coordinate three teams' inputs and check the weekly report. |
| Management background | Preferred; client accepts relevant coordination experience without direct reports. |
| Start soon | Target date still to be confirmed by the client owner. |

The screening question can now ask for an example of coordinating multiple contributors and explaining an exception. That produces evidence relevant to the brief. It is more actionable than asking whether the candidate considers themselves senior.

## Confirm the brief before distributing it

Send the client a concise recap of the agreed requirements, preferences, practical boundaries and open decisions. Make it easy to correct a specific section. If a decision is pending, label it that way rather than presenting the draft as final.

Store the confirmed version where the recruiting team works. When the client changes a requirement, record the change and tell the people already screening. An updated document is not enough if someone continues using a saved copy from last week.

The [candidate submittal template](https://recruitrecap.com/blog/candidate-submittal-template) provides a useful downstream check: could a recruiter explain why a candidate is being introduced against this brief? If the answer depends on an unspoken preference, clarify the intake first.

## Use AI to organize the conversation, then review the decisions

An AI-generated recap can organize the discussion into your chosen sections. The reviewer should check whether a suggestion became an agreement, whether two participants expressed different views and whether an unresolved number was presented as approved.

Do not ask a writing tool to choose the client's trade-offs. Ask it to distinguish confirmed requirements, preferences and unresolved questions using the information available. The recruiter and client remain responsible for agreeing the brief.

When evaluating tools, compare a client intake as well as a candidate screen. Our [specialist-versus-general meeting assistant guide](https://recruitrecap.com/blog/recruiting-ai-note-takers-vs-meeting-assistants) explains that two-conversation test. Useful output depends on the actual configuration and workflow, not simply the product category label.

## Separate base compensation from the total package

For a US client intake, spell out USD and distinguish the approved annual base salary or hourly rate from bonus, commission and other components. Record which figures the client confirmed and which still need approval. A target package is not the same as an approved base salary range.

Use explicit dates and time zones for interview coordination. Spell out whether a target start date is flexible. Avoid assuming that a local title or working arrangement has the same meaning for every reader. These conventions help a distributed team share context without creating five near-identical versions of the article.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who should approve the intake notes?

The client owner responsible for the brief should confirm the requirements and outstanding decisions through your agreed process. Record who confirmed which version so later changes have a clear reference point.

### What if the client has not agreed the salary range?

Mark the range as unresolved or awaiting approval, with an owner and follow-up date. Do not convert an indicative discussion into an approved offer range.

### Does the template replace a job description?

No. It records the working brief behind the search, including priorities, trade-offs and process details. A job description may be one input, but it does not always contain those decisions.

## Bring your intake format to a demo

[Recruit Recap](https://recruitrecap.com) supports AI meeting notes and custom write-ups for recruitment agencies. Bring the sections your team already uses for client intakes, including custom items and approval steps. Review a draft against that format and scope any ATS requirements separately.

### Further reading

[Metaview's agency workflow guide](https://www.metaview.ai/resources/blog/how-recruiting-agencies-use-ai-tools) discusses intake as part of a wider recruiting process. [Fireflies' recruiting page](https://fireflies.ai/use-cases/recruiting) also describes intake and custom summary workflows. Those vendor pages provide context; the template and fictional example above are original editorial material.