A recruitment agency brief should tell the agency what help the employer is buying, which role is involved and how candidates will be handled. Agree the scope and terms before assuming the agency will advertise, screen, check references or communicate decisions on the employer’s behalf.
This is an employer-side briefing guide. It does not recommend an agency, quote fees or describe a relationship between an agency and Brisbane Olympic Jobs.
Define the service before the vacancy details
Clarify whether the request concerns finding a direct employee, supplying labour through another arrangement or providing a limited recruitment service. Ask who would employ and pay the worker, and obtain appropriate advice if the arrangement is unclear.
Business Queensland’s hiring guidance identifies recruitment agencies as one option for finding staff. The actual service and responsibilities depend on the arrangement you agree, not the general label “agency”.
Identify the person who can approve terms and the person who will manage day-to-day contact. Keep a preliminary discussion separate from an authorised instruction to begin paid work.
Give a usable role brief
Provide the approved responsibilities, employment arrangement under consideration, work location, working pattern and requirements genuinely relevant to the role. Explain which matters are confirmed and which need clarification before advertising.
Describe the evidence the employer needs to assess. Avoid vague preferences such as “someone who fits in” when the actual requirement is accurate record keeping or customer communication.
Tell the agency about the proposed assessment stages, decision-makers and realistic availability for interviews. If the employer has not approved a start date or remuneration range, resolve that uncertainty rather than letting a draft assumption become a candidate promise.
Use a practical responsibility checklist
Agree who is responsible for:
- Approving the advertisement and any later changes.
- Receiving applications and managing candidate enquiries.
- Screening against the agreed role requirements.
- Arranging accessible interviews and assessments.
- Obtaining authority for checks and handling their results.
- Updating candidates and communicating outcomes.
- Preparing any offer and confirming who may issue it.
- Managing recruitment records at the end of the assignment.
For each activity, identify the owner, expected output and approval point. “Agency handles recruitment” is not enough detail to resolve a missed candidate update or an unapproved representation.
Review commercial and information terms
Obtain and review the actual written terms. Ask about the fee basis, payment triggers, exclusivity, candidate introductions, replacement provisions, cancellation and any other relevant commitments. Clarify what happens if a candidate has already applied directly or is introduced by more than one agency. Do not assume a replacement clause is an unconditional guarantee or that an informal enquiry carries no contractual consequences.
Agree how candidate information will be transferred, accessed and used. The OAIC’s employee-records guidance explains limits to that exemption, including its application to contractors. Do not assume outsourcing removes the need to check privacy responsibilities.
Close the brief with a communication plan
In an original fictional example, an employer requests a weekly progress update containing stage counts, unresolved role questions and decisions needed. Candidate details are shared only through the agreed restricted channel, rather than attached to a broad management update.
Confirm the next review date and how either party should raise a change in scope. A strong brief gives the agency enough information to work accurately and gives the employer a clear way to check that the agreed service is being delivered.
For the candidate perspective, see our guide to working with recruitment agencies in Brisbane; the employer’s commercial brief still needs its own agreed terms.
